On a damp, overcast and cloudy morning we left home with Meg & Gracie for a walk around the Arboretum at Thorpe Perrow on the outskirts of Bedale in North Yorkshire. The weather forecast for today actually looked pretty good, hence our decision to visit the arboretum. We left home just after 9.00am and had a good, uneventful 55-minute drive up the A1 to the lovely market town of Bedale, the Arboretum is just a short 5-minute drive from the town on the Masham road. Unfortunately, no sooner had we shown our admission tickets at the entrance, did it start to rain. 

The newly born spring lambs in the field opposite were hurriedly trying to get some protection under their mothers as they huddled close to the wire fence.

I was surprised to note that this was only our second visit to the Arboretum this year, the weeks are certainly flying along. We have been quite fortunate with the weather on previous visits, so a bit of rain made for quite a pleasant change, needless to say that I and the dogs didn’t mind it either.

After leaving the visitors’ centre we followed the trail towards the lake, the views from the visitor’s centre/café are always pleasing to the eye and today, although wet, was no different, clumps of flowering daffodils were in flower under the trees, and the trees were just beginning to come into leaf. Work was well in hand with the ground staff setting up the Easter trail which this year is based on the magical tales of Beatrix Potter, the trail runs from 25th March – 17th April.

We continued following the trail which runs alongside the lake, a pair of swans were laid on the water’s edge hard fast asleep, completely oblivious of passers-by. A little further along a pair of Mallard ducks were busily feeding on the lake, not deterred by the rain which was now falling quite heavily. Huge swathes of Daffodils covered both sides of the pathways and brightened up a dull morning. The ground was getting quite muddy in places so we aborted our usual long walk and kept to the main paths and made our way along the ‘Lime Avenue’ before turning left passing ‘The Bothy’ and onto ‘The Monument’ where we stopped for a few moments to take some photographs of the Daffodils, always a scenic stopping point. From the monument it is just a short 5 minute walk back to the café. As it was still raining, we stopped in the outdoor shelter where we enjoyed a very pleasant bacon & egg sandwich and pot of tea from the cafe. Needless to say that whilst we were having our brunch the rain stopped and sun came out which made for a very pleasant journey home.