Route: Castle Howard
Area: North Yorkshire
Date of walk: 29th July 2016
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3.0 miles
Weather: Sunny intervals
Castle Howard is a magnificent stately home set in the rolling landscape of the Howardian Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We arrived here mid-afternoon, having enjoyed a short walk earlier in the day from nearby Terrington (click here for that walk)
We made a bee line for the walled garden which I’d not had a chance to visit on the last occasion here. This was laid out in the early 18th century as a kitchen garden, and part of the garden is still home to an ornamental vegetable garden, but other parts contain separate enclosures with all manner of shrubs, herbs and herbaceous plants – all immaculately maintained against a backdrop of ancient brick walls. It’s a magical space
From here we wanderered past the Atlas Fountain and made a circuit of the South Lake before walking past the house to the Boar Garden. We didn’t have time to visit Ray Wood or the Great Lake but they’ll still be here next time we come – and there will be a next time for this must be one of the loveliest spots in England
For other visits here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
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