Hidcote Manor Gardens July 2026
In July, I visited Hidcote Manor Gardens, which, together with Sissinghurst, is one of my favourites. It is a National Trust property covering 10.5 acres, divided into a series of smaller garden rooms. No single viewpoint reveals the whole garden; visitors are encouraged to discover new views around every corner and through hedged archways. There […]
April 2017: Little Baddow National Trust Woodlands
April is the month when the transition from Winter to Spring is most marked. The wood anemones of March have begun to fade and give way to bluebells and blossom. This wild pear tree was at its best in early April, rising through the early morning mist at Pheasanthouse Farm. Greater stitchwort is abundant, seen […]
May 2016: Fox Cubs, Little Baddow
I took a break from writing to walk in the late afternoon sunshine. I am fortunate to live in a small village surrounded by countryside, including a large expanse of National Trust woodland. After leaving the minor road to take the lane into the woods, I noticed the young fox, above, about twenty metres away, […]