Rusland Valley Sunset

Overnight the clouds rolled in and we awoke to heavy, sometimes torrential rain. The rain was forecast to clear around 11.00am for a couple of hours and then come on again, which it duly did.

We decided to take a trip to Holkham Hall near Cark, only a few miles away from here. We’d been there before several years ago but had not seen the house only the inside of the cafe and food hall.

In the dry spell we walked between Holker and Cartmel through woodlands and across the racecourse. A fine short walk with good underfoot conditions despite all the rain. We had a quick look around Cartmel which is a very popular and seemingly affluent place to live.

Back at Holker, the house was interesting but you had to work hard to to discover the story behind the house. It was unusual in that there were no roped off areas, you were free to wander through all the rooms, all of which looked fresh and lived in.

The house has never been sold, always passed on through inheritance and marriage through three families, the Prestons, the Lowthers and the Cavendishs. There were the enivitable fires, rebuilds and extensions which left the house in its present configuration.

By the time we’d come out of the house the rains had returned, so we had a quick trot around the gardens and a visit to the Food Hall and gift shop. It was then time to return to Hill Top to meet our friend Rosemary who is staying with us for the rest of the week. By the time she arrived the weather had cleared a little and we were able to enjoy a drier evening.

I’ve changed the photo I originally posted of the Rusland Valley for this later shot of the most magnificent sunset I’ve seen in many a long year. This is the view from our lounge window the. I could not decide whether this or the extra was the best. There are many others I could have used too.