It was the perfect time of year to visit Calderstones Park. The cherries, azaleas and rhododendrons were in flower, and the trees with ornamental coloured foliage were at their freshest and best.
Sadly, it rained hard all day, coming down like the proverbial stair-rods, so our appreciation of the wonderful colours of the spring flowers and trees was spoilt by the weather. There was hardly any shelter, either. The greenhouses have been taken out, there was no exhibition in the Coach House, which was locked up, so we had to take refuge in the tiny shelter in the Japanese Garden.
But there were some birds about. The sodden lawns were paradise for Blackbirds and a Mistle Thrush. Magpies were everywhere and we saw a Jay, a Bullfinch and a Nuthatch. But the weather was too much for us, and we were on our way home before 1pm.
Note that I was away for the previous two Sunday walks, Lydiate on 15th April and Wirral Way on 22nd. John Clegg has written them up and I posted his accounts yesterday. However, I tinkered with the posting dates, so you will have to scroll down for them, where they appear in chronological sequence.