- A very traditional English Weekend break
- Leamington Spa – the oft-overlooked gem of Warwickshire
- Henley-in-Arden via Newbury and Banbury
- “Autumn colour at Winkworth” 2022
- Leighton House – a little gem in the crown of London Museums
- One autumn morning at Stourhead
- Christmas Lights at Stourhead 2022
- Classy and colourful Cliveden
- Coombe Abbey – no ordinary hotel
- Hereford is a secret well worth discovering
- Ross-on-Wye – the birthplace of “Picturesque Tourism”
- Leominster or Ledbury?
- Whitchurch – where? Why?
- Battersea or Buckingham Palace?
- A+ for Ardencote and Alcester!
- Autumn swan song in November
- Long weekend in Warwickshire
- Longleat revisited 2024
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The joy of Autumn
It’s the time of the year when
summer plants put away their brightly-coloured flowers,
some trees start shedding their leaves, sprinkling the ground with colours of a spice pot
others that have been waiting in the wings don their spirit-lifting colours, ready to take the centre stage
while trees that still have green leaves clinging on to their branches provide a valiant supporting role.
Winkworth Arboretum
Such a spectacular scene played out at National Trust’s Winkworth Arboretum in Godalming, Surrey. It was a perfect place for us to stop on our way to London for a long weekend.
“Autumn colour at Winkworth” is a well publicised event, In 2022 the dates are from 12 September to 20 November. Thanks to the pre-booking system, the place was not over-crowded to the comfort of all visitors.
On the day of our visit it was rather overcast, but the splendid colours around rendered it almost irrelevant. It was a certainly a pleasant way wandering amidst the bursts of colours for a couple of hours
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From the entrance we followed the sign for “access for all walk” and entered a tranquil walk framed by trees of subtle shades of green – dark, sage, olive and lime green
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The glimpse of colours behind the trees down the slope drew me there like a magnet!
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Through the cluster of trees and shrubs, the lake came into sight.
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Azalea Steps
Just around the corner from the Boat House were Azalea Steps….
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… steps that led to a paradise of trees in a rainbow profusion such as those I saw in Kyoto and Seoul!
Leaves of intense red, yellow, and pink mingled with green undergrowth were woven into a tapestry of colours
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With such a picturesque surrounding, how could I not be in a picture!!
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