Stourhead

 Our plan this morning was to go to the beach instead we came here ......


This is Stourhead in Wiltshire - we have been wanting to visit here the last two Autumns and have never made it. The weather forecast wasn't good for this weekend either, and we had resigned ourselves to missing out for another year. As we took the road out of Weymouth we suddenly noticed some spectacular Autumn trees and changed our minds and our destination!



Although we encountered heavy rain as we drove along the weather had cleared by the time we reached Stourhead. I have never been here before and my husband last visited here around 45 years ago as a child.


Stourhead is a National Trust property which has one of the best 18th century landscape gardens. It was inspired by the great landscape painters of the 17th century. The gardens contains temples, grottos and beautiful trees with the lake as the centre piece. When it was opened in the 1740's a magazine described it as a "living work of art" and this is still the case today.


It was probably at it's best a few weeks ago, but we had a chance to marvel at those trees that still were dressed in their autumn glory.


As it was the last day of the half term holidays and also as this is such a popular place to visit at this time of year there were many other visitors. There were grandparents enjoying the walk with their children and grandchildren - and talking about their previous visits as they wandered around. Small children were gathering an assortment of colourful leaves to take home.



I loved looking at the little cottage with the smoke coming out of the chimney. It reminded me of one of the cottages in the woods, which appears in so many fairytales. Trees that have died have been turned into works of art. Can you see the owl that has been created in the tree at the bottom of the collage?



I'll finish with the view that Stourhead is so famous for. It was a lovely way to welcome in November and I'm sure it won't be 45 years before we return again!

Thank you to everyone for your concern over the storms here last weekend. It wasn't as bad as they predicted and although many trees were blown down, other damage was minimal. It looked as if Holland and Belgium had stronger winds than us. I hope everyone stayed safe. I enjoyed reading about all your recycled treasures too, thank you for sharing them with us.

Hello and welcome to my new followers David Turner from Wold Ranger, Lynette, Patrica, and Bovey Belle from Codlingsandcream. If you have links please let me know.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy week.
Sarah x

Comments

  1. Hi Sarah, I've never made it to look round the gardens at Stourhead - perhaps next year! - so thank you for your lovely tour round. Glad that you weathered the storms OK. xx

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  2. Stourhead has long been on our list to visit too Sarah so I'm very pleased to see it on your blog- it looks every bit as lovely as I'd expected and I'm sure we'll make our way down there too. x

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  3. What a beautiful place, I love how you take photos that make it look like you were the only ones there! (Although I did notice some people on my second look!) S:)

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  4. TAKE ME NOW. Sarah, England is precious. That little cottage huffing smoke is so darling, the bridges fabulous, the colors glorious. I cannot thank you enough for always taking me to heaven. Anita

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  5. Very beautiful. I think I have seen the view from your last photo elsewhere - it is very distinctive. It seems hard to imagine that wonderful landscape was planned so very many years ago. It is pretty hard to beat a combination of trees and water. juliex

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  6. I can see the owl Sarah. What a wonderful place to visit, I really miss the huge beech trees changing colour so thank you for sharing these beautiful images of the woodlands I miss so much living in Brixham.

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  7. Oh, how beautiful. The landscape there is just gorgeous. I love that second photo especially, showing the red leaves on the branches over the water. What a pretty place, thank you for sharing.

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  8. Wow! and wow! That first photo looks like a Gainsborough painting! Beautiful photos - thank you so much for sharing them.

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  9. Stourhead is indeed very beautiful. I haven't been for years, so it was lovely to see all your wonderful photos. I'd love to visit again soon.

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  10. Soooooo lovely....Sigh....thanks for posting, Sarah :)
    Gracie xx

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  11. So beautiful Sarah and glad you were able to visit. Thank you for your visit and comments. Have a wonderful week too.
    Blessings,
    Bobbie Lynn

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  12. The landscape is magnificent, but I love the little cottage with the red leaves of autumn. It looks so cosy in there!

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  13. Your photos of this beautiful place are stunning Sarah. Would love to visit but just a tad too far in a day from Essex.
    Patricia x

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  14. What beautiful photos, this is somewhere I'd like to visit too.

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  15. Beautiful That bridge over the water is like a dream. Reminds me of Jane Austin and BBC movies.

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  16. Beautiful place and photos!
    Greetings, RW & SK

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  17. If only I had more time, Stourhead was certainly in my thoughts with regards to a visit. Sir Harold Hillier's gardens too but weather and lack of time seems to have beaten me this year, hopefully next year. Having said that, the New Forest is really pretty this year especially with the blue sky we've been having lately. Beautiful photos as always.

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  18. What a very pretty place, I bet you had a fabulous day out.

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  19. I've lived in Wiltshire for five years now, and this summer I made my first visit to Stourhead, I was as delighted as you were, and I'm sure I'll be going again. I'm ashamed to admit that I missed the owl, but I'm fairly sure I spotted that tree, so I'll have to look back through my archive pictures!
    Thanks for a lovely tour of a fabulous place. Joy x x

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  20. Oh, my!

    Thank you for another tour of your beautiful countryside.

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  21. Such a beautiful place, perfectly captured by your camera skills xxx

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  22. Lovely photos - like you we have been meaning to visit, but haven't got there yet! Best wishes, Pj x

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  23. Stunning, your photographs are brilliant so very clear

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  24. Hi Sarah, what beautiful autumnal photos! We visited Stourhead House last year, but it was before autumn and so the colours on the trees weren't so beautiful! The gardens are exquisite and such a wonderful place to walk....so glad you enjoyed it! We've also been safe from the storm and winds. Today the sun is shining brightly. Wishing you a lovely week ahead. Sharon x

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  25. Such a beautiful place to be in Sarah :) glad you were able to plan a visit here and experience the lovely colors of fall. The images are so so beautiful !

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  26. Beautiful photo's. Autumn is my favourite time of the year.

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  27. What lovely photos. Love the ne of the cottage with the red tree just lovely. Looks like a really great place to visit x

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  28. It's over a year since I was there, and your beautiful pictures bring it all back to me. Isn't astonishing how green the trees still are in early November. It will make the winter seem shorter this year, I hope!

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  29. Stourhead is beautiful at this time of the year, we visited last year and loved it I'm glad the weather cleared so you could enjoy your visit.

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  30. Stourhead looks like a wonderful place to wander around at this time of year. I love the little cottage and the owl carving.

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  31. Such a beautiful place. I just love walking in autumn.

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  32. What a stunning place. I've always wanted to go but never have. Such beautiful colour in those trees.

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  33. What a beautiful place Sarah, and what a lovely time of year to walk amongst the trees - you photograph it perfectly too.

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  34. Such a beautiful place Sarah! I hope the girls and I will be able to visit one day too. It looks very impressive!

    Have a lovely evening!

    Madelief x

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  35. One of my favourite places. I haven't been for a couple of years now and your lovely post was a great reminder to try and visit soon.
    M x

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  36. Great place! I love the autumn colours you have captures so beautifully.

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  37. Glad to hear you were ok in the storms. We flew into London from Iceland that day, thankfully just a few hours behind the storm and still on time! I thought of you when in London, sorry we couldn't organise to meet you this time. But we hope to be back in your part of the world with more time to play in the next year or two. I hope you are well. x

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