Level 2: Anniversary at Harewood House
- Mischief&Marauders
- Sep 16, 2018
- 5 min read
The 23rd of June 2016 is a very memorable day for those that lived in the UK; it signalled the day the UK chose to leave the European Union; however for us was much more significant. It was the day that Simon and I chose to say I do at Leeds town hall at 2pm. 2 years on and we chose to visit a very special place for us nestled in between Leeds and Harrogate. Harewood House. Owned by David and Diane Lascelles, Earl and Countess of Harewood, the Harewood Estate has undergone one of the biggest Historical reconstruction programmes and offers acres of land filled with landscaped gardens, lakes and of course phenomenal artwork.
So we started. naturally with the entrance to the house with a super long driveway. If; like us, you're planning on visiting the house and going via public transport; don't be a silly sausage and go in flip flops or high heels. Converse or any decent walking shoes will have your feet thanking you in the long run; because it really is a super long walk especially for us under 5"5ers.
As you continue along the path you'll come across the estates church which requires you take your first right before heading to the main house.
For those of you that love to collect memorabilia, around June there were a lot of pine cones; and being the little Niffler that I am proceeded to stuff my bag with as many as I could. Was I allowed to? No idea...But what I do know is that if you don't get caught it's totally appropriate. Plus in a way I was helping them clear the path for visitors as little children could trip and hurt themselves! (Yeah let's go with that excuse) I'll be using the pine cones to later decorate the house for Christmas under some DIY project no doubt.
So as we were little children was decided to play peek a boo as around 10am the place was relatively quiet and we had the opportunity to explore the chapel by ourselves and take a series of silly pictures
Having been raised Catholic there was a lot of beauty to be found in the tombs and stained glass panels in the chapel. As you wonder around the place there's designated stations of information about each area of the church and you can read as much or as little as you want.
We proceeded to head out and found a stump which was much more comfortable than the seat inside and took some shots of Si whilst the lighting was still good. It's worth mentioning that you can sign a visitors register in the church which we found super cute.
From the Church you can see the Main House which is both inhabited as well as used as a museum.
By foot I'd say from the Church you're about a 5-10 minute walk from the Main house depending on how long as quick your feet/legs are; however the greenery around you is worth slowing down and enjoying the lack of noise pollution surrounding the place. You do have the ability to be collected from the main gates by a car; however the lift is highly unreliable as it's run by volunteers; so you're best just walking it; or driving in if you're not bothered about paying full price to enter the estate.
As you walk up to the main house there is further parking to the right of this picture. a lot of locals come to the grounds to walk their dogs and play cricket; so if either is your cup of tea - Do head down.
For those interested in furnishing; the entirety of the house was decorated with the Chip and Dales furniture (No not the Disney characters) and took over 30 years at a cost of £1m pounds to complete. The walls were covered in Silk wall paper and there are regular guides to guide you around the house; explaining the colourful decorating of each room. I was absolutely taken aback by the crystal chandeliers in the main rooms and did enjoy stroking the walls a little too much (Don't judge me!).
One of the selling points especially for anyone interested in tying the knot at Harewood is of course the Terrace which can be seen from the above pictures. Sadly the weather had changed slightly by the time these pictures were captured and the fountains were undergoing maintenance.
As you wonder around the Terrace and gardens, a lot of little gems like the below can be found.
We continued along around the estate and found our very own Jurassic World. This was a wonderful opportunity to come across different fauna on our way to the aviary section.
We half expected a Dilophosaurus to peak through and chase us down the rather steep slope.
We continued on and walked towards the feeding and petting zoo which was located past the lake area and waterfall. You can get on the motor boat and be taken around the lakes on the boat if you like; but being the stingy miser I am chose to walk around it and up the various hilly terrains available.
My phone had died by the point of the Buddhist Temple, but the area had a forest of different bamboo shoots and Tibetan prayer bunting. There's so many eclectic things to do and see at Harewood House;it is worth several visits to grasp the true magnificence of the building. We were ravenous by the time we got to the feeding pens and unfortunately due to our frolicking missed the two feeding times. We shared a Cornish ice cream cone (it's worth visiting for that alone) before heading to Georges in Leeds on the Headrow for a meal to cap off a wonderfully relaxing day.
Still stuffed from the large ice cream at the House, I chose to have a drink instead, however Si still had space to get some food as we were well over the standard recommended 10,000 steps.
Above was a deconstructed Bangers and Mash; I have never seen someone so excited by a flavour before and had a Fish and Chips with the most beautiful curry sauce ever. .
Our fantastic waitress then surprised us with the below. We were so taken aback by the lovely gesture and honestly didn't want to eat the churros. It was served with a raspberry couli that gave a wonderful contrast the the sweetness of the chocolate and candy floss.
I've covered some more in the video below. It was such a wonderful day; and sadly my phone died so I couldn't take more pictures; but I would definitely go back with an actual camera and a spare battery.
As a whole day it was one of my favourite excursions with Si as we had so many wonderful intimate moments to share as a couple that we didn't capture on the day; but will always remember. I will definitely be heading back for an event here and ensure my videos are finger free and a camera full charged.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and as always ciao for now!
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