Thursday August 6th – We awoke to yet another rainy day but decided it didn’t really matter that much since we had planned mostly indoor activities for the day. We left in the morning to try again at Sizergh Castle. We were very glad that we made the time and effort to do this tour since it turned out to be an absolutely fantastic time.

Sizergh Castle is now a stately home surrounded by fields owned and operated by the National Trust, but still lived in by the Strickland family who have owned the land (through marriage) since 1170 or thereabouts. Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII and a relative of the Strickland family, was thought to have lived here for a time after her first husband died. The main tower was built in the 1300s and various sections have been added over time. The guided tour was informative and there was lots of information about the Strickland family down through the centuries as well as highlights of some of the priceless art treasures on display. Jennifer was intrigued to find out that one of the Strickland men was assigned to Australia and thus there was a lot of memorabilia from Australia.

There are a number of unique features in the house including a room that is owned by the Victoria and Albert museum in London, and is on permanent long-term loan to the castle. The story goes that the V&A museum was building a display of special features from various manor houses at the museum and purchased rooms/furniture from various places and then transported and rebuilt them within the museum. At the turn of the last century there was a push to return the property to their rightful place and so in 1999, the wood paneling from the inlaid room and furnishings were dismantled, transported back to Sizergh and reconstructed within the castle. Since the V&A still owns the display it is just considered to be “on permanent loan” to the castle. Outside the stairway is interesting – they narrow as they rise to make the staircase appear longer than it is. If you want to see the inlaid room, click here Inlaid Room at Sizergh Castle.

We lucked out in that there was also a garden tour shortly after the house tour so we spent 40 minutes with a garden volunteer exploring the beautiful gardens which surround the house. Fortunately, the rain had stopped and the sun came out just in time. Of course there is the obligatory pond, a feature in almost all country gardens here in the UK, but this garden includes an award-winning rock garden – the largest limestone rock garden belonging to the National Trust. It was stunning and with the help of our guide, we came to understand how the rock garden changes through the seasons because of the trees chosen as a backdrop. Part of the National Collection of Hardy Ferns is housed/planted in the rock garden. They also had an extensive kitchen garden and orchard, the produce from which is sold at a small barn on the property. They are also developing a stumpery in the gardens – old tree stumps are turned upside down and ferns, lichen, and other creeping plants are encouraged to grow in the stumps. It’s quite attractive and evidently Prince Charles is a great proponent of stumperys.

We stayed so long that we decided to have lunch at the Sizergh cafe and then head off to Glenridding where we had been invited for dinner. Sun certainly makes a difference and the Cambria Mountains. The vistas were spectacular as we drove north through the pass, along very narrow roads and past fields of sheep. Arriving early, we decided to continue on to Penrith for a little walk and an afternoon pick-me-up. We stopped in a little cafe where I had the best cup of coffee since leaving Toronto!

We arrived back in Glenridding where we met our hostess, Anthea Kaan, sitting on a stone wall by the highway at the end of her road. We parked the car at the local garage and just walked up the windy road to her house. Anthea is the wife of the late Fred Kaan, a well-known and prolific British hymnwriter. We were introduced to her by our friend Gillian Warson who had the privilege of researching and writing his biography a few years before he was diagnosed with alzheimers. What a delightful visit! The view in the background of the picture is the view from her front room – spectacular, especially as the sun sets and the shadows move across the hills. A retired GP, Anthea is interesting and inquisitive which made for a great evening of conversation. We had intended to leave by 8:30pm to get back while it was still daylight…but didn’t leave until after ten, arriving back in Windermere, in the dark, shortly before 11pm.

We all fell into bed and slept soundly having had a great day in the country and a stimulating visit with a wonderful lady.