Picnic at Russborough House
I love Ireland for so many reasons and days like today make me appreciate everything that is beautiful about our country. The quality of light and ever changing greens of a spring day brighten my mood and beckon me outdoors. There are so many wonderful places to visit in every county and I like to explore both near and far.
Today's trip was to Russborough House near Blessington in County Wicklow, just a stone's throw from Kilcullen and it's a place I've visited many times.
It's a beautiful old house dating from the 1740s and is now maintained by the Alfred Beit Foundation. It's possible to take a tour of the house and visit the 3D interactive exhibition but it was far too lovely to be indoors today so we packed up a picnic and sat on the grass looking at the beautiful scenery in front of us
We then went on the walk that winds in a loop, passing the walled garden and the lake. You can also keep an eye out for the new addition of little fairy doors :)
There's a myriad of spring flowers dotted through the grass at the start of the walk, bringing a beautiful splash of colour to the surroundings.
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Lots of activity was going on in the walled gardens today - gardening is done by a dedicated group of volunteers who put a huge amount of time and effort into maintaining and improving the gardens. A willow weaving workshop was also in progress as we passed through, just one of the many activities that happen in Russborough throughout the year.
We meandered on, enjoying the peace and the sun, stopping occasionally to admire the lambs, the swans on the lake and the incredible views around us.
Another great thing to enjoy at Russborough is the Artisans in residence in the courtyard, a chance to see the makers at work and purchase something special.
For families with young children there's a playground and a maze to visit and the wide open spaces are perfect for running around and having fun.
Do check out the website for events and information and hopefully my post has inspired you to visit.
This post was done as part of a blog storm by the KLCK bloggers, a network I've recently joined. The brief was to write a blog post on the topic 'Ireland' and here are some of the other posts from the group:
Camping in Ireland by Una - http://wildwaysadventures.ie/5-reasons-to-take-the-family-camping-in-ireland/
Harnessing the power of the Blarney Stone by Lorna - http://www.writeontrack.ie/blogs/improving-your-blog/
Craft in a 100 years time by Louise - https://locstitches1.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/what-will-craft-be-like-in-a-100-years-p1/
Ways to celebrate Patrick's Day online by Amanda - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-ways-celebrate-st-patricks-day-online-amanda-webb
Irish food memories by Danette - http://danettesfeast.com/?p=640
A creative weekend in Ireland by Liga - http://valgstudio.blogspot.ie/2015/03/perfect-destination-for-creative.html
Happy Reading!
enjoyed reading this after spending afternoon in local comunity garden gives me an idea of what local group can achive so thank you
Thanks Louise :)
Lovely post - I don't get to Russborough very often, probably once every two or three years but always enjoy it.