...who would have thought? seaton delaval!

...now seaton delaval and seaton sluice (lovely name!) would not have been the first place i'd thought of to spend a beautiful day with the family ...but blow me down (and at time the wind nearly did) it was fabulous.

we headed off with sandwiches in the rucksack (not the "haversack" as christine points out!) and the postcode for the satnav to discover another national trust property before our membership runs out. oh yes we'll reapply for membership but once this membership is all canceled 'cos then we can get this years free gift - a picnic rucksack! we've waited for an age for this offer! I know! our life is but a simple one - easy pleased!

but hey! seaton delaval hall! full of great stories ably told by the NT guides who were there waiting to engage in wonderful tales. the daughter that died of opium misuse, the son who was kicked in the nadgers by the woman he was trying to rape who then died as a consequence of said kick. and.... most interestingly sarah hussey delaval the woman who had multiple affairs with men all across the country and is the source of the phrase "brazened hussy"! and they say we are a debauched society these days!!

the hall was absolutely fabulous even in it's state of disrepair (it's a recent NT acquisition). The Delaval family had lived there until the death of the husband and wife who resided there in the 2007 within a month of each other. the family had to (give away) the estate to the NT to off set inheritance tax which seems a bit sad to be fair.... but is our gain.....

...and then we went for a walk from the hall into seaton sluice (where we had a look at the man made sluice!) and then walked up the banks of the river inland before crossing (very) windswept fields before returning to the hall for a quick ice cream then home...

and to cap the whole, wonderful, day off chris an lynne turned up with home prepared indian food and we ate aplenty, had some great craic, and went to bed very happy....