Now today was a challenge! My lovely wife Donna had bought me an early birthday/Christmas present in the shape of a new lens for my camera. I've got most bases covered when it comes to lenses, but one type that I hadn't got was a macro lens, and as I had become quite keen on taking some shots of gardens when we've been out visiting historic properties, I thought I might take the plunge. So, I made the decision before we left home that I would take only my new lens, so no zoom and therefore a limitation as to the type of shots I could take.
We had planned to head out into the Peak District but the weather forecast wasn't that great, so we looked for somewhere else where we would have some cover if the rain came. But, we first considered Nostell Priory, then Beningborough Hall, then over into North Lincolnshire to a property who's name I have now forgotten, but the forecast was for rain almost all day so I looked south to see if it was any better; and it was.
Now time to look for somewhere, and Calke Abbey stood out. Parkland, gardens, big house, church, lakes and much much more. It was 54 miles south, sort of between Derby and Burton, and just over an hour's drive. We left home at 10am and by 11am we were driving along the long drive through the grounds of the property. What we really enjoyed was the CD that they gave you on entering the grounds which told you the story of the place, and just lasted long enough for the drive up to the house; a lovely touch.
I won't say it wasn't busy, after all we are now into the school holidays so going anywhere expecting peace and quiet is not really on the menu, but due to the size of the place it never felt that busy. We had a good walk around the gardens and visited the church on the hill, the grotto, the ice house, the orangery and various other nooks and crannies, and there were lots.
One area that absolutely amazed us was the old 4 acre kitchen garden which has been turned into a kids adventure area, a large open grassed area with low mazes that kids can quite easily see over, and loads of different activities for them. You could easily just park your bum on the grass for the day and let your kids roam the area and they would have enough to keep them happy all day long.
Around 2:15pm we headed over to the house and spent around 90 minutes inside the plethora of rooms. About a third of them were still decorated and quite ornate, but the majority were left just as they were when National Trust took over the house. Lots of rooms had wallpaper peeling off the walls, rusty rails, flakes of paint forming patterns in the light on corridor walls, it just looked so real. The knowledgeable guides told us that the Trust would just repair what is there to make sure that it stays as it is, they would not be restoring the house as that would just take away it's charm.
We realised that it was after 4pm so took in a hot drink and some cake before heading back to the car and then merging with the Friday night traffic heading back north on the M1. A fish and ship supper, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty on TV and a relaxing night in.
I must admit that just taking a single prime lens was a real challenge, particularly in the house where you need a wide lens to take in the majesty of the rooms and give you some scale, but you have to be a little more selective with just a 60mm lens as you have such a narrower field of view. It certainly makes you think more.
We had planned to head out into the Peak District but the weather forecast wasn't that great, so we looked for somewhere else where we would have some cover if the rain came. But, we first considered Nostell Priory, then Beningborough Hall, then over into North Lincolnshire to a property who's name I have now forgotten, but the forecast was for rain almost all day so I looked south to see if it was any better; and it was.
Now time to look for somewhere, and Calke Abbey stood out. Parkland, gardens, big house, church, lakes and much much more. It was 54 miles south, sort of between Derby and Burton, and just over an hour's drive. We left home at 10am and by 11am we were driving along the long drive through the grounds of the property. What we really enjoyed was the CD that they gave you on entering the grounds which told you the story of the place, and just lasted long enough for the drive up to the house; a lovely touch.
I won't say it wasn't busy, after all we are now into the school holidays so going anywhere expecting peace and quiet is not really on the menu, but due to the size of the place it never felt that busy. We had a good walk around the gardens and visited the church on the hill, the grotto, the ice house, the orangery and various other nooks and crannies, and there were lots.
One area that absolutely amazed us was the old 4 acre kitchen garden which has been turned into a kids adventure area, a large open grassed area with low mazes that kids can quite easily see over, and loads of different activities for them. You could easily just park your bum on the grass for the day and let your kids roam the area and they would have enough to keep them happy all day long.
Around 2:15pm we headed over to the house and spent around 90 minutes inside the plethora of rooms. About a third of them were still decorated and quite ornate, but the majority were left just as they were when National Trust took over the house. Lots of rooms had wallpaper peeling off the walls, rusty rails, flakes of paint forming patterns in the light on corridor walls, it just looked so real. The knowledgeable guides told us that the Trust would just repair what is there to make sure that it stays as it is, they would not be restoring the house as that would just take away it's charm.
We realised that it was after 4pm so took in a hot drink and some cake before heading back to the car and then merging with the Friday night traffic heading back north on the M1. A fish and ship supper, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty on TV and a relaxing night in.
I must admit that just taking a single prime lens was a real challenge, particularly in the house where you need a wide lens to take in the majesty of the rooms and give you some scale, but you have to be a little more selective with just a 60mm lens as you have such a narrower field of view. It certainly makes you think more.
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