Another fun jaunt , but locally this time

Woodpeckers suggested that we go out to visit a local Historic Houses Association property, but locally this time. She had a patient at home this afternoon so we had a few hours to spare and I was quite happy to join in and put other things on the back burner. We agreed on a visit to Misarden Park Gardens which is an estate lying at the top of the valley of the river Frome, which eventually flows down to Stroud and has formed the valley we live next to.

We have visited the village before and gone to the garden nursery attached to the estate, but hadn't been into the gardens proper before. When we got there the sky was overcast and there was only one other car parked outside the stone walled gardens. Since we have membership we don't have to worry about paying which is a great joy, but in the end there was no one to check anyway.

Once we entered through the gate in the walls, we realised that we were in for a treat. It was so peaceful and as well as formal gardens there was a back cloth of the rolling hills of the Cotswolds covered in thick woodland. No through roads come near here so it was virtually silent once a busy garden mower had stopped. The gardens are extensive and lie close to the large 17th century manor house within the 3000 acre estate. We started to talk with a local family who were also visiting and they explained a bit about the estate and its history, it having been owned by the Wills family whose tobacco business brought them great wealth. Apparently one of the family still lives in the house and his children visit regularly. The grounds are not open at weekends which I presume allows them the sole use of it for family purposes.

The formal gardens we first saw had wonderful swathes of vibrant coloured plants and I couldn't resist blipping this array which caught my eye. If you look closely, or even go LARGE (by clicking the L key) you might spot a bee buzzing happily amongst all this pollen. But I have also created this Flickr gallery to show other views of the grounds, its trees, the house, plants and the landscape.

We definitely will return often because of its tranquility with so much to see throughout the varied seasons. We also found out that you can take walks through the woodlands and down to a series of lakes where the river Frome, which at this point is virtually a stream, has been dammed in several places. All of this on offer and it is only about six miles from home.