October Travel: Hardwick Hall

October can be a stunning time of year to go exploring.  If you manage the right day, you get brilliant autumn sunshine reflecting off the changing leaves.  Everything feels golden.  My online photo storage reminded me last week of one October weekend that was decidedly not golden.  It included nonstop rain dripping down your back and leaving your jeans a trifle on the sopping side.  We remember you fondly, Northumberland.  

But that was not so on this little stop we took on a Fall Break road trip five years ago now.  We were driving south from North Yorkshire to Gloucestershire, and K.J. is the king of finding good places to stretch your legs.  No stop is ever wasted, especially when you're a member of The National Trust.  A year's membership gains you entrance to any property all year long, guaranteeing you beauty, history, and inspiration, as well as a clean restroom on road trips.  Win, win, win.

We didn't take time to walk around inside the house but walked around the gardens where we saw something we've never forgotten, one of the most ingenious ideas we've ever seen:

The park was full of gorgeous, mature trees changing color and dropping leaves.  Both large and small rakes placed all around next to big leaf bags insured every kid spent several minutes doing some work.  Pure genius, I tell you.

Hardwick Hall is in Derbyshire and was built between 1590-1597.  In addition to its splendid trees there are many delightful nooks and crannies to discover in the garden.  If I were Mr. Collins I could perhaps tell you how much the window casings cost.  I have no idea; however, I can tell you the windows are abundant and beautiful.

I don't think I knew this when we visited, but the hall is used as the location of Malfoy Manor in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film.  It was made to look a little more sinister by adding spiky tops to the towers.

The old hall is next door, its windows just as impressive, though they are now missing glass...and the rooms are open to the sky.  There are magnificent views of surrounding countryside to take in before you leave.

I hope you enjoyed a little armchair October traveling.  It made me happy to re-visit Derbyshire through pictures once more.

June 18, 2014: The Peak District

This is the day K.J. and I found out we would be moving our little family to North Yorkshire.  After the end of an assessment conference we drove our rental car into the Peak District for a day of exploring and decompressing before flying back to Alabama.

This is my husband carrying my tripod.

The day begins cloudy and overcast, as days often do in England, but beautiful sunshine is coming.  Look at the lovely ferns.  Ferns now remind me of Miss Penelope Lumley from The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, who frequently taught her pupils about Victorian England's obsession with pteridology.

Do you have landscapes that cause your whole body to exhale?  My body physically relaxes when I'm surrounded by countryside anywhere in the United Kingdom.  Peaks, valleys, seaside cliffs, and even wooded areas--they're all my favorite.

"What IS it about the English countryside--

why is the beauty so much more than visual?

Why does it TOUCH one so?"

- I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith - 

In Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle must content themselves with the "beauties of Matlock, Chatsworth, Dovedale, or the Peak" when Mr. Gardiner's work keeps them from traveling further north to the Lakes.  This is all we had time for as well:  a walk in the Peaks and a visit to Chatsworth.

We stood at the brink of a new season of our life together, and we were excited.  If I had to speak in Lord of the Ring's terms, maybe I'd call this our Fourth Age.  The Elder days were our brief time together before children, the Second Age was living in Louisville with baby E, the Third Age was Alabama again, and now something new was beginning.  (If it's not obvious I definitely just finished reading through The Lord of the Rings.)  Our ages are a lot shorter than those of beings who live for thousands of years.

E made it to the gates of Chatsworth with K.J. one Sunday when he preached at a church in the Peaks, but we never made a family trip there.  We did, however, take two family trips to the Lakes, so the kids weren't completely deprived.

A Beautiful Day

We were travelling south today for the half term break.  We didn't take a vacation this summer, and after the glorious autumn beauty we saw today, I think fall vacations might be the way to go.

We stopped to eat our packed lunches at Hardwick Hall.  It was a beautiful place to stretch our legs.  

The leaves on this tree were such an unusual color and so huge!

That's a lovely door, isn't it?

People think of England as a place that is constantly cloudy and/or rainy, and in some ways that is true, but what is more true is that the weather changes so quickly.  A day of constant sunshine and clear blue skies always feels like a gift, and we greatly enjoyed the gift today.