We made it to two National Trust properties but they couldn’t be more different. Felbrigg had some real exotics in its walled garden but the grounds at Blickling had a real feel of winter, and not so much in bloom, making it seem much more geometric and architectural. Gardeners’ were giving the yew sculptures a trim and it’s obvious that must be a regular job. The girls followed us around the grounds on a long dog walk which saw some beautiful vistas and stunning ancient trees, but after hitting the gift shop they headed back to the car while their parents wandered and sat in the courtyard gardens round the hall.

It was a bit of a learning day too. Understanding the No Dig philosophy allows me to understand why this would be a rich environment which has many years of bacteria and soil organisms to make the best use of No dig to continue growing their garden produce. This was definitely more of a vegetable garden than Felbrigg which used its walled garden to create warmer protected zones and interspersing exotic plants around the conservatories and outdoor beds. Blickling had a very different feel, with its birds (chickens and doves) and pigs giving a very different aspect to cultivating the garden.

The architecture around Blickling was quite different to the Hall itself and led us to feel the two hour walk had given us very different aspects to think about. And the sun shone all day!