Launde Abbey

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Wednesday Launde Abbey

The day dawned grey with showers forecast for bits of it and we debated water to go today or tomorrow and finally after lunch decided we’d head out to Launde Abbey. This is a wonderful old Abbey and retreat centre right out in the country set in some beautiful gardens. The weather treated us beautifully and it was actually sunny for the whole time we were there. It was about a 50km drive east of us. Again beautiful countryside, for a moment I’d feel like we were driving though NZ country and then we would come upon an English village or a road sign pointing some really quaint place name and then it was obvious.



We went first into the walled garden - it was enormous and a real mix of vegetables and gorgeous flowers. I loved the intense blues of the different delphiniums and the beautiful deep maroon of the clematis by the gate as we left. Back through the gate into the main grounds I noticed a numbered cross - there are 16 plain wooden crosses around the grounds to correspond to the stations of the cross. Some lovely enormous copper beeches and several beautiful rose gardens, each with different coloured roses. I went a bit mad snapping photos. (Including one showing a sunny day with blue skies because they apparently do have those in England!)



We stopped for afternoon tea and then carried on exploring inside. We headed down to the old chapel, the lights came on in the hallway as we proceeded, along with signs about quiet place and silence. There was some lovely textile art on the hall walls. The chapel was lovely, the atmosphere there so peaceful. Next to it was a simple prayer room that you could walk down into, with icons positioned around it and candles and you could just sit on the carpet and meditate.



As we drove away we startled a hare in the narrow road and it ran on ahead of the car for a while, Jeremy clocked it at 15 mph! It didn’t look like it was going flat out either! Finally it took off into a paddock.

On the way home we took the scenic route and circumnavigated Rutland Water - 37 km around - I think it is England’s biggest reservoir, it really was lovely. When we got close we could see it was actually quite choppy and there was at least one yacht out on it.

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Photos

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A beautiful sunny afternoon in England.