lyme park, cheshire

we went for a day out at Lyme Park in March last year.. it was a sunny (but not so warm) day and hardly surprising that the park was full of visitors.

Lyme Park is near Stockport, Cheshire; nestled at the edge of Peak District. distance from Nottingham is about 60 miles, 1.5 hours drive.

Lyme Park, House and Garden was once home to the Legh family and was, in its heyday, a great sporting estate. Lyme is now managed by the National Trust.

 

 

 

 

 

For a more tranquil walk explore the Edwardian rose garden, ravine garden or luxurious herbaceous borders next to the reflecting lake where a certain Mr Darcy met Miss Bennett in the BBC production of 'Pride and Prejudice' starring Colin Firth. 

 

Children can let off steam in Crow Wood Playscape with its giant slide, tree house and rope walks.

 

legoland, windsor

we went to LEGOLAND Windsor on our way to Hampshire for the easter break 2013. we started the journey from Notttingham in the morning and 2 hours later we arrived at LEGOLAND.  the entrance fee can be quite pricey but with the help of vouchers/coupons from Kellogs or Persil or WHSmith, we only have to pay for adults and kids go free. I usually start collecting them from early of the year and they are valid till October as the theme park closes in winter.

we've been to LEGOLAND for few times but the latest attraction was the Lego Star Wars Miniland. simply awesome!!

 

 

Highclere Castle, "the real Downton Abbey", Berkshire

the day after visiting Jane Austen's house, we went to Highclere Castle; the "real Downton Abbey".  Fans of period dramas wouldn't have missed watching Downton Abbey which has finished its 4th season last year and the shooting of 5th season began in early 2014.

Highclere Castle is one of England's most beautiful Victorian Castles set amidst 1,000 acres of spectacular parkland. The Carnarvon family has lived at Highclere since 1679, and the current Castle stands on the site of an earlier house, which in turn was built on the foundations of the medieval palace owned by the Bishops of Winchester for some 800 years. These Gardens and woods can be explored only when Highclere Castle is open to the general public from April to September.

Highclere Castle lies to the west of London, not far from the M4 and Newbury. Oxford and Birmingham are to the north, Winchester and Southampton to the south. you can get there on trains and coaches from London to Newbury and take taxi to the castle.

 

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Jane Austen's house, Chawton, Hampshire

last year Easter holiday, we visited our family friend, Gill who lives in a small village outside Winchester in Hampshire county. Winchester is the first capital of England, located just an hour  south west of London.

Hampshire has a strong connection with Jane Austen, celebrated as one of England's great novelist who started writing her first novel, Pride and Prejudice when she was 20 and published eighteen years later.

She was born in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire. At 25, she moved with family to Bath, where her father had decided to retire. But when he died in 1805, she returned with her mother and her sister Cassandra to Hampshire to live in Southampton. Four years later, they moved to a cottage in the village of Chawton, also in Hampshire, now a museum to her work. Here, Jane began to write seriously, working on Sense and Sensibility (published in 1811) followed by Mansfield Park in 1814 and Emma in 1815. Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published after her death.

The village attracts most local tourists. last year was 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice and a theatre company performed short scenes from the story book.

 

Jane Austen's House Museum

malham cove, yorkshire

Malham Cove is a huge curving amphitheatre shaped cliff formation of limestone rock.

The vertical face of the cliff is about 260 feet high. The top of the cove is a large area of deeply eroded limestone pavement, of a strange pattern rarely seen in England. The majesty of Malham Cove looks out over the Village of Malham, in the Pennines, at the southern base of the Yorkshire Dales.  It's a pretty place, surrounded by limestone dry-stone walls, & with a stream running right through the middle of the village.

Scenes for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows were filmed all around Malham including Malham Cove, the limestone pavement, Malham Tarn and Gordale Scar.

Malham Cove is in Yorkshire Dale National Park, about 110 miles, 2 1/2 hours drive from Nottingham

 Malham Village

 The Old (Black) Smithy, Malham

norfolk broad (day 2)

we went out for a walk in the morning before everyone else woke up. as it is, the village is very quiet and even more on Sunday morning. took the public footpath next to the brook near the B&B. we met few morning walkers. path was a bit muddy because it rained the night before and took some lovely pics of snowdrops in someone back garden and also at the adventure woodland behind a church

after breakfast, we checked out and left for Wroxham Barn in Hoveton, just 5 miles away from Coltishall. Wroxham Barns is the ‘must visit’ for all the family – whatever your age. there are shops selling stylish clothes, gifts for home and garden,  Bill LeGrice Roses & Plant Centre, Junior Farm, Children’s Funfair, 10 Craft Studios and an award winning restaurant and definitely well worth a visit.

 

before heading home, we stopped at Norwich City, went to Norwich Castle ground and had lunch in Castle Mall, just behind the castle.

 

it was St Paddy's (St Patrick) Day - Ireland's national day and celebrated across the British Isles