Blickling Hall - wisteria and rhododendrons

Our day at Blickling started out in the parkland on the search for bluebells. I've seen photos online of woodland carpeted with a stunning blue carpet of flowers and hoped to find it. Two things were against us - it was a little late in the season so the flowers would be past their best, and we didn't know where to look.

I'd seen mention of bluebells on a circular walk near the lake so that's where we headed. We did find some but not the masses I'd expected. In the car park later, a guide said we hadn't been in the best area, so that's a walk for another year.

Still this was a pretty walk and not too strenuous to start the day. There were glimpses of the house in the distance, views over the lake, dragonflies along the path, and pretty paths to follow.

Back to the car then and round to the main entrance to the house and gardens.

It's always an imposing building but on this occasion I was absolutely stunned by the wisteria growing along the building which houses the cafe and shop. 

Then, inside the gardens there was even more! This time along the top of, and tumbling over, the retaining wall between lower and upper gardens. Absolutely wonderful!

Walking onwards then into the upper garden, where the central grassed walk was lined with beautiful hydrangeas.

I've visited Blickling many times but I think this occasion it was at its most impressive

 

Felbrigg Hall

 
After a gentle amble round the country roads and footpaths near our holiday cottage, we headed after lunch to Felbrigg Hall. Its walled garden is one of my favourite places to visit, with everything from a cottage-style garden of intermingled vegetables and flowers to olive trees and a dry, 'desert' garden.




The tulips were going over a little, but this is how I like them - wild over-blown, rather than upright and stately.

There were irises in an array of colours

and even bluebells.

Olive trees growing in pots against a brilliant blue sky gave the outdoor cafe area a Mediterranean feel.

I've long wanted to explore the wider parkland, so after a small snack we headed down towards the lake, through a pleasantly cool wooded area.





This isn't a long walk but we'd tackled it in the wrong direction, against the arrow routemarkers, which led to an amount of confusion, and by the time we were heading back from the lake I was getting tired and hot, and thought it might be possible to take a short-cut directly to the House and car-park. Sadly, this proved to not be possible. A fence cut across the direct route and we had to go round via the church anyway. I'm not defeated though, and next time I'll know where I'm going, and perhaps even explore further round the park.

Off to Norfolk - stopover at Belton House

Our first stop when heading to Norfolk is always at Belton House, just outside Grantham.

It's not far from home and we arrived with time for lunch before taking a walk around the gardens.

It was another warm day for early May and the walking mainly took the form of  moving from one area of shade to the next.

For a while we sat in the shade of the medlar trees at the rear of the Orangery; this is the first time I've seen them in flower.

Then moved onward to this summerhouse hidden away in cow parsley, and a path in dappled shade beneath trees.

Before braving the sun to reach the pavilion at the end of the pond.

I don't like heat and found it far too hot to explore up to the Boathouse and around the lake, so we ambled under trees back towards the formal gardens and the Moondial before heading back to the cafe for tea and cake.

One last thing to see ... 

On the way in, I'd noticed this wonderful wisteria growing by the entrance sign, so before leaving we walked down the drive to see it. Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?