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Activities:- ► Talks
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Day Trip to Mount Grace Priory and Scampston Gardens
It was a beautiful day when we left Durham in our apparently roadworthy bus. The aim was ambitious; to visit Mount Grace Priory, Helmsley and Scampston Gardens. The Priory is a peaceful place to visit, in the ruins of a Carthusian monastery where monks used to live in seclusion in their cells. A reconstructed one showed us exactly how they lived with two floors and a small patch of garden, the space, frankly, that a homeless family or two would die for today. English Heritage have taken over its management so if you haven’t been there for some time, you will see many changes and it is well worth another visit. Herbaceous plants abound in the terraced gardens, with plants for sale and there is much more of historical interest for the visitor to linger over. A recent addition is the small cafe with indoor and outdoor seating where they sell delicious scones. Helmsley next after about forty minutes driving. Someone commented on the noisy gearbox but I thought they were showing off their knowledge of car engines. I loved Helmsley, a busy market town with several individual shops and attractive cafes with customers sitting outside in the sun. I wish we had had longer there and I would have explored the old church. Scampston Gardens was reached at about 2.45pm with much to see, both the Hall and the extensive Gardens. Again, I would have liked to have spent longer there. The parkland was designed by Lancelot Capability Brown. There are lots of features there like a Palladian bridge, an old Ice House, a Deer Park lodge, a play area and a Pump House. In all, there are 80 acres of gardens, parklands and lakes, but we had neither time nor energy to do it justice. The walled garden is very different, divided into separate sections like different rooms and was designed by a Dutchman called Piet Oudulf and is very individual and different for this country. The Hall was open to view, originally built in the 17th century and later remodelled to fit in with the landscape. There is also a spacious cafe and lots of plants for sale. The drama began on our way home at just before six o’clock when the smell of burning rubber filled the coach. Some found this more alarming and uncomfortable than others. We were in the middle of a country lane between Whitby and Guisborough and the driver managed to pull over off the narrow road as the clutch had burned out. We then had a long wait for a substitute bus to come from Chester-le-Street. People scavenged in their bags for any food or wafer they could find with a bit of sharing in true war time spirit. I was not too bored as I had brought a crossword. Help came eventually and we reached Durham soon after nine fifteen. But thank you very much to Irene for organising a very interesting day. Elizabeth Wilson Click on any image to view a larger version of the photo. Navigate by clicking on the left or right of each image.
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