This ancient oak at Dunham Massey looks dead but a section is still growing and since our last visit it has been propped up on the moat side and is fenced off to protect its roots from compaction with thousands of visitors walking past.  Recent storms have also caused it to tilt over even more and it is hoped that the 500 year old tree can survive the next hundred years with help.
A highlight was wandering through the woodland garden which is the largest winter garden in Britain with 1600 trees and shrubs and 700 species of plants, many of which were in flower with swathes of tulips and daffodils along the footpaths, colourful blossom and some fairly unusual flowers.
Although we had to keep dodging the hail showers it was very pleasant wandering around the grounds hearing many different bird songs and watching several herons in the trees beside the lake and some of the fallow deer that wander around the park.
Our time was short as we later went to see an excellent production of “Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat”