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.
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| Gorgeous blossom in the Oriental Garden |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Innocently enjoying the regular-sized swings. Little did I know they'd soon be ruined for me FOREVER. |
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| Giant swing!! EEEEPPPPP! (Apparently, giant swings make me do Chipmunk Face too.) |
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| 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...
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| Jack |
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| 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.
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| Amazeballs. |
Have you found any brilliant places for adventures recently?
Katie xxx
oh I'd absolutely love it there, what a fantastic place! It's so far away though :(
ReplyDeleteWill put it on the 'one day' list and if I ever head that far south east, I'm going!
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
DeleteI want to go!!!!!!!!!!!! How cool it seems-oh go on, tell me all the surprises!!! X
ReplyDeleteYou definitely should :) There are lots of other very lovely places nearby too, including Leeds Castle - well worth a weekend trip in my opinion! xxx
DeleteA 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...!
ReplyDeleteIt 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
DeleteWow 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
ReplyDeleteYou 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
DeleteGiant 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
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on being fed up with hip ache! Let's start a campaign for more giant swings! xxx
DeleteThis place looks so amazing and like a lot of fun! That giant swing is crazy!
ReplyDelete