Acorn Bank is a 13th century house and estate in a fairly inhospitable corner of north-east Cumbria. When the weather is bad - as it often is - the estate gets the full force of the wind and rain.
And yet, by surrounding the house and gardens with oak trees the historic owners of Acorn Bank were able to create a protected area where relatively delicate plants could thrive. There is now an extensive herb garden as well as a large number of fruit trees. Today, in mid August, both herbs and orchard were at their peak.
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| Acorn Bank |
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| Grapes in the glass house |
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| Damsons |
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| Quince |
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| Rowan berries |
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| Teasel |
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| Apples |
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| Perry pears - after this summer’s rain, a bumper harvest |
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| Wild flowers attract pollinators |
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| Beautiful deep red apples |
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| More pears |
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| Looking towards the house from the orchard |
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| Water lilies in the sunken garden |
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| Hydrangea and Sweet Peas - it’s not all herbs and fruit |
After buying some freshly dug red potatoes and some herb plants from the garden, we headed home.