Hopetoun House

Mr Flum's choice for today's walk was the grounds of Hopetoun House, which offered two guided routes (the Spring Garden Trail and the Sea Walk Trail); we followed both, with a lunch break between. This is the view of the rear of the house reflected in the Round Pond.

There were very few other people about in the extensive woods and we had the full benefit of undisturbed birdsong (mostly unidentified, except for the distinctive 'referee whistle' of the nuthatch and the several thrush) and sighting of two roe deer (neither of the quoted red and fallow herds were in evidence). Daffodils, bluebells, and primroses were abundant and we found both cowslip and oxlip in isolation. Several varieties of rhododrendron are just coming into flower and many specimen trees provided with name tags and information boards add to the already interesting mix of species.  

The extra is taken part-way down the Lime Avenue, with bluebells to one side, the Round Pond lies to the right.