Heading eastwards our first stop is always Belton House just outside Grantham. I maybe should be more adventurous but I like the gardens and it's a good distance away from home for lunch.
This time we'd taken a picnic, and had companions while we ate - a couple of nosy crows (or maybe rooks) who were definitely waiting for any leftovers, and two deer who more politely kept their distance.
On into the gardens which were looking lovely considering the time of year, with Michaelmas daisies and dahlias lining the paths
and geraniums and antirrhinums still flowering well
If you're watcher of Bridgerton, Belton's orangery may look familiar. Alongside rooms in the House it was used as a stand in for the king's palace at Kew for scenes in the spin-off series Queen Charlotte: a Bridgerton story. I'm not sure if it will be making a return in future series but I shall be watching out in case it does.
Even in autumn inside is warm and full of lush flowering plants.
Behind the Orangery is a small area that I think people tend to miss - a roughly square grassed plot surrounded with flower borders. To the casual glance there's nothing special about the trees, but on closer inspection you'll notice their strange fruit. These are medlars, once a popular fruit but a rarity now. Once picked, the fruit has to ripen before use, generally being turned into preserves.
Paths lead on beyond this point towards the lake but I didn't want to over-tax my energy on the first day so we doubled back by the house and through the gardens to the restaurant and cake before continuing our journey.
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