Hotel Endsleigh

Last Sunday the weather was crisp and cold and the promise of at least some sunshine for the couple of days ahead prompted us to phone Hotel Endsleigh to see if a room might be available for Monday night. We wanted to visit while there were still a few leaves on the trees and enjoy the last gasp of autumn colour.

It was cloudy and dull as we drove across Dartmoor, how disappointing! But just as we arrived, on the dot of two, the sun shone. We put our bags in the bedroom and went straight out to explore the garden, knowing that daylight was short.

The hotel sits in a secluded valley on a rise above the River Tamar. There is no through road and it is wonderfully peaceful.

The  herbaceous border is reputed to be the longest in England.

The rose arbour runs parallel to the border and the yew walk 

and is equally long!

Very careful plans were made for the original creation of the grounds, created by the leading landscape designer of the time, Humphry Repton. (1752-1818.) He produced a book, bound in red, containing text and drawings to show the rounds of his various projects before and after improvement.

Some 'artist's licence' was used in the drawings - hills flattened, rivers re-sited!

There are lovely details to be discovered

and the pleasure of finding gardeners to talk to. They were busy in the parterre laying weed-suppressing membrane under pebbles where there had formerly been bedding plants. Do follow the new gardening blog at hotelendsleigh.

The watercolour below is from the 'Red Book' and shows children sailing their boats in the rill, which is fed at either end by lion head fountains.

We left the formal garden area and walked through the arboretum as the sun was setting.

 It was becoming bitterly cold. In the area of crag and cascade most of the colour had dropped from the trees and carpeted the ground.

We were happy to retreat to the comfort of log fires, comfortable armchairs and the prospect of dinner.

Take a look at Miss Cellany to see some interior photographs.

The following morning we woke to a carpet of frost. I left Himself with the morning paper

 and went out to explore.

It was time to head back for breakfast. When the meal was finished the frost had disappeared along with  any glimpse of sunshine. Blue woodsmoke rose from the chimneys.

Time to go home.

Skywatch

The weeks are flying by, it's time for another Skywatch Friday. We woke to a still, cold morning here in the south-west of England. I popped outside the kitchen door to photograph the sky. How intrusive all the aerial power lines are! The sun was up. already melting the frost in the orchard.

We had Christmas shopping to do and I took a couple of photos from the car as we drove into town.

The sun was setting by the time we were ready to return home

but we stopped by the lake just before the sun went down.

By this time I felt as cold as the birds!

Another good day is forecast for tomorrow.

End of season

It's grim outside, no pleasure to be had in being in the garden in such cold and damp and drear. I've picked a few brave flowers to appreciate indoors. The blue hydrangea heads are dead as a dodo but I haven't got the heart to throw them away just yet.

I doubt that there will be any more opportunities to fill a vase with flowers from the garden until next spring.

The only remaining joyful colour, apart from red berries, is the Swiss chard in the vegetable plot, looking good enough to eat, ha ha.

I watched a cookery programme the other week and learnt that it is extremely popular in Corsica.
Ottolenghi, the presenter, made a delicious-looking savoury tart with white chard and lots of garlic and onion. I shall have to try it out!