Another pleasant and enjoyable day out for 25 Forum members. Heavy Yorkshire rainfall died out on the other side of the Pennines and it was cloudy but fine in Cheshire.

Our party was able to choose between a guided tour of the house at 2.15pm or to wander around freely from 12noon. Those who opted for an early lunch found it warm enough to sit outside before light rain showers passed over. The food was locally sourced (some from the kitchen garden), cooked on the premises and reasonably priced so very acceptable.   

Arley Hall is frequently used as a film location & the crew of CBEEBIES were using the beautiful settings of part of the Walled Garden & ElizabethanTea Cottage area. Some very large and colourful artificial “flowers” had been added to the natural splendour of Arley’s floral planting. Arley has plenty of attractions/events throughout the year for families. Only a small part of the Hall is open to visitors. The guided tour, lasting 45 minutes, was enough to give us a good insight into the family history and development of the estate as a wedding/function & film venue. These all help to fund the upkeep of the Ashbrooke family home.

En route to the car park, a strategically placed plant nursery offered long lasting mementos of our visit as we left at 4pm to return to a still-soaking wet Yorkshire.

Tania Brightmore