Ripley Castle in the rain

Mr H and I have been away for a night at the Boars Head in Ripley. It was wonderful, and the meal was superb. I had Yorkshire Cassoulet , which is appropriate given the whole village of Ripley is modelled on a French town, including the Hotel de Ville rather than Town Hall.

Sadly the weather wasn't really in our favour and the photos of the castle all looked rather drab and grey. The walled gardens showed potential for the better weather but obviously weren't looking their best in late January in the rain. There were some very beautiful snowdrops, but the best of the photos was this view of the grounds from the path to the formal gardens.

We will be back in spring or summer to see it in its technicolour!