Wallington at Dusk, February 2014

Wallington Gardens 17^th February 2014  (National Trust)

Can’t remember how it came about that we only had a couple of hours near closing time (dusk) Monday of the half term holiday but there we were, free to roam the gardens and do the climbing fort at Wallington. 

Now, that fort has got to be a child’s fantasy palace.  Whilst Himself looked on in silent north-eastern dignity, the boy and I shot arrows at each other and poured gallons of hot oil over the ramparts.  At one stage I had The Sword of Omens and he had a cloak of invisibility, which he used to great effect.  Don’t know what the natives thought but we had a whale of a time.  My cats did a good job on his rats when they chased them off the rope bridge. (As Cheetara, I definitely had the power to call up hundreds of cats to my aid!)

Wallington is home not only to four fabulous dragon heads set in extensive gardens and woodland but also to the best climbing tree in Britain – and that’s an official fact care of The national Trust.

The boy has been on it every year since he was five and we have some fab pictures of it in the album and family calendars. Looking (and smelling) like an enormous relative of the common Leylandii, this smooth-limbed cedar wears its canopy like an overcoat, in other words, open at the front and beautifully draped with its neighbour behind.  The children naturally see it as an indoor playground and you often see groups of them bouncing on the lower branches of the adjoining tree or sitting on its own splayed limbs which have been worn smooth by the hugs and little bottoms of generations of kids.  This is a must see if you have children.

That’s all we had time for, apart from buying a few packets of crisps at the cosy café and browsing over the rather exotic collection of primroses for sale but it was enough for one afternoon.  Another day we’ll walk him around the great lily pond or go into the hall itself, which is indeed lovely and absolutely full of STUFF.