Following our time in Salisbury, we drove about 45 mins away to a wonderful garden wonderland called Stourhead.
We arrived while Claire was still napping, so Tyler scouted out the café for a few minutes. After Claire awoke, we had a cream tea. Claire and Callum could probably live off of scones with jam and cream if we let them. We then took a short walk to enter the garden area. Right before the entrance, there was a small pub called "The Spread Eagle."
Designed and implemented in the 1800's, it is a large estate and grounds centered around a lake. Various monuments, cottages, classical temples and grottos are sprinkled throughout the estate with several easy footpaths connecting them.
In addition to the buildings, there is a spectacular array of trees and plants from around the world growing as well. We were astonished to find a giant sequoia planted over 150 years ago thriving...and tall.
We moseyed along the trail enjoying the late afternoon sunny weather under the cool canopies.
The kids favorite part was the grotto. Laura convinced the kids to explore a small, hidden crawl space. After the kids were inside, Tyler spotted a humungous spider dangling just above Claire's head. Everyone escaped without incident.
Towards the back of the lake, the kids decided to have a duel with their wooden swords over a quaint bridge.
Claire loves taking pictures now - not too shabby for a three-year old!
The grounds were so peaceful and lovely - an ideal summer afternoon in England!
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