A Sunday afternoon walk . . .

I'm sure we all know places that we pass regularly in the car; on the train or the bus and say to ourselves, 'I wonder what's behind that wall/fence/hedge? It looks interesting and one day I'm going to take time to explore and find out.'

Today we did just that. After a tasty lunch in the town, we walked up Tunnel Road towards Reigate Castle. The castle in question was a Norman castle, long since in ruins but there are earth works still there and extensive caves which belonged to the original castle that unfortunately weren't open today.

This 'modern' castle gate which is the entrance to the rose garden was built in the 18th Century.

You can see why the common name for this cotinus is 'the smoke bush'. Very aptly named.


No, not a relic left behind by visiting Egyptians, or even New Age travellers, this pyramid in the middle of the rose garden covers the entry to a sallyport (yes, I had to look that one up too!).

The area is well known for it's flora. It's lovely to see bullrushes at the margins of the water; and of course . . . you can't have a Sunday afternoon walk without ducks . . .

All in all, a lovely Sunday afternoon stroll.