Ashbourne, Ilam Park, and Ilam

I visit today to somewhere I've wanted to go for a long time, Ilam in Staffordshire. I went with my support worker and first of all we visited Ashbourne.

 

We then drove a few miles over the boundary into Staffordshire and parked at Ilam Hall.

Siobhan was feeling tired and so sat in the gardens whilst I walked to the village to take some photos, it's not far, only about three hundred yards.

On my return we popped in to the tearooms for a couple of iced lollies which we sat and ate out on the terrace, the final photograph is the view from there.

Edensor, Beeley in Bloom [Open Gardens] and Rowsley

My first visit to an Open Gardens event this summer. I got off the bus at Edensor, which had its Open Gardens last weekend, but I didn't attend because of the unpleasant weather. I spent a few minutes taking photographs in the village, it was still quite chilly this early in the morning and so I went to the Tea Cottage for a pot of tea to warm me up.  I then headed south through Chatsworth Park to Beeley.

After spending not much more than an hour enjoying what was happening at Beeley my left knee gave way as I was looking around the gardens; nothing too serious I hope. It was too early for cake at Edensor, but not by the time I reached the commuinty hall at Beeley. I then set off for Rowsley but I was struggling a bit. At one point along the way I could have gone down to the riverside path, but I decided to stay on the causeway.,

The bus going to Bakewell arrived on time, but two buses going from Bakewell to Sheffield didn't show up, and after waiting for over an hour two of them arrived, literally one behind the other.

Helmsley and Ampleforth Abbey

A trip out to Helmsley today, calling at Ampleforth Abbey for tea and cakes on the way back home.

We parked at the back of the carpark and so walked into the Market Place using a different route, which provided some lovely views of the castle and church.

The abbey and associated buildings, and the setting of Ampleforth Abbey is lovely. I would have liked to spend longer exploring but Siobhan was getting tired.