After all the glorious weather of late, today was somewhat dull, cloudy and overcast the air temperature had dropped to 12C, it had been 18C yesterday and very damp and humid. After a short early morning walk around Brayton Barff with Meg and Gracie followed by breakfast, we packed the car and all headed off to Castle Howard for a walk around the Walled Garden and South Lake. It was just over a month ago since our last visit, so todays was well overdue.

It was 10.30am as I parked the car and made our way over to the courtyard coffee shop for a takeaway coffee and cake. Drinks in one hand and dogs in the other we made our way across the cobbled courtyard to the ticket office. After showing our cards and exchanging pleasantries with the staff, we made our way under the arch and across to the walled garden. It has been several months since our last walk around the garden, so today made quite a pleasant change.

The borders were a mass of colour, the Alliums in particular caught my attention, due to the size of the flower heads. Everything in the garden was huge and much bigger than say the same plants in our garden at home. The vegetable beds were full of various types of vegetables. The Walled Garden was originally laid out during the 18^th century as a kitchen garden. Today, although vegetables are still grown, the vast majority of the garden is laid out with roses, shrubs and cut flowers, dedicated to the memory of Lady Cecillia Howard. It is estimated that there are 2000 modern roses of all varieties in the garden, making it one the country’s most comprehensive collections.

On leaving the Walled Garden we headed over to the house along the Lime Terrace and as rain looked imminent, we shortened our walk with just a circuit of the South Lake. Much of the grass meadows around the lake and up towards Ray Wood has been left to seed with several tracks cut through by the ground staff. It is amazing to see the different wildflowers including Orchids that have grown amongst the long grass. As we headed back towards the house and courtyard we called into the café/restaurant for a very pleasant brunch, Meg & Gracie contently sleeping alongside our table, after which we headed for home.