A Waterfall Walk

Hello Lovelies, 

yesterday we took advantage of the sunshine and mild temperatures and enjoyed a family outing. All the water I saw on my Saturday walk with Eldest made me long to see a proper waterfall, not just muddy puddles.

I didn't know where to find a waterfall in these parts but an internet search turned up NEWSTEAD ABBEY...perfect, it's somewhere I'd wanted to visit for a long time.

When we arrived I was charmed by the huge lake and pretty buildings....I think this is a private house....

From where I took the photo above you could hear the roar of rushing water........ we soon located the waterfall I'd been hoping to find............

It wasn't the prettiest construction, but the gushing water was certainly impressive

The best bit was that it had been designed to incorporate windows that let you get up close to the flow of water........

And even walk behind it safely.......

brilliant :0)

This is Newstead Abbey, though it was never an Abbey. It was a priory founded in 1163 and was later converted to a country house, before eventually being gifted to  the local council in 1931..........

The house and gardens are open to the  public and the only cost is a car parking charge....how wonderful.

From the big waterfall the water flowed towards a second lake. There was another, slightly  more natural looking  waterfall. I though it was lovely........

This  part of the Abbey is now used as a coffee shop.......such a  pretty sheltered spot.........

As the weather was glorious we were keen to stay outdoors and headed for the gardens.

A Peahen stalked past us in a hurry.........

We soon found out she was looking for her mate.........

The colourful feathers of this beautiful Peacock were simply stunning in the sunshine..........

This is the other side of the Abbey........ I thought it looked so much nicer from this angle.........

We wandered along catching glimpses of interesting views everywhere.........

By the lake I was intrigued by this Oak tree with green leaves.......it was an amazing sight in February.

It turns out it's a Lucombe Oak and it wont loose it's leaves till the new ones appear, if the winter stays mild.

At the far and of the lake I loved the reflections and the glimpse of the house through the trees...........

Behind us we could hear more running water......yay more waterfalls :0)

I think these in the Japanese gardens were my favourite.

There were bulbs beginning to emerge everywhere. I would love to come back here in spring or summer.

But it was still lovely in Winter. Everywhere you turned there was more to see, so many tiny hidden paths, bridges, stepping stones and stairs  to explore......

Next we noticed a  glimpse of a walled garden filled with sunlight.........

This was the Rose Garden.....there were no Roses but I loved the topiary and the warmth of this sheltered spot..........

There were also several of these amusing models.....made from wire mesh....very impressive.......

we wandered through a smaller walled garden.........

and came upon a sunken pond..........

Here we found a super friendly cat that just wanted us to stroke it all day..........

And there were more gardens to explore. This is the Spanish garden.....I love the texture created by the box hedges and the balls of Lavender.........

Here's my lot peering into the well.........I wonder what they were wishing for........

As we were deciding to leave I stumbled upon this wonderful Snowdrop display...........

It was a real treat to see masses of these tiny beauties.........

We never got to explore the house, but that gives us a good reason to return on another occasion.......

Goodbye Mr Peacock...see you again some day.........

I hope you lovelies enjoyed this little trip to a magical spot as much as I did.

Jacquie x