Monday at Castle Howard - Part II

Logically, after the house we went out into the grounds of Castle Howard. They are vast, and we knew we were not going to cover every inch and walk every path, but we had two highlights in mind: The Temple of the Four Winds and the Walled Garden.

My 2015 post about the temple is here, and the one about the Walled Garden is here. How green it all was back then, not parched as it is this year!

The temple currently holds an art installation that I had read about before coming here, and just the fact that we were now able to go inside this beautiful and very special building was one of the reasons why I so wanted to visit Castle Howard this year. You can find out more about the artist and her installation here.

After we‘d spend some time there, contemplating and listening, we strolled across the grounds to the Walled Garden and had a good look around. 

Atlas Fountain

A very cool looking Neptune

Can you see why I took this picture?

Eventually, we were ready for some sustenance and decided on Cream Tea at the Courtyard Café, which in the past was the stable yard for Castle Howard. Our fresh scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam were delicious and went perfectly with the Earl Grey tea.

A. drove us back to Ripon on a different route than in the morning, so we saw even more beautiful countryside, picturesque villages and grand houses. It was early evening by the time we were back at the cottage, and after a quick spot of shopping at our nearby Tesco we spent the rest of the evening quietly reading and watching TV.