Go Visit: Castle Howard
Often in the desire for a perfect trip away, we neglect to consider peaceful pastimes, and instead are content to whirl through activities like an autumn gale, not taking time to breathe, to stop. On the way home from a recent (and hectic) trip to Leeds and York, we visited Castle Howard. I have been many times before, but only with the purpose of visiting the grand building; the grounds took second place as a mere after-thought. How wrong I was to relegate them to this position; visiting in the spring is a delight. The woodland walks were full of fresh green shoots protruding through the crisp piles of fallen leaves, and subtle scents of spring flowers wafted as we made our way through the boughs. The fallen heads of snowdrops danced in the breeze at every turn, and crocuses painted the hillsides with purple and ochre. Best of all, there was hardly anyone else there.
