I can’t believe it’s been almost two weeks since my last post. It seems to have passed by quickly in a blur of school holidays, work, gardening, ripping up old carpet and life in general. The summer sun, which finally graced us with its presence, seems to have solar powered me. Last week, I even went swimming, which is something I’ve not done in a while.

Amongst all of this, I’ve not really taken many photos, and that’s fine, because the day when I (and little Miss) really did take tons of photographs is 2 weekends back, when we took a trip to nearby Sledmere House.

I’d passed Sledmere when I was driving off for my glamping trip a few weeks back. I made a mental note that I wanted to visit and then forgot about it. When the sun came out though, and I was pondering where to go, it was a perfect choice.

The house itself wasn’t open, but that wasn’t a problem because, who wants to be stuck inside when the sun is blazing outside? Having parked up, we started off with a delicious lunch in the cafe, before heading through into the grounds. Having had some very jovial chat with the ladies on reception, who loved our outfits, we went into the courtyard to meet the impressive Shire horses.

I adore Shire horses. They are such grand beasts. These ones seemed particularly gentle and placid, little miss loved them.

There was a farm, with a 4 day old foal sunning itself. Then the adventure playground which little miss relished. She made friends and even tried out a small zipline (held on by me of course). After some playtime there, it was on to the grounds themselves.

I’m going to leave the photographs to do a lot of the talking here, because, my words won’t do it justice. Set in acres of sprawling land, this really is a most peaceful and wonderful place to visit. We spent an age just sitting on a bench in front of the house soaking up pure bliss, peace and quiet. It’s hard not to feel relaxed when you’re looking out at these views.

Eventually, once we’d dragged ourselves away from said bench and views, we went into the walled garden. That was where I truly fell in love with this place. The archways all in bloom with the most heady smelling Jasmine welcomed us into a picturesque English country garden.

The summer house was an absolute delight. I vowed next time to bring a picnic to enjoy if not in the summer house, then at least in the walled garden. It was heavenly. I left wanting my own summer house in my small yarden, and I’ve not ruled that possibility out to be honest.

I’ve decided I want to spend a lot of the summer at Sledmere. I might even buy a friends membership for the year so I can keep going back. Despite there being a multitude of stately homes around me, this is the one that I love the most.