Berkeley Castle is a beautiful and historic Castle, begun in 1154 and still the home of the Berkeley family. It is a great day-out for all the family, hosting special events during school holidays and throughout the year. Awarded TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence for the last five years.
The Castle, which dominates the Vale of Berkeley, is steeped in over 860 years of British history. It is best known as the scene of the brutal murder of Edward II in 1327 and for being besieged by Parliamentary troops in 1645. Over 24 generations of Berkeley’s have gradually transformed a Norman fortress into the lovely family home it is today.
The state apartments contain magnificent collections of furniture, rare paintings and English and continental tapestries. Some of the world famous Berkeley silver is on display in the Dining Room and many other rooms including the Great Hall, the Morning Room (the former mediaeval chapel, with its unique painted ceiling) and the kitchens are available to view.
The Castle is surrounded by lovely terraced gardens with flower borders, a lily pond, Elizabeth I’s bowling green and sweeping lawns. From May-September, the visit also includes the tropical Butterfly House in the Walled Garden, which is a tranquil environment for over twenty-five different species of tropical butterflies. Garden enthusiasts can enjoy a stunning display of roses and many rare plants and flowers in Berkeley Castle’s magnificent terraced gardens
Garden photos coming soon…
The following video covering the history of the house and estate is well worth a watch.
Yesterday the friendly sound of post landing through the letter box brought me the latest edition of Country Walking Magazine. The weather was glorious so I dipped into the pages whilst enjoying lunch on the patio.
After lunch I set off for a walk along a sun dappled shady pathway to Leegomery Pools, hoping to see the goslings. They were there in all their cuteness.
Later in the day I enjoyed ‘Fine Dining’ on the patio as the sun set and the birds sang evensong
Click on the photo above to view birdsong video
PS: I intended to walk a different route this afternoon but the weather was extremely warm so I chose this shady walk instead. As I approached home I noticed a couple coming towards me. We arrived together as I turned off on a side way towards my house. As I did so I realised that one of the walkers was a former colleague of mine. I turned around with a sunny smile and said hello. The response was a rather reluctant grumpy hello so I chose to carry on walking. I remembered that we had eye contact a few weeks ago whilst in a socially distancing supermarket queue (he was looking back at me from the front of the queue). I waved and he immediately turned away…
It is difficult to resist the urge to visit the goslings at Leegomery pools to see how they are progressing.
After enjoying ‘Fine Lunching’ on the patio my addiction to the growing bundles of fluff led me on a lovely circular walk taking in some of the new pathways that I have explored this year.
The recent changes to acceptable walking limits allowed me to linger to enjoy some of the finer details on my afternoon walk to Little Apley Pool.
After I had finished that walk I wasn’t quite ready to return home so I extended my walk in a different direction, returning to Leegomery Pools hoping to see the goslings and I wasn’t disappointed. It was also lovely to see the fishermen back doing their thing.
For such a sunny afternoon all the pathways were surprisingly quiet.
