Kings Weston House and Penpole Woods

 I found myself with an hour to spare at Kings Weston House this morning.

Like Redland Court, Kings Weston is another of those big sugar-coloured Georgian mansions built for those glutted with the profits of the slave trade. There are a fair few of them in Bristol.

I was hoping for views over the Severn estuary, but it was too  misty to see much. Even the new Severn Bridge was largely lost to view. 

As always, it was good to see (just) all the wind turbines, instead of the chimneys of yore, belching yellow smoke. 

Then we - that's me and the dog - were off around the grounds. Here's a piece of dressed stone. Apparently the balustrade used to extend a lot further than it does now. Maybe this was part of it. 

The trees in Penpole Woods - a tract of ancient woodland incorporated into the pleasure gardens in the 18th century - were in full leaf, and it was lovely, dark and secluded. 

The former quarry (garden) 

There were some tree root steps to be negotiated - not my favourite thing since I managed to fall off an ordinary one and break my leg ... 

... and a quite arty hollow tree stump. 

Badger sett with collie arse

The ruins of Penpole Lodge

Back at the house, there's a sweet monument to dogs, in the form of a carved and painted pole topped with red squirrels, which aren't in residence here but would surely be much appreciated by the dogs if they were. 

We liked the fact the collie had a ball.