A woodland walk ...

On a free morning, I needed to pop in to the local Shropshire town of Bridgnorth which is always good for a mooch while picking up healthy nuts. 

It sits high above the river Severn & has old castle remains & the walls & gates in to town. 

The town has some beautiful black & white buildings with the interesting windows & attic rooms. 

We had a wander around but our mind was set on a countryside walk at Dudmaston Hall nearby. 

Nearby is the National Trust estate of Dudmaston Hall that I visited earlier this year with my cousin.  

We decided on the Dingle Walk through the woods to the lake that is near the house.  

Being there early meant we had the woods to ourselves, it was lovely & cool under the tree canopy, our only companions being butterflies, birds & blue dragonflies darting about.

The walk brings you in next to the boat house on the lake. 

It was used recently in the tv series filmed around this area called 'Murder before Evensong'  along with the nearby village of Worfield. 

The boathouse was unfortunately locked so we could not peek inside but it has the most stunning twisted chimney stack & the lake is really delightful. 

When I visited the house recently, we took an art tour & looked at the work of Anthony Twentyman whose large sculptures are visible from the room in the house towards the lake. 

Our walk brought us to it & it is interesting shape looking out over the lake with a second one slightly higher up on the lawn terraces. 

The view from inside the house towards the lake sculptures & of the view back to the house. 

From the lake, the view up to the house is so interesting with a flowing curve of purple lavender, then a huge bed of roses alongside the house. 

Next to that is a riotous bed of colourful summer flowers that is too beautiful to ignore. That is how summer planting should be - unashamedly bold. 

This deep border filled to the brim with colourful plants is such a delight. It is bold, colourful & also scented; a real delight & an example of great summer planting. 

It is always good to browse a NT bookshop where gifted books are sold to raise money - I bought a lovely one on Kirstenbosch gardens in the Cape for a mere £2. 

We enjoyed coffee & sandwiches in the beautiful orchard tea gardens before taking leave of the lovely estate again. 

We are so fortunate to have these fabulous places within easy reach, I will visit again to take in the house & art at a leisurely pace. 

I hope you have enjoyed my visit too, do stop by again soon. 

Dee 🪾🌳🚤🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🥪