Attingham Park Snowdrop Walk

Although I am Shropshire born and bred and have driven past Attingham Park more times than I care to remember I have never been to either the park itself nor the house but on Friday, Paul from Virtual Shropshire fame asked via twitter if anybody would care to join him whilst he was doing some filming. So, I thought “why not”. I picked up a fellow Tweeter and we met Paul at the ticket office.

We proceeded to have a lovely wander through the snowdrops (whilst being filmed by Paul – this might be my 10 seconds worth of fame ya know?)  and the park and just caught the tail end of the deer feeding.

To a Snowdrop

Lone Flower, hemmed in with snows and white as they
But hardier far, once more I see thee bend
Thy forehead, as if fearful to offend,
Like an unbidden guest. Though day by day,
Storms, sallying from the mountain-tops, waylay
The rising sun, and on the plains descend;
Yet art thou welcome, welcome as a friend
Whose zeal outruns his promise! Blue-eyed May
Shall soon behold this border thickly set
With bright jonquils, their odours lavishing
On the soft west-wind and his frolic peers;
Nor will I then thy modest grace forget,
Chaste Snowdrop, venturous harbinger of Spring,
And pensive monitor of fleeting years!

On Seeing a Tuft of Snowdrops in a Storm

When haughty expectations prostrate lie,
And grandeur crouches like a guilty thing,
Oft shall the lowly weak, till nature bring
Mature release, in fair society
Survive, and Fortune's utmost anger try;
Like these frail snowdrops that together cling,
And nod their helmets, smitten by the wing
Of many a furious whirl-blast sweeping by.
Observe the faithful flowers! if small to great
May lead the thoughts, thus struggling used to stand
The Emathian phalanx, nobly obstinate;
And so the bright immortal Theban band,
Whom onset, fiercely urged at Jove's command,
Might overwhelm, but could not separate!

William Wordsworth

Here are some of the pictures I took.

I have never seen so many snowdrops in one place. The floor was just a mass of white. Lovely.

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