Castle Ashby Gardens

Castle Ashby Gardens are located about 25 minutes away from here in Duston and one of the few gardens in the area that neither Jessica or we had visited. Tuesday was a lovely warm day and perfect for a garden visit.  

A view of the castle from along the garden path.

 

A panoramic view of the castle and some of the park like gardens. 

  We arrived before lunch so spent an hour or so walking and exploring this extensive garden. There is plenty to see from the 13th century church, to the Orangery and Italian gardens, the the Arboretum and the menagerie with its meerkats, chipmunks and marmosets. 

The Italian gardens with the Orangery in the distance.

Some of the topiary and large urns in this garden.

We spent time reading the history of the garden which was set up in a building beside the Triumphal Arch.   The estate covers 10 000acres and was granted to the Compton family in 1512 by Henry VIII. The castle was built 62 years later and is now the ancestral home of the 7th Marquess of Northampton. The beginnings of the extensive gardens, which now covers 35 acres, had their beginnings in 1695 when William III visited and suggested the construction of four great avenues of trees, one of which remains today. In the 1790s the parkland was shaped by Capabilty Brown.   The gardens only are open to the public 365 days of the year and are well worth a visit. Further information can be found on their website by clicking this link.

The triumphal arch leads into the Italian Garden.

After a break for lunch in their tearoom, we went back for another wander to find some of the remaining features on our map such as the Fuschia house, the butterfly garden and the secret garden.  It was lovely to see so many families out enjoying themselves, many with their picnic lunches.

The Fuschia house which was originally a pineapple house. There are in fact three sculpted pineapples can be seen on roof.

Both NZ flax and cabbage trees can be found in the gardens.

Bank Holiday Weekend

According to Jessica  a bank holiday here is typically cold and miserable but this weekend has been the exception. We have been enjoying temperatures in the mid 20s which is just perfect. So what have we been doing?  

Enjoying lunch outdoors.

  Well keeping off the roads as much as possible though yesterday we did brave the M1 and headed up to Burton on Trent (about 70km NW of Northampton) to visit Jessica and Andrew's friends Rosie, Huw and Ffion. We had a lovely afternoon sitting on their lawn under the shade of a Lime tree, enjoying a cold drink which was followed by lunch. Ffion is now nearly two and such a gorgeous wee girl. She kept us well and truly entertained.    

Enjoying the back lawn.

  Today and Saturday have been much more laid back with time sitting in both the sun and the afternoon shade. One or two chores have also been accomplished like the washing.  Stephen has mowed the lawns and weeded the paving stones, Andrew and Stephen have both spent time working on motorbikes and Jessica and I have attempted some sewing projects. The 'sweat shop' came to mind today as we worked away in the heat build up inside. Despite the heat we have both been productive and I have had lessons on using an overlocker. 

Maintenance work on a motorbike.

   

A production line!

    Saturday morning had a very stressful start as we watch the All Blacks play the Wallabies for the Bledisloe Cup and that evening we decided to give our resident chef (Jessica) a night off and we went off to The Fox and Hounds for a meal. We had a really enjoyable meal before coming and watching the Black Ferns win the WWRC.   

Sent to Coventry

Coventry isn't far from where we had our 'high tea' so we drove on and visited the transport museum.  Coventry was the centre of much of the motor industry in the UK, starting with the development of bicycles in the 1800s and then leading onto powered bikes and then cars. This museum takes you on a journey through this process and it is extremely well presented.  The museum originally opened in 1980 but it underwent major redevelopment in 2014/2015 and reopened in June 2015 as one of the finest collections in the world and one of the biggest in public ownership.

Coventry was the home to brands such as Austin, Triumph, Hunter, Damlier and Jaguar to name but a few. In fact Jaguar still have production in the area.   During WW2 Conventry was heavily bombed and the city had to rebuilt.  The car industry grew to even bigger heights during this period and in the 1950s was the second largest in the world and known as  'Motor City'. That unfortunately didn't last and by the 1970s it just couldn't compete with the American and European manufacturing. Between 1975 and 1982 the work force halved and the industry collapsed. Further information can be found by clicking  Museum

Hazelwood motorcycle

 

Showing the process

 

The next stage of a nearly completed vehicle.

 

Triumph sports car

 

   

High tea

All we knew about today was that Jessica had booked us lunch at 12:15pm. We weren't  sure what to expect so were quite surprised to arrive at Coombe Abbey. It is a magnificent old building with a moat included and lovely grounds that were full of families enjoying the last of the school holidays.  

Strolling in the gardens before our 'high tea'.

   

Outside the entrance to the Abbey.      

The Abbey's history dates back to the 12th century when it was the most influential monastery in the Warwickshire area.       After a walk through some of the gardens we went into the Abbey itself and were treated to a  'High Tea'. What an experience as the photos show. 

All ready to enjoy our selection of treats.

 

 

 

 

The sweets plate which included a chocolate mousse, a lemon cake and chocolate dipped strawberries.

   

We even got a doggy bag to take home for Andrew.

A sweet scone with jam and cream.

 

Flights

After 27 hours we arrived safely, and remarkably alert, in Birmingham yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. With Jessica there to meet us it made for a very easy trip to Northampton - an hour's drive away.  

 So the verdict on flying so direct with no real stopovers -great and I would certainly do it again. I think that Stephen may need some more convincing. Waiting around in airports for hours filling in time can be tiring and I am a fan of just getting it over with. The first flight was 17 hours and as we  left at 8:30pm our bodies treated it as night time. When we arrived in Dubai the sun was just rising so  we adjusted to morning. Not that we had much time in Dubai. In fact it was a mad rush to get to our next flight. For those who have been through that airport you will know the scale of the place and it feels like you have to walk miles. We only had a two hour stopover and in theory that should have been plenty of time. As it turned out they bussed us from the plane to the terminal and the bus trip took for ever. We got to our next departure lounge with 10 minutes to spare. Not even enough time for a comfort stop!!  

After showering and unpacking, we spent a relaxing afternoon with Jessica. We had dinner when Andrew arrived home around 7:30 and then managed to stay awake until 8:30pm. We didn't need any lullabies as we were asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow!  After almost 11 hours sleep we have slipped into local time and seem to have no sign of jetlag!

 Today we have been out and about. First into town to do a little shopping and then a drive out into the country to find a place for lunch. Jessica's first choice, in a Farm Shop/ Garden Centre, which appeared to be in the middle of nowhere had such a long queue of people waiting we went back to the local pub along the road instead.

Shopping for some new shoes. Notice all the children in the background. School starts next week here and the place was packed with parents and children all getting their new shoes!

 

The Horseshoe where we enjoyed an English 'pub lunch'.

Finally on our way

We have finally  arrived at the day when we depart Auckland on our LONG 17 hour flight to Dubai and then  on to Birmingham. We are pleased to be on our way as it seems ages since we left TeAnau a week ago. We of course have had a lovely time catching up with family and friends along the way in Clyde, Geraldine, Christchurch and Auckland.  We have spent the last four days in Auckland, originally to see Leigh but he has recently moved back to Clyde since we made our bookings. We have made the most of our time catching up with friends and having a bit of a look around the area.  We stayed in Orewa in one of the 'Marram' properties we have access to. It was a great spot - close to the beach and town centre as well as being easy access to the motorway.  

A walk on Orewa beach

   

Dinner at the Cassablanca in Orewa

 

A visit today to Motat, museum of technology and transport. A good way to spend a few hours while waiting for our evening flight.

   

Our 2017 Trip

The purpose of this  2017 trip to the UK and Europe blog is two fold: as a record for us to look back on, and for our friends and family to follow us as we travel.
The photo above is from our previous yachting trip in the Ionian Sea, off the coast of Greece. This year we are sailing in the Adriatic Sea out of Croatia.
We hope you enjoy our journey.