Hampton Court - Grounds

Another trip, another adventure - this time to Hampton Court Palace and ground.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and if anything a little too hot! The cool indoors (another blog entry) provided a welcome relief for about half the visit.

Arrival at the main gate

Cromwell woz ere

A helping hand - not mine

We arrived nice and early - of course!!!
It's hard for me to convey just how wonderful it is to set off at the required time with someone who's as enthusiastic about visiting places both strange and wonderful as I am

These initially looked like strange nests to me, but a Certain Someone suggested they were, in face, some kind of parasitic vegetation, which sounds a LOT more plausible.

Moat to the left
I had a rather tomb-raider feeling

And the right!

Gargoyles of many kinds

Magnificent

Pool and fountain in the Fountain Court

Now THAT'S a front drive... or three

I just loved everything about this courtyard; the clean lines, the cool covered walkways, the lawn

and a mysterious visitor, of course :)

And now the back garden...

I don't want much...
Just a little place in the country, don't you know?

This statue appears to reach for the sky

Fantastic gilded fencing gleamed in the sun

A rather nice place, don't you agree?

Very long covered walkway

Towards the kitchen/gardens

Glorious formal gardens

Clock tower in the Clock Court (naturally)

We both made the maze centre without getting lost!
We tried both the keep-to-the-left and keep-to-the-right method.
I was just a few seconds behind.

Another wonderful construction near the famous maze