On what started as a dull, damp and overcast morning ended up being a very pleasant sunny day at Castle Howard.

It was a cold, dull, damp, and drizzly morning as I set off on our daily morning walk with Meg and Gracie earlier today, morning walks like this can become a little off putting and a tad depressing especially due to the amount of rain we have had recently and the lack of sunshine, the only consolation is that it has been relatively mild for this time of year. So, after a shortened walk (due to the rain) we headed for home and an early breakfast, much to the dog’s delight. Once breakfast was done, we decided to take the dogs out again so headed over to Castle Howard for a walk around the estate and grounds and look at the displays of Snowdrops. It was just after 10.00am when we arrived in the visitor’s car park, although the sky was cloudy and overcast the sun was just starting to break through the heavy leaden sky. It was very quiet visitor wise when we arrived so we popped into the Courtyard café for a couple of coffee’s to take with us on our walk around the grounds. It was very pleasant as we made our way across the cobbled courtyard to the ticket office. After exchanging pleasantries with the staff, we made our way outside and headed towards the house. Huge swathes of Snowdrops covered the grass under the trees, their tiny white florets shimmering gently in the light morning breeze. As we got closer to the house, huge clusters of purple flowering crocus provided extra colour to the landscape. The house looked as beautiful as ever and once the sun broke through the cloudy sky and hit the south side of the house it lifted the spirits nicely. Although the house is still closed till later in the month, we could hear contractors and workmen carrying out vital work in preparation for the house opening. We continued our walk along the south terrace in front of the house, the gravel underfoot crunching nicely as we made our way towards the ‘time capsule’, where we stopped for a few moments to admire the view of the house and ‘South Lake’. It is just a steady five-minute walk up the grassy slope to the top of the hill and entrance to ‘Ray Wood’. The Daffodils were pushing through the grassy meadows at an alarming rate and will probably be in flower by early March.

Continuing through the wooden gate and into the woods we were greeted with huge swathes of Snowdrops on both sides of the pathway. Some restoration work was being carried out on the small building on the left. It was nice to see some of the Azaleas coming into flower, their lilac-coloured florets adding an additional bit of colour to woodland. Continuing further along the path towards the Temple, Meg found a huge pile of Autumn leaves which she had a good role in, much to Gracie’s disgust. After going through the wooden gate, we continued through the Rhododendron bushes to the ‘Temple of Four Winds’. The views from this part of the estate are extensive with lovely views across open farmland, the ‘Mausoleum’ to the East as well as the ‘New Bridge’ a little closer to the Southeast. After stopping to admire the views we headed back along the ‘Southern Terrace’ towards the house. The views looking over towards the Atlas Fountain and the house are amazing. It was nice to hear the honking of the Geese over on the ‘South Lake’ enjoying some of the winter sunshine. On reaching the house it was just a steady five-minute walk back to the courtyard where we enjoyed a very pleasant brunch in the Courtyard Restaurant before the journey home with two tired out dogs.