26 April 2014

Groombridge Place

Hey m'dears 

This post has been a long time coming, given that it's about some of the adventures from my birthday weekend, for which the celebrations have well and truly finished. Now I'm just old. Tom and I spent the Friday at Groombridge Place, after Tom cooked up a breakfast storm to keep us going for most of the day. 

The house is stunning, although I was sad to discover visitors aren't allowed any closer than the outside of the moat. Still, I guess that's the whole point of having a moat! The house is surrounded by beautiful themed gardens, including a Drunken Garden, Oriental Garden, and Secret Garden. 


Gorgeous blossom in the Oriental Garden
I'm not quite sure how secret a Secret Garden is when it's signposted...

The formal gardens also host a tiny museum about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a frequent visitor to the house, a giant chess set, free-range peacocks, and some of the most unusual plants I've ever seen. 






It even has tulips which look like Bart Simpson!

And that's just the tip of the magical iceberg.... The house and formal gardens are nestled inside a vast, wooded estate (aka the Enchanted Forest) which is crammed with incredible, fantastical things to discover. I don't want to ruin all the surprises, but the thoughtful additions include eerily realistic human skeletons, gypsy caravans, giant swings, and a Pterodactyl. 



Innocently enjoying the regular-sized swings. Little did I know they'd
soon be ruined for me FOREVER. 
Giant swing!! EEEEPPPPP! (Apparently, giant swings make
me do Chipmunk Face too.)
I told you it was giant(!)

We also witnessed a raptor show, which I got slightly too excited about because I tend to think "OHMYGOD Jurassic Park!!" whenever I hear the word raptor. As I know now, raptor also means a bird of prey. The display was pretty cool, despite the lack of dinosaurs, and the birds got incredibly close; I was one of the majority who were clipped by a wing when we didn't duck low enough. Although I suspect the owl hit me on purpose after overhearing me muttering about the disappointing lack of Jeff Goldblum... 


Jack

Inky

I honestly can't recommend Groombridge Place enough, and can't wait to take our gorgeous niece there the minute she's old enough to tackle a full-sized replica Robinson Crusoe TV show treehouse. 


Amazeballs.

Have you found any brilliant places for adventures recently? 

Katie xxx

11 comments:

  1. oh I'd absolutely love it there, what a fantastic place! It's so far away though :(
    Will put it on the 'one day' list and if I ever head that far south east, I'm going!

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    1. Well, hopefully one day your One Day list will have enough lovely South East places to constitute a worthwhile visit! And maybe we can have tea? :) xxx

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  2. I want to go!!!!!!!!!!!! How cool it seems-oh go on, tell me all the surprises!!! X

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    1. You definitely should :) There are lots of other very lovely places nearby too, including Leeds Castle - well worth a weekend trip in my opinion! xxx

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  3. A not-so-secret garden! I have to say that giant swing looks phenomenal. I'm surprised there isn't a requirement for a safety harness...!

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    1. It was aged 12 or over, but that was as far as safety went! To be honest, I felt like a bit of a daredevil :p xxx

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  4. Wow I'd forgotten about this place! We used to go as children!! Must go back again now that I've forgotten most of the secret bits! :) xx

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    1. You definitely need to :) I can imagine how seriously magical it must have been as a little one, given that it's pretty darn fantastic as a grown-up! xxx

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  5. Giant swings! What a great invention! I'm sick of hip ache as I squeeze my behind into child sized swings. It looks like a wonderful place! xxx

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    1. I'm with you on being fed up with hip ache! Let's start a campaign for more giant swings! xxx

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  6. This place looks so amazing and like a lot of fun! That giant swing is crazy!

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