Taking advantage of a Christmas gift voucher we had Afternoon Tea at David Austin Roses. The weather was perfect, after several rainy days the sun came out allowing us to enjoy the gardens before indulging in tasty treats in the tea room.

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.

When we got up we found that the weather was rather inclement so, after we had finished our breakfast and checked out, we decided not to go into York but instead to keep our options open and perhaps visit a property or museum on the way home.

As we were driving the weather soon turned to snow and the world either side of the motorway became white. We decided that stopping off was not the best option and made our way straight home. As we got close Shropshire there was no snow at all, just rain, so rather than go straight home we stopped off at David Austin Roses for lunch which was a nice end to our short break away.

In addition to the weekend shopping chores Mr C and I factored in a lunchtime visit to David Austin Roses where we hoped to find a rose or two for the next stage of our garden project. On arrival we wandered around the sales area to see what roses were available to buy. Then we headed to the cafe for a sandwich which we enjoyed sitting outside in the sunshine.

After lunch we wandered around the gardens to see the displays of roses in different settings. The display of roses was spectacular so we found it difficult to settle on just one or two; eventually we plumped for Olivia Rose Austin and Lady Emma Hamilton. I have some other roses in mind to continue on with our garden project.

The weather remained kind so we were able to enjoy our evening meal; ginger and orange baked salmon with a glass of Rose wine on the patio. As we lingered after the meal the sun started to set proving an almost rainbow like glow in the sky.

In the Rose Garden, pathways below pergolas swathed in roses, honeysuckle and clematis lead through tumbling masses of fragrant roses, a mix of climbing, shrub, old and English varieties. There are more than three thousand David Austin Roses, including Just Joey, Jude the Obscure and Gertrude Jekyll.

In celebration of The Alnwick Garden, David Austin created a beautiful new English rose, the Alnwick Rose, launched at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2001. This rich pink rose has a lovely cup-shaped flower and a delicious fragrance with a hint of raspberries.*

*Info from the Alnwick Garden website.