We booked a last-minute overnighter so that we could spend a whole day at Chatsworth. Before setting off on our journey we visited mum who seemed in a better place than she had been in recent days.

As we left it was time for lunch (both mum’s and ours) so we stopped at Boscobel House for a sandwich before continuing our journey to our first port of call, Bolsover Castle.

For a long time, we had been intending to visit Bolsover and we weren’t disappointed. The property has a rich and interesting history. The first structure of the current castle dates back to 1612 to 1617 and was built by Sir Charles Cavendish. The castle was built on the earthworks and ruins of a 12^th century medieval castle built by the Peverel Family.

As we entered what is referred to as ‘The Little’ castle the heavens opened leaving us grateful that the property has a roof. The artworks painted on the walls and ceilings within are stunning. Each room has its own theme; The seasons, heaven and earth and other similar themes. We had hoped to enjoy the wall walk but when we had finished our tour of ‘The Little’ castle the rain had become even more torrential. The wall walk is Something, along with the gardens and fountain that we will have to pick up on a sunnier day.

Despite having an umbrella I got absolutely soaked walking back to the visitor centre. The rain was coming in sideways and the paths were rivers of water. My feet got soaked and one arm of my fleece was rather soggy.

Thankfully our hotel, the Premier Inn, wasn’t far away. I was soon able to shed my soggy garments and have a lovely soak in the bath and feel clean and refreshed.

Later we dined in The Divan Restaurant which serves delicious Turkish cuisine. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming and vibrant. Over the meal we realised it was a family team; mother, father and daughter. The daughter was serving us, the father was the cook and the mother checking up to see if everything was as it should be and that we were happy.

We retired to the nearby Wetherspoons Spa Lane Vaults for a nightcap. The wine I ordered, a Pinot Grigio Blush, arrived looking rather dark. Mr C queried what had been delivered and was told it was correct. One sweet saccharine sip later my taste buds were assaulted. The wine was returned, Mr C opting for a safe dry white wine rather than trying to educate the staff to serve the dry rose that Weatherspoon’s does offer.

Walking back to the hotel we enjoyed the view of St Mary’s twisted spire surrounded by mist.

I needed to visit the Madely dental practice to drop off a form for my mum and by the time this had been done it was time for lunch. After a bit of thought Western Park seemed a suitable place but on arrival, we found the café was closed.

We resumed our journey, pondering a suitable alternative for lunch. As luck would have it, I spotted a sign for Boscobel House which I know has a good café. I settled for a jacket potato with beans which was served tastefully with a side salad.

After lunch we walked to White Ladies Priory. I have always wanted to do this walk but on previous visits there has not been enough time. The sun was out bathing us in a warm glow and also showcasing the distant Shropshire hills.

I enjoyed my walk ‘there and back again’. Afterwards a naughty cake (blueberry and banana) was calling me… The cake was delicious, and  being able to sit outside in the sunshine was an added bounus.  A resiedent robin came to our table to share a few crumbs that had been left behind.

The first day of the bank holiday commemorating the Platinum Jubilee of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II saw us visiting Boscobel House. Boscobel House is famous as a hiding place for King Charles II when fleeing for his life after his defeat in the Civil War. He spent a night in one of priest holes in the hunting lodge.

King Charles II also spent a day hiding in a nearby Oak tree as Cromwell’s soldiers searched for him below. A descendant of the oak tree can be seen nearby in a place that would once have been covered in oak woodland. The vision of English Heritage is to repopulate the area with oak trees to reconnect the site with its heritage.

Within the house garden another Royal Connection can be found; a plaque beneath an oak tree commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

This tree seedling from the Royal Oak in the adjacent field was planted by Augustus Bishop of Lichfield as a memorial of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

The parent tree by sheltering King Charles II preserved the Royal Line from extinction.

The daughter tree commemorates the unexpectedly long reign (about 200 years later) of his illustrious successor.

English Heritage are developing the site so there is more to explore than there was previously. We were time constrained so it was not possibly to venture on the walk to the nearby White Ladies Priory.

Recently I have been reading a local guidebook to give me new inspiration for places to visit in Shropshire. One of the places sounded perfect for the beautiful summer weather that we have been experiencing, so the weekend before last I decided it would be nice to take Mr C out to a mystery location for lunch.

He was a little bit reluctant to go out for lunch, but I persuaded him. I programmed the SatNav and it took us on a delightful magical mystery tour. That SatNav route took us in quite a different direction than I would have instinctively chosen. We arrived at our countryside destination in a timely manner avoiding the nearby town.

Our destination was Shropshire Lavender, a small family run lavender farm with a tea room serving freshly baked cakes and scones. The lavender farm is set in the rolling Shropshire countryside about 3 miles from the market town of Newport on the North Shropshire-Staffordshire border.

Choosing lunch was difficult… should I opt for a lavender scone or lavender and lemon cake. I chose the latter and did not regret my choice

When we had finished our visit to the lavender farm we weren’t quite ready to go home, so we perused the mapbook for a nearby place of interest. We settled on Boscobel House famous as hiding places of King Charles II after defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

Later in the day we enjoyed fine dining on the patio

For more of this weeks PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.

Robert A. Heinlein

I was a little bit disappointed to see that Boscobel House was in need of some TLC, the paintwork was peeling off outside. Maybe this was due to the cold winter we have had… Hopefully it will be restored to it’s former glory soon.