Berrington Hall

 Staying at The Grove Farmhouse B&B on the outskirts of Kimbolton, it's possible to walk to Stockton Bury Garden, and from there walk along a green lane from the village called Stockton Ride which carried on as a footpath as far as the A 49 which passes beside the parkland around Berrington Hall, We asked at the north gatehouse if we could walk across the field to the main house and garden rather than walking beside the main road which didn't have a footpath, and cut off a big corner.

Berrington Hall is owned by the National Trust and has a series of walks around the parkland surrounding the house and there's also a Berrington Pool walk. Bearing in mind we wanted to find a route back to Grove Farmhouse, we didn't stay long at Berrington Hall. The main hall is impressive externally and the grounds mainly Capability Brown landscapes

although there is a walled garden with an impressive curved brick wall which is going to be restored

The information panel includes a piece on why it was thought that curved walls were better than straight ones; it seems it was thought that fruit ripened better against a a curved wall.

The photograph below gives an idea of the Capability Brown landscape around the house, with an ornamental water feature.

We walked back across the fields the way we had come, crossed the A 49, walked along the road we had reached from Stockton Ride and turned right at The Hundred along a footpath which led to a road north of Kimbolton. It wasn't well marked and we spent quite a long time in arable fields before we found the road. It was good to have a day on foot and visit two gardens.