Long time friends and readers will know how much I enjoy walled gardens and will understand why I couldn’t resist exploring the walled garden at Shugborough before I left the estate.

The butterfly in my Cherie’s Place thought (couple of days ago) was hiding underneath the bloom on the far right

Clicking on the first picture will give you a clear view of the words on the chalk board.

I have noticed in recent days that the air has that distinct hint of autumn in it and leaves on the trees are just beginning to change from greens to copper and orange. Today however the sun was shining brightly giving me the perfect opportunity to visit Attingham Park.

This weekend they were holding a food fair with local produce, I couldn’t resist picking up some more of the delicious beans shown in my previous post. They are grown in the Attingham Park walled garden. Those who have been following my blog for a while will know that the walled garden in one of my favourite parts of Attingham. So after enjoying a lemon and sugar pancake at the food fair I set of on the short walk to the walled garden to see how it is progressing. The photo above is taken in the garden and there are more photos to follow soon…

One of the things that the National Trust have been promoting this year is a campaign called ‘50 Things to do before you’re 11 3/4‘. You can watch a delightful video that promotes the campaign here.

I have highlighted in bold on the list below the things I have done (not necessarily before I was 11 3/4).  Some of the things that I haven’t done I am never likely to do unless forced into them

The list:

• 1. Climb a tree

• 2. Roll down a really big hill

• 3. Camp out in the wild

• 4. Build a den

• 5. Skim a stone

• 6. Run around in the rain

• 7. Fly a kite

• 8. Catch a fish with a net

• 9. Eat an apple straight from a tree

• 10. Play conkers

• 11. Throw some snow

• 12. Hunt for treasure on the beach

• 13. Make a mud pie

• 14. Dam a stream

• 15. Go sledging

• 16. Bury someone in the sand

• 17. Set up a snail race

• 18. Balance on a fallen tree

• 19. Swing on a rope swing

• 20. Make a mud slide

• 21. Eat blackberries growing in the wild

• 22. Take a look inside a tree

• 23. Visit an island

• 24. Feel like you’re flying in the wind

• 25. Make a grass trumpet

• 26. Hunt for fossils and bones

• 27. Watch the sun wake up

• 28. Climb a huge hill

• 29. Get behind a waterfall

• 30. Feed a bird from your hand

• 31. Hunt for bugs

• 32. Find some frogspawn

• 33. Catch a butterfly in a net

• 34. Track wild animals

• 35. Discover what’s in a pond

• 36. Call an owl

• 37. Check out the crazy creatures in a rock pool

• 38. Bring up a butterfly

• 39. Catch a crab

• 40. Go on a nature walk at night

• 41. Plant it, grow it, eat it

• 42. Go wild swimming

• 43. Go rafting

• 44. Light a fire without matches

• 45. Find your way with a map and compass

• 46. Try bouldering

• 47. Cook on a campfire

• 48. Try abseiling

• 49. Find a geocache

• 50. Canoe down a river

How many have you done?

Here, Queen Victoria took tea during her visit in 1867. Today’s visitors can enjoy the splendid food and refreshments on sale at The Terrace restaurant. home bakes, cakes and shortbread, traditional game pies, pates, preserves and jams are all made in the kitchens of Floors Castle. All served in the small restaurant or outside in the terrace that looks onto these delightful gardens.

Many of the great gardening traditions can be seen here – espalier fruit trees, topiary and traditional Scottish garden favourites. Ornamental borders also co-exist alongside soft fruit and vegetable beds, surrounding the peach glass house. The most remarkable feature of the garden are the original Victorian iron poles, dripping with huge swags of crimson American pillar rambling roses and purple clematis.

The gatehouse (entrance range) consists of a bridge, moat and crenellated gatehouse.  The stonework and windows are from several different periods.  The two ground-floor windows to the right of the gatehouse were probably inserted in the 1630s.  The left hand end of the range was built to harmonise with the rest in the 1790s.

The family range (not pictured) is essentially fifteenth-century although the non arched windows were added at a later date.  The slits just above the water level are there to ventilated the medieval sewer.  The central ground-floor projection was also added at a later date.

The garden range was rebuilt in 1564 to 1586 to contain the new Great Hall.  It was clad in good quality brick in the eighteenth-century to match the eighteenth-century walled garden which it overlooks.  The lower left corner is part of the fifteenth-century construction. *

*Information taken from the Baddesley Clinton guidebook.