The Newt

A busy day…first I went to the graveyard where my parents are buried and then visited a nephew and his family.

We went to a new restaurant called the Creamery at Castle Cary station which has been opened by the owners of the Newt …it is adjacent to the station and still has cheese making taking place which you can view through big glass windows. There is also a very old railway carriage where you can get a nice afternoon tea.
After lunch we went to the Newt gardens…they have sponsored Chelsea Flower Show for the last two years. Although I have seen the gardens a bit on TV I had no idea they were so large. We were there for three hours and did not see all of it. My brother has an annual membership as he lives nearby and goes often for a nice walk in the park  plus see the more cultivated areas. There is a huge planting of orchards and lots of nice apple juice for sale. This year there is already very loaded apple trees. An interesting pond in the shape of a newt! There is also a reconstructed Roman Villa as they found some mosaics in the grounds when the new owners were developing it.
I remember Hadspen House which is part of the estate which was privately owned when I was  growing up..it is now a very upmarket hotel. The new owners who have developed the estate and gardens, plus others in Cornwall are South African.

Also see a couple of extras.