One day like this a year would see me right

Hello, and welcome to episode # 3 of this year's Shropshire travelogue. 

It was Thursday the 15th of June, and we had a Date with a capital D. It had been pencilled into our diary for many weeks: a long overdue meet-up with my blogging friends Vix and Claire and their partners, Jon and Gareth.

As we wanted to make sure to have plenty of time to get ready and drive down to our destination, we'd even set our alarm clocks the night before, but I'm sure you won't be surprised if I tell you we were wide awake long before it went off!

Our destination that day was yet another National Trust property, Attingham Park, the Georgian Mansion commissioned in 1782 for Noel Hill, 1st Lord Berwick. 

Although it's only a leisurely drive of about 40 minutes from the cowshed, we took our precautions and left our little valley a full hour before the agreed meet-up time of 10.30. Well, we did have to take traffic, our Satnav's foibles and our tendency to drive past the entrance (which we did back in 2018, see here) into account. We needn't have feared, though, as it all went smoothly and we were in fact the first ones to arrive.

Soon, Vix and Jon rocked up in Patrice, their Lucifer Red Citroën C5, excitedly honking and waving when they saw us waiting in a shady spot near the entrance. Needless to say, lots of hugging ensued. Claire had WhatsApp'd me to say they were running a bit late, and about 10 minutes later she and Gareth trundled up the drive in their funky red Beetle. Just like it was when I first met Vix all those years ago, it was as if Claire and I had known each other for years!

As all of us were National Trust members - even if just temporary ones in our case - we were soon waved through at the ticket office. However, we decided to splurge and pay an extra € 3 per person for an exclusive tour of a two-storey apartment in the East Wing of the Mansion. 

As we had been booked in for the 12 pm tour, that left plenty of time for lots of chatting and having our photo taken by the paparazzi.

Plenty of time, too, for a stroll to the walled gardens ... until we remembered that it is quite a long way from the house and that we would never make it back on time. So, back we hurried, following the lead of Jon and Gareth who seemed to be knowing their way around. With just minutes to spare we arrived at what turned out to be the Mansion's exit. Fortunately, a kindly volunteer took pity on us and swiftly took us to the Picture Gallery where the tour was supposed to start.

Bawled over by the Picture Gallery's splendour, we admired the paintings lining the glossy red walls  - there was even one of the Picture Gallery itself, above, top right - as well as the other treasures on display, until we realized that 12 pm had come and gone and our tour guide was still conspicuous in his absence. 

So, we waited and waited, and waited some more, each of us in our own fashion. The photo on the bottom right in the above collage, in particular, made me smile. In the background, Vix is admiring the magnificent 18th Century organ at the east end of the gallery, while Claire is just about to take this stunning photo of her. To the left of them, Gareth is doing some kind of silly pose. On the plush green seat in the foreground, Jos is trying to get to grips with the info on the tickets, while Jon, the only one who was aware that I was taking a photo, is looking straight at the camera.

John Nash was commissioned in 1805 to add the picture gallery, a project that was flawed from the beginning as it suffered from leaks. Constructed using cast iron and curved glass to give the effect of coving, it throws light into the gallery below.  In 2013 work began on building a new protective roof above the delicate Nash roof, replacing the one installed in the 1970s with a new one which will stop leakage and reduce natural weather wear. 

Nash’s elaborately contrived Grand Staircase sparkles with a sense of Regency theatre, the domed skylight like a giant golden spider’s web hovering above.

I'm shamelessly repeating my own collage, created from photos taking during our 2019 visit here.

Meanwhile, more waiting ensued until our guide finally arrived, apologizing profusely for being late  before taking us up the Grand Staircase and to the private apartment. This was once used by Teresa, 8th Lady Berwick (1890-1972) and more recently by the late Mr Edwin D. Cohen, a retired American stockbroker and collector of all things Georgian, who lived here from 1986 until his death in 2020.

We soon discovered the reason for our guide's tardiness: he was truly passionate and knowledgeable about his subject - and Attingham in general - and we suspect his previous tour simply overran because of it. 

Photography wasn't allowed inside the apartment so if you want to see it for yourself, you'll have to get yourselves over there and book a tour. Suffice to say that it was fascinating to be allowed a look into a wealthy and avid collector's private quarters.

It was well past 1 pm when we left the house and made our way towards the Carriage House café for lunch, still reeling from the experience and blinking in the early afternoon sunlight.

It was another scorcher of a day, with temperatures easily reaching 26°C, and the heat trapped inside the walled garden made it feel even warmer.

The flower borders are looking their best at this time of year, attracting bees and butterflies with their vibrant colour and sweet scent. My favourite, which always makes me whip out my camera, is the lavender lined double border, here enhanced by Claire and Vix in their gorgeous pink and green dresses.

I think we all fell in love with the stunning double flowered Oriental Poppy (below, top right) as it got its photograph taken by all three of us girls!

Originally created in the 1780s, Attingham's team of gardeners have been bringing this important part of the estate back to life and production. After falling into disrepair, and having different uses in the 20th Century, the Georgian kitchen garden is both bountiful and a joy to behold today.

Vix snapped this picture of Jos and me. While Jos's outfit included both his new Clarks shoes and his charity shopped Marks & Sparks hat, I was wearing palazzo trousers and a peasant style blouse, both of which were old retail buys. My sandals - old sales bargain Clarks - were making another appearance.

The heat was getting a bit too much by now, so we made our way towards Attingham's two-acre orchard, where Vix and I reclined in a pair of conveniently placed deckchairs under the apple trees.

When Claire sent me the photo she'd taken of us, I told her I would be using it as my screensaver at work, a reminder of this blissful day filled with friendship and laughter.

We then followed the Mile Walk through the Pleasure Grounds under the cooling canopy of the woodland trees. After crossing a cable-stayed bridge over the River Tern, the woodland path continued until it opened up into grassland at the top of the Deer Park.

The heat was relentless here and with the sun burning down on us, another application of suntan lotion was required. Having left mine in the cowshed, I was happy to be able to make use of Claire's. 

Jos snapped the photo of the almost treeless grassland basking in full sunshine under a canopy of blue sky in which cotton wool clouds were drifting (below, top left). If you look carefully, you can see Claire, Vix and me approaching (you might have to enlarge and zoom in to see us). Chatting non-stop, and stopping to take photos, we were forever lagging behind.

Soon the Mansion came into view, and we slowly made our way towards it, crossing another bridge across the River Tern, where the resident cows were having a refreshing drink. 

This made us realize we were getting thirsty too, so we quickened our step in order to get to the Carriage House café before it closed. Turned out we were there just in the nick of time.

It was getting on to 5 pm and they almost had to turf us out by the time we'd reluctantly said our goodbyes. But not before snapping Claire and Vix enjoying an ice lolly!

And exchanging gifts obviously! 

I squealed in delight when I spotted the denim maxi dress Vix and Jon gave me. One of my holy grails, I hadn't yet been able to find what I was looking for, but apparently Vix thought of me as soon as she set eyes on this one. I can't wait for the weather to cool down sufficiently to give it its maiden outing.

Other gifts included a funky red belt, a vinyl Barbie case and - for Jos - a huge bottle of vintage Max Factor after-shave.

Jos was further spoiled with a Ted Baker shirt, a Paisley lined waistcoat and a pair of clip-on sunglasses. We both got books (mine another Philippa Gregory) and I got a gorgeous green zig-zag patterned vintage St. Michael skirt.

Claire and Gareth's gifts included a set of Claire's postcards, a vintage Cadbury Chocolate mug , now in daily use for my morning and evening tea, two bags of local made candy and a green vintage necklace and chunky ring. There were two cans of alcohol-free Guinness as well, but these were already consumed sitting outside on our little terrace at the cowshed.

Later, Claire also surprised me with a vintage Eastex dress and Carlottta Collection skirt. I've already worn the skirt in the meantime, so you'll be getting a much better look at it very soon.

After this one-in-a-million day, we drove back to the cottage in a daze. We spent the evening enjoying the resident wildlife - there were swallow nests aplenty and the area was simply inundated with rabbits - and watching the sun go down over the Long Mynd. Utter bliss!

Hope to see you soon for a catch-up on daily life and further episodes of the travelogue!