A Still Autumn Day at Kedleston

October has, by and large, been a lovely sunny month, and I've been determined to get out and about on any day that wasn't cold and damp, so we were hardly back from Norfolk before heading out for an afternoon at Kedleston.

It was a beautiful, sunny day. Warm enough to walk without a coat (though it proved too troublesome to carry, so I put it back on!).  We walked down the drive to the bridge, then turned downstream alongside the lake, past another weir and the lower lake to the final weir and plunge pool. Not a long walk but a lovely one on a sunny day.

A day for ambling, looking at reflections, watching the geese and swans, or just sitting in the sun while water trickled over the weirs.

 

Last Stop - Old Hunstanton

 Coming home from Norfolk the Hunstanton area is generally our last stop; sometimes Hunstanton itself with amusements and fish shops, sometimes as this time the quieter beach at Old Hunstanton.

The sun was already dipping towards the horizon, but there was still time to roll up my leggings and have a quick paddle (very quick because at the tideline the beach was shingle and not pleasant to walk on)

 The setting sun gave a warm glow to Hunstanton's famous striped cliffs, but signaled time for us to get back in the car and head home.

Hopefully it won't be so long before we're back next time. 

 

Wells next the Sea

It isn't possible for me to visit north Norfolk without calling in at Wells next the Sea for at least an hour or two, and, on a glorious autumn afternoon with blue sky reflected in the sea, it looked at its best.

A couple of hours isn't long, but we had time to walk away from the busy shopping area, along the quay past moored up boats, and sit at the edge of the marsh, watching seabirds potter about in the mud and the tide gently come in.

Back at the main harbour, crowds were starting to gather awaiting the arrival of Wells' new lifeboat, but our car parking ticker was about to expire, so after a quick ice cream (locally made blueberry flavour) it was time to move on again.

 

Pretty Corner Woods

Our intention had been to drive straight from Felbrigg Hall to the coast at Wells next the Sea, and then on to Hunstanton, but somewhere round about Sheringham we joined a line of traffic moving very slowly, perhaps following a tractor. Having followed along for a mile or two we were getting bored, so spotting a sign for Pretty Corner picnic area we decided to pull up. It is indeed a pretty area of woodland, owned by North Norfolk Council, with walks leading through it. 

The information board didn't give the length of the walks so we just went for the one which appeared shortest - the Sensory walk - and hoped it wasn't TOO short. As it turned out, it was about right, and very pretty; a good path underfoot, no steep ascents or descents, leaves turning to autumn colours, the sun slanting through the trees, and certainly a better way to spend half an hour than sat in slow-moving traffic. 

Sometimes accidental finds can be lovely. It's certainly a place I'll return to when back in Norfolk to investigate the longer walks.




 

Felbrigg Hall walled garden

My previous visit to Felbrigg's walled garden was in summertime, when the flower borders were bursting with colour. I was completely enchanted by it, and wanted to see if it retained the same magic in autumn. 

Long story short, it did.

It was helped by being such a glorious day - warm enough to walk round without a coat, and to sit and relax in the sunshine. Amazing for October.

The garden is split into several sections, each with different plants, a mix of flowers and vegetables, ranging from the usual English garden varieties, dahlias and delphiniums,  to figs and palms.

On my previous visit there had been chickens wandering around, pecking at grubs and acting as natural insect killers, but at the moment they're cooped up because of bird flu; even the doves appeared to be staying in their dovecot.

It wasn't quite an empty as it appears from the photos but it's an amazingly peaceful place. Maybe it's good design, or feng shui, but it feels like a place to relax and just take in the atmosphere. And afterwards, although I forgot to take a photo, there was lunch in the sunshine outside the National Trust cafe - ploughman's roll and cake, Victoria sponge this time, 

Blickling Hall - an afternoon of contrasts

 

It was quite late in the afternoon when we arrived at Blickling, but the sun was still shining, the sky almost uninterrupted blue, despite rain forecast for later, and there was plenty of time for a walk round the gardens and maybe the wider estate.

The formal gardens were a little disappointing with work taking place on the hard landscaping of retaining walls resulting in certain areas being 'out of bounds'.

I always find kitchen gardens just as interesting though, especially in autumn with fruit hanging from trees and pumpkins and squash left out to ripen in the sun. 

not snakes, but long
snaking squash

And along one wall was a wonderful display of dahlias in all shapes, sizes and colours - spiky, two-toned, small enough to fit in your hand, as big as a football (well, maybe that's a little exaggeration).

Heading out of the gardens, back to the main entrance of the Hall, the sky was still blue, so I decided to risk that longer lakeside walk ... I was definitely too optimistic.

The walks leaflet warned that views of the Hall were more like distant glimpses and my zoomed-in shots make it look mistier than it was, but that rain was on the way.

We'd just about reached the furthest point of the lake when rain started to fall - just a few drops, followed by wind and driving rain. Fortunately it didn't last long. We took shelter under some trees, and then decided to take the shortest route back, along clear paths rather than through grass.

By the time we got back to the car though, the sky had started to brighten once more, promising a bright sunset.