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Having spent the morning visiting the gardens and house of Calke Abby, we headed off on a walk through the local landscape. Coming out from the car park along the national forest way, we passed by Mere Pond. This was full of water lilies, and with the sun beating down, it was a beautiful sight. We continued along the path and past the pond following the gated fence that houses the deer from the park. This long straight track eventually led us to a viewing point. Here, we could see the rolling hills for miles in the distance.  

We turned right and followed a similar path along the edge of the deer reserve before dropping down on the path towards Little Dogkennel Pond. This is a beautiful small pond with drooping trees and a small waterfall at the far end. Making our way over the boardwalk we found a seat and sat on the edge of Staunton Harold Reservoir eating some lunch.  

Moving along the reservoir, still on the national forest way, we got to a section where you could walk down to the water. From here, we followed the path up and away from the water, past the car park. Here there is some road walking, but it’s a small amount on a quiet road. After a short while, we found the gate to Calke Abby and headed back inside the estate. Following the path here, we headed past the church and through the main complex, past the house and back to the car park.  

This time, we took the left hand turn when reaching Mere Pond and followed the lovely body of water for a longer stretch. Eventually, the path gaps between Mere Pond and Betty’s Pond and we followed this up to another car park. We followed the path from here that dissects the main part of the nature reserve, passing ancient oaks and steadily getting increasingly heavily wooded. Lots of wildflowers and birds can be found here. At the end of this path, we were back on the long straight route to the viewing point. We again followed this, but instead turned left at the top to head to serpentine wood.  

This woodland at this time of year is magical. Thousands of bluebells carpet the floor and it’s a fantastic sight to behold. We made our way through at a slower pace, taking in all the views as well as some of the coolness that the forest cover was providing. This was one of the busier areas, and it was clear to see why. We followed the path all the way through the woodland and used it to return to Mere Pond where we had parked. 

Calke Abby has a lot to offer with a large stately home, fantastic gardens, and huge deer park. But if you do visit, get out and enjoy the surrounding landscape, it is truly marvellous and has a bit of everything to offer.