There and Back...a date to Rode Hall and Gardens

Entering the Rode Estate

The popular saying "getting there is half the fun," held true for us in our day trip to the lovely Rode Hall and Gardens...however, we think the saying is missing something. For us it would go something like: half the fun is getting there...and back!

Caleb, being the romantic stud that he is, planned a special date
to the seemingly nearby country house and gardens called Rode Hall and Gardens. Now a country house to American's would probably be called a mansion, of the extremely old variety. For the British, country houses were unfortified grand homes complete with gardens, stables, and the like. They became popular in the 16th century, which happens to be the era in which Rode was built.  Besides the stately house, the main attraction for Rode Hall and Garden's was the ten acres of beautiful gardens, sprinkled with a very special flower called the snowdrop. The snowdrops are lovely to look at and bloom only a few months out of the year. And so it was that we set out one fine Saturday morning to visit the intriguing country home and gardens

Rode Hall

Before leaving, Caleb laid out the plan for the day: we will catch a bus in  Newcastle, then we will get off at Kidsgrove where we will figure out how to get to the gardens, either catch another bus, go on foot, or something similar. We will spend the better part of the day at the gardens and then figure out how to get back home.

We managed to catch the first bus on time and with the help of a few friendly passengers got off at the right stop, the only problem was we were not sure where to go from there. As a bus pulled up to the stop next to us, Caleb hopped on board, thinking the bus driver would surely know how to get to the gardens. Unfortunately for us, and all the passengers on board, the driver was the helpful type but he seemed to be a foreigner who knew his own bus route and nothing more. I watched in amusement from outside as the driver got out his driver's cubicle, turned to face all the folks on the bus, and asked if anybody knew where in the world the Rode Hall and Gardens were located and how one might get there. A few folks pitched in a few possibilities they did not know either. Since we had already gotten the kind driver off of his schedule, we thanked him for his help and took off down the road as if we knew where we were going. But the driver was not finished with us yet, he honked his horn, pulled up next to us telling us we should go to another bus stop across the road and ask that driver. We chuckled as he drove away, he really wanted to help.

The famed snowdrops

As we wondered into the town centre of the little place called Kidsgrove, I was on high alert for a discreet place to nurse Baby Justus, since we were already running late, but Caleb was on a mission to find a way to the gardens. Thus, I reluctantly agreed to accompany him into the local library to ask directions. For obvious reasons, libraries are not the best place for nursing, but it was too late to find another spot. To my relief, Baby Justus was an angel, he nursed quietly and didn't disturb a single reader.

Daddy and Son--warm and cozy in the tea room

 Little did we know how fortunate it was that we ventured into this little library. It just so happened that a local council woman (a local politician of sorts) overheard all three librarians and Caleb discussing directions and modes of transportation to the gardens. Upon finding that our little family was planning to walk the 3.7 miles there and back, she intervened and offered to give us a ride, which we gladly accepted. The council woman was quite friendly and had more than one amusing thing to say during our short ride. The most comical was her comment about the English expecting the best out of the colonies (since it was the English who founded them ;) and expecting the worst out of Australia (since that's where the English used to send their criminals).

Once we finally arrived at our destination, a  warm meal was in order and Rode Hall and Gardens had just what we needed, a tea room that served hot soup. The tea room, formerly the estate's brick barn, was warm and cozy and offered some excellent tea and hearty soup (anybody up for carrot and coriander or mint and pea soup???). This was, by far the most popular place on the entire estate, everybody wanted to come in and warm up from the chilly weather outside.

Charity--covering Baby Justus' face so he doesn't see the
nude statue in the background

After filling our stomachs and changing Justus's full nappy (remember that's what the Brits call a diaper), we set off to explore the gardens.  They were indeed beautiful, but we realized why an old man had warned us when we first arrived that you may need an "four-wheel drive stroller." The rocky paths were difficult to navigate, but the dirt paths which had become mud paths from the previous day's rain, proved to be even more of a challenge. Despite the stroller troubles and the cold, windy weather, trekking through the gardens turned out to be one of the highlights of our day and definitely produced the best pictures.

Caleb at the end of the garden path

We were not quite as fortunate on our return trip to the bus station in Kidsgrove, no one offered us a ride, so we gladly strolled the 3.7 miles back to town, where we wondered around for a while trying to figure out where the bus stop was located. Gratefully, the townsfolk were kind enough to point us in the right direction; we caught the correct bus which brought us back to our cozy little English home.

Half the fun was indeed getting there...and back