Monday 3 February 2014

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

31 comments:

  1. The sky was so blue yesterday and the gardens looked wonderful even at this time of year. How lovely it would be to come back again in spring and then in summer and watch the gardens go through its seasons.
    Have a good week.
    Sally xxx

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  2. Both waterfalls are lovely, I like the idea of the window in the first one, interesting to be able to see from that way round and through the water. Like you I think that I prefer the more natural one though. Hope that you have a great week. xx

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  3. What absolutely stunning photographs, what sort of camera do you use, just beautiful x

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  4. What a lovely way to spend a Sunday. It all looks beautiful. Even more so when you can take advantage of something like this in the Winter. Hope you have a good week. X

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  5. Wow - it looks lovely. Thanks Jacquie - we will be able to visit as we don't live too far away :)

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  6. This is somewhere we have never been and you have certainly whetted our appetite. Gorgeous photos. X

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  7. Beautiful photos Jacquie. It looks like it was a beautiful crisp day!

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  8. It looks like a really lovely place ~ just right for a family day out. Lots to see and lots to do. Your photographs are beautiful too :O)x

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  9. What a wonderful place, and the weather looks perfect!! Hugs from Spain :D

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  10. Ooh didn't you have gorgeous weather yesterday!! Perfect for exploring. I love that shot through the waterfall, there's something quite mesmerising about standing behind a wall of water isn't there. What a glorious day out, looks like a lovely place to visit.
    Jones x
    PS I am getting very cross with wordpress reader as it doesn't tell me about half of your new posts even though I am subscribed :( Just going to catch up now! x

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  11. those are stunning photos, it speaks of springtime!

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  12. What an amazing place! The photos are magnificent, the peacock, oh the colour! I'd love to go there someday, it really is beautiful...Chrissie x

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  13. Thank you for sharing! What a beautiful place.

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  14. That was amazing Jacquie. Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

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  15. What beautiful photos, looks like a smashing place to visit.
    Gillx

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  16. Wonderful! I wish we had places like that to wonder around and explore!

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  17. Wow, that was an amazing post. Lovely pics!

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  18. I love Newstead. We often ride our bikes there, yes it’s that close to us! The Japanese Gardens are my favourite too. The place is always beautiful, no matter what time of year you go.

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  19. Oh my - to explore such a beautiful place only for the price of parking your car! Thank you for sharing.

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  20. looks like a lovely way to spend a day, and Sun! Yeah!!

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  21. Stunning photos! I love the one behind the waterfall. Thank you for sharing.

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  22. It looks a great place to visit, especially with a camera!

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  23. What a lovely day and a fantastic place to visit. I think you'd like the Ingleton waterfalls, in the Yorkshire Dales - though I guess you've been there already but if not here's the URL for my photos - http://roachling.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/waterfalls-walk.html - you can stand behind Thornton Force :)

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  24. Lovely day trip, thanks for sharing with us. Those blue skies are just gorgeous, makes you think of warmer days!

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  25. What an amazing spot, and you had such beautiful weather. Brilliant photos, such wonderful colours, especially the peacock, he's so dramatic. I love the picture of everyone peering into the well.

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  26. What a beautiful place and wow the gorgeous colour of the peacock
    Clare x

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  27. Magnificent photo's Jacquie, such a wonderful place to visit. I must say I liked that cat,
    just like one I used to have ☺ and the colourful Peacock

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  28. Really, really enjoyed this post. It makes me "homesick" for England! :-)

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  29. Lovely pictures. I enjoyed them very much. How peaceful it seemed. Thank you for sharing them.

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  30. The waterfall looks incredible and Newstead Abbey looks a wonderful place to visit. Sarah x

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  31. Your beautiful images bring a smile to my face. Just as the New Zealand calendar warms you in Winter with its sunny outlook, so your photos of shady, cool, running waterfalls is refreshing for me on a stifling, hot 42 degree day* in the southern hemisphere. Thank you for your time and energy to create such a beautiful blog. *(42 deg C = 107.6 deg F)

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