Hodsock Snowdrop

This morning ... before the snow started falling .... I headed off to Hodsock Priory in Blyth, Nottinghamshire to attend the Grand Opening of the annual Snowdrop display.

This year is the 21st anniversary of snowdrops at Hodsock and I was drawn ... not only by the clear, frosty morning making a picture out of pretty much everything .... but by the lure of free Snowdrop Cake (whatever that might be!) and samples of The Drop real ale.

Alas, while I enjoyed a very pleasant walk and got some decent macro shots (a style of photography of which I'm particularly keen) of the flowers, there was no sign at all of the cake and ale. I left delighted with the ice encrusted shot I captured above but disappointedly empty of stomach!

That said, I'd recommend a trip to the Priory for those passing this way. The house, formal gardens and woodland are really beautiful and Hodsock itself has an interesting and colourful history. From humble beginnings, the estate has thrived and suffered at the hands of its owners. It has been host to Kings of England, been frittered away on a gamble and has recently been carefully rebuilt and restored to its former glory by the Buchanan family.