Friday, May 21, 2010

The English Countryside.

Monday our friend Martin picked us up and took us to Bradgate Park just outside Leicester. It was my first time going, and I am really glad that I got to see it. And especially glad that we got to see it with Martin, who was an encyclopedia of information about the land, plants and animals in the park.


The walk starts up a gently sloping hill, which was actually a volcano. We saw several small ponds with loads of tadpoles in them. I learned about newts, bracken, and oak trees, and monkey-puzzle trees.

At the top of the hill is Old John, which was built in 1784. There is a medallion next to Old John which points out directions and mileages to various locations.

We saw red deer, fallow deer, and many birds: cuckoo, carrion crows, wagtails. The cuckoos were cooing, the wagtails' little tails were wagging, and one of the crows was lifting stones in the creek looking for insects hiding underneath them. I was fascinated by how smart he was!


After our walk, we lunched at The Bradgate, once known as The Bradgate Arms in Newtown Linford, a short walk from Bradgate Park itself. Nid got STEAK! and I had posh fish and chips:

I loved looking at the old houses, with thatched or slate roofs and exposed wooden beams. We also saw wild garlic growing on the side of the road:

Old fashioned police box. Nobody was home.










My full album of photos is available here:
http://jennyspicturesinengland.shutterfly.com/
Video will be added at some point, but it takes ages to load.

2 comments:

Michelloui said...

I love days out like this! Discovering a new corner of England is fun. Especially when you're with someone who knows so much about it. Sounds like a really great day. I'll bet you're packing these days in right now...!

Jenny said...

It would have been nice without all the history, but all the stuff I learned about the park, and England in general was priceless. It's great that we're having some good weather days right before the move.

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