Day 3 - Wednesday 2nd July

Another lovely day dawned. We were having beautiful weather. It felt like Australia! We decided to visit the Thorp Perrow* Arboretum, which is about 180 acres of beautiful woodland and a large lake. The paths are wide and just wind through the trees. Mum hired a scooter and was able to keep up with Wen. I took a different path. I took a lot of photos and after an hour and a half or so I sat at one of the many seats just to admire the beauty. I thought I was near the exit, only it turned out to be a big bird aviary. I was a bit lost ... After asked lots of folk, I finally managed to find my way back. Wen and Mum had been looking for me. I was lost, but then found ...

We returned via Pateley Bridge to buy some of those beautiful pork pies for lunch and for the next day when Wen would be seeing Linda and Jemma.

Notes:

Thorp Perrow Arboretum is an 85-acre (34 ha) woodland garden near Bedale in North Yorkshire, England.

Originally known as Thorp, Helewise of Perrow, near Ditchingham in Norfolk, was an early landowner. This is comparable to Bedale, as the Stapletons there held Ingham, Norfolk.

Thorp Perrow is considered to be one of the finest collections of trees and shrubs in the United Kingdom. The Arboretum was created by Colonel Sir Leonard Ropner (1895–1977). He began the Arboretum in 1931 and in July 2006 the gardens celebrated their 75th anniversary by planting the 1,750th tree.

As well as the gardens founded by Leonard Ropner, Thorp Perrow also includes Milbank Pinetum planted by Lady Augusta Milbank in the nineteenth century and the 16th century Spring Wood.

Click on the images below for larger images. They are all taken at the Thorp Perrow Aboretum.