Sunday 17 November 2013

Early autumn at Tatton


I woke up this morning to a damp, grey, misty day. How different to the one we had at Tatton Park a few weeks ago. We've been trying to make the most of every last day of sunshine and warmth at the weekends before the winter sets in. So, when the weather promised to be fine on Sunday in October, we headed off to Tatton. It was one of those perfect early autumn days when the skies are still the brightest blue and the leaves were just starting to change colour.


Before heading out to walk in the park though, we stopped for breakfast at the Gardener's Cottage which only opened this year. What a lovely building - I want to live there! So many period features and it has been decorated beautifully.


And look, a table full of pretty teacups and saucers! I'm sure the people in our room must have thought I was odd wandering around cooing over all the prettiness and looking at the different patterns - I was in heaven!


Outside was lovely too with old apple trees and cottage garden plants.


There were lots of apples for sale in the garden shop - all different traditional varieties. I was very tempted but didn't want to carry them around all day and the park was calling.




There are lots of deer at Tatton Park and this pair were enjoying grazing under a lovely tree with its leaves just starting to turn golden. There were signs at the entrance saying it was the rutting season so we kept our distance.




I just love the wide open spaces here and those big skies. All the trails are from planes taking off from Manchester Airport.


I was so busy looking at the views and skies that it was Chickpea who pointed out these giant mushrooms.



I know photos can give a false impression and perspective but these were dinner plate size!


I'm no mushroom expert but, after looking at a few web sites, I'm pretty sure they're parasols, which seems a very apt name.


OK, that's the last photo.


Well, alright, maybe just one more :) These are younger versions.


After all those mushrooms I thought there might be an abundance of acorns and conkers. However, we found only one conker which looked like it had been nibbled by the deer and I think the squirrels must have beaten us to the acorns!


What we did see were plenty of sweet chestnuts.


There were piles and piles of them littering the ground.


There were also lots of beech nuts along the Beech Walk. It was actually quite a strange experience walking under the trees as there was a constant sound of cracking and rustling as the pods and nuts fell to the floor. Thankfully none of them fell on our head!


Sigh. I wish I could be there today walking along that beautiful path and seeing how the leaf colour will have changed. Unfortunately boring stuff like cleaning the car calls so it will have to wait for another time.

I still have another day trip to tell you about from several weeks ago but next time it's time to reveal my latest quilt. Thank you for all the lovely comments lately - you really do make my day. xx

10 comments:

  1. That is a gorgeous visual and written picture of your trip there. I've often passed signs for this place when I've been on one of my forays down south but never visited but I've got it on my list now, thanks to your lovely imagery. Your delight just shines out from this post.

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  2. That looks like a really lovely trip...all those pretty cups and saucers, I would have been in heaven too! Love the photo of the deer, so beautiful.
    Marianne x

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  3. What a beautiful place, I love the colours in your photography, the bright blue of the sky, the autumn browns and oranges, the fresh greens :) xx

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  4. I really enjoyed this, what a beautiful set of photographs, a perfect day for it too. I've only been to Tatton once and that was accompanying a load of school children so it wasn't a proper visit - I really want to go after seeing your lovely photos!

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  5. Oh what a beautiful adventure - I'd love to hear the nuts falling from the trees.

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  6. Gorgeous photographs, very Autumnal yet very bright and cheerful at the same time- It looks like you had a great day:)

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  7. What a lovely place to visit, I see it's a NT property so it will go on my list of National Trust places to visit.

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  8. So beautiful, and those mushrooms look familiar to me...I must recognize them from drawings from English children's books, I don't think we have them here. I love those apples! I have fond memories of English apples, I love the Cox's Orange Pippins, we don't have those in Georgia!
    And you are a girl after my heart photographing those cups and saucers...now, if they would give them to me full of Yorkshire tea, that would be heavenly!

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  9. What lovely photos - that last one is beautiful, and the one of the deer too. I love days out to places like this, you often feel that you've completely escaped everything around you which is blissful. x

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