Sheringham Park

The day before we headed off for our week in the south west, as you might imagine, Deb was keen to maximise Maggie and Belinda time. I decided to walk some more and set out to Sheringham Park,another National Trust property on the north coast. Basically seaside (Sheringham, the town) but breathtaking views and walks around a "House" that is not open to the public, though clearly visible - so something quite different than what we had seen so far. Also unusual grounds because the house is built south of a hill that protects it from the sea. This also means that the park gardens were designed to be what the house enjoyed visually rather then being built at the "top of the property" overseeing the views to the coast. All designed by the great landscape gardener Humphry Repton in early 1800s - proclaiming it as "my most favourite work" ... and after five hours or so wandering, meandering, sitting, looking, admiring and marvelling at his creation I would not deign to dispute his self-assessment :).

I merely offer a few glimpses and hope to do it some justice ... but pictures seldom do because there is not immersion or sense of place to be gleaned. Feel free to visit the website though for some alternate more professional offerings showing off the Park in different seasons and full bloom.

Here are some examples of the walking paths and tracks ... walk, cycle, horseride ... arrive by car or steam train, but the choices of landscape to explore goes right to the seaside and back if you like :).

One or two specific features along my walk (MANY, MANY more!) ... first two are a very big tall monkey-puzzle tree (therefore very, very old because they grow very, very slowly) and a very small one (therefore very young) ... I remember the first time I saw one of these was on in Butchart Gardens near Victoria on Vancouver Island, so it was a treat to see one on this walk, though I have noticed quite a few during this visit).

The larger of the three photos below is of one of the many small pockets of hail still on the ground around midday. I included this one, and took these, because it was only the day before I had been caught in the same hailstorm that precipitated these while I was walking around Thompson Common - see earlier post (27/4 The other important event of this trip). Sometimes you just never know what will linger until the next day!

 

Here are a couple of examples of good birds shots I managed to take along the way ... a co-operative bull finch on and old log and one lucky song thrush with a nice juicy worm! 

Also some early tastes of the rhododendrons that are beginning to come into full bloom (a week or three to go). Some further examples later in the post.

 

Following the red markers through various types of woods you saw above, you eventually come across the House. At the top of the trees (literally) directly between the left lower part of the roof line and the white tower to the left is "The Gazebo". Quite the path to get to the top of the platform that is the gazebo, but worth every step to see the 360 degree panorama across the tree tops ... the park as well as the coast. The third picture shown is the direction you approach from the entrance to the park if you follow the red markers (the longest of the marked walking paths).

 

Next are some examples of buildings around the Park. The third one below offering a distant view of the House through the arches of the Temple way up on another hill as you meander back to the rhododendron gardens and the entry/exit.

Which takes me to showing some of the very early glimpses of colour emerging ... I REALLY hope we get back there before we head back just to visit the rhododendron section. Some red and mauve blooms, a gorgeous pink camelia and a stunning bronze maple. Enjoy.

I have tried to be a little creative with these next three images to offer a vision of how the rhododendrons transform to full bloom (even though not to scale) ... I get a quite transfixed when I see this range of buds to flowers on the same bush ...

Then in the car park as I was leaving I snapped two more birds ... I leave you to judge which you might wish a brighter & more prosperous, populous future for ... if you can zoom in the first one, the menacing sting under the nose if all too clear; the second one ... well, it sums up the advantage nature has over man ... (though I confess to cheating a little; this one was taken in a garden, whereas the one at the Park was not so clear because of the backlight, so you will have to forgive me for a little subtefuge to make a point ... just like man isn't it!).

So, I was in a good place to set off to the south west, and Deb had spent a good full day with Belinda and Maggie. So, I shall continue the posts hereafter by clearing the backlog from down Bristol way ... one will cover a trip to Exeter to catch up with a neice (Emily); one to Port Isaac (Doc Martin country); a third another "unscheduled" trip to Weston-Super-Mare visiting a Quarry (yep, true ... but you will have to wait to read what it was all about :); and then our side trip on the way back to attend and soak up the RHS Malvern Spring Festival (the smallest of the five or six spring garden shows that includes Chelsea). 

Stay tuned. Spring is well and truly here :). Even hot enough to have the shorts, short sleeves and no shoes today (and a hat)! Seriously!