We hadn't really made any plans for today as January being as it is, it's always hard to fully plan ahead even after listening to what the forecasters say. Sometimes you just have to get out of bed, look out of the window, and then.....see what the forecasters have to say :-)
So after getting up early (well at least Donna did) and both filling up on cold and cough remedies we were set to go out. Not early of course, it takes me an hour these days to 'come round' so setting off early is nowadays a bit of a challenge. Not so much for Donna, but then again I am 19 months older that my better half.
I'd considered the short drive down the coast and off on a hike to Aber Falls, but we decided to leave that for another day and go to Bodnant Garden, and of course take advantage of our National Trust membership. It was only a 15 minute drive away so nothing too taxing for a Sunday morning; certainly nothing like the long drives we did in Iceland in October!
We arrived at Bodnant Garden just after 11am, and then realised that we hadn't picked up Donna's coat when we left the cottage, and as we weren't too sure about the weather we made the decision to head back to the cottage and collect the coat. 30 minutes later we were back in the car-park at Bodnant and soon sipping down a hot drink in the site cafe. Considering that the hot-chocolate wasn't a 'flash' one it was certainly tasty.
Well, to say we were pleasantly surprised with the place would be an understatement; it's flipping fantastic. It's around 80 acres of woodland, with all sorts of interesting things to see; from the main house, through to the various buildings around the grounds, the numerous bridges of all styles, the waterfalls, the visual treats were certainly abundant. It's great to see stunning gardens when they are almost bare with just a few shoots starting to come through, and imagining what it must be like in it's pomp. As a bonus Donna toasted a marshmallow for me on an open wood fire that was set up down near the old mill. We spent around 3hrs in the grounds, and then topped it off with homemade soup and crusty bread at a picnic table overlooking the hills.
And as we're heading over to Anglesey for a week in May, we will definitely be visiting again when more of the gardens are in spring bloom.
So after getting up early (well at least Donna did) and both filling up on cold and cough remedies we were set to go out. Not early of course, it takes me an hour these days to 'come round' so setting off early is nowadays a bit of a challenge. Not so much for Donna, but then again I am 19 months older that my better half.
I'd considered the short drive down the coast and off on a hike to Aber Falls, but we decided to leave that for another day and go to Bodnant Garden, and of course take advantage of our National Trust membership. It was only a 15 minute drive away so nothing too taxing for a Sunday morning; certainly nothing like the long drives we did in Iceland in October!
We arrived at Bodnant Garden just after 11am, and then realised that we hadn't picked up Donna's coat when we left the cottage, and as we weren't too sure about the weather we made the decision to head back to the cottage and collect the coat. 30 minutes later we were back in the car-park at Bodnant and soon sipping down a hot drink in the site cafe. Considering that the hot-chocolate wasn't a 'flash' one it was certainly tasty.
Well, to say we were pleasantly surprised with the place would be an understatement; it's flipping fantastic. It's around 80 acres of woodland, with all sorts of interesting things to see; from the main house, through to the various buildings around the grounds, the numerous bridges of all styles, the waterfalls, the visual treats were certainly abundant. It's great to see stunning gardens when they are almost bare with just a few shoots starting to come through, and imagining what it must be like in it's pomp. As a bonus Donna toasted a marshmallow for me on an open wood fire that was set up down near the old mill. We spent around 3hrs in the grounds, and then topped it off with homemade soup and crusty bread at a picnic table overlooking the hills.
And as we're heading over to Anglesey for a week in May, we will definitely be visiting again when more of the gardens are in spring bloom.
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