Exploring South Ormsby Estate: Join our Autumn Walks Programme

“I’m very excited about the autumn tour programme,” said veteran tour guide, Pete Staves. “It’s going to be fantastic. The parkland, garden and the wider landscape are all beautiful at this time of year, especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon with the autumn foliage, mists and low sun.

“It’ll be lovely to show the public the Walled Garden with its old fruit trees and many memories and secrets. For many years, only the Massingberd-Mundy family saw it all. Hall Steward Clint Coughlan will be on hand to share tricks of his trade, from growing tomatoes to sieving charcoal and using Roman-style concrete for repairs.

“We’ll get to explore South Ormsby Hall too and it’s a thrill to imagine how much the public will enjoy the artfully landscaped views of the lake and parkland. Our lovely friends, readers and customers will get to see the Estate from every angle.

“Even on the Hall tour, they’ll see the Old School, Lime Tree Walk, the parkland from various angles and plenty of nature too. We’ll be talking about local and natural history. Clint’s a great spotter and tells us where to find exciting wildlife. We’ve got kingfishers around Calceby Beck and the stream that feeds the lake, and we’ll also pass through the territories of herons and otters.

“We’re putting together a team of guides and they’ll all get to try each type of tour and discover the Estate inside and out. Weather is a factor at any time of year but we’ll be encouraging people to dress and pack appropriately. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the forecast and advising our guests in plenty of time if it’s particularly wet, muddy or icy anywhere.

“Summer is behind us but there’s still lots of life around the Estate. It’ll be a joy to show a different aspect of our countryside with its rich seasonal colours. Some flowers are still blooming and there are seedheads everywhere. Dried-back poppy heads take on amazing patterns.

“When the leaves start to drop, it’ll make it a tad easier to spot deer. At this time of year, we also have young raptors circling and calling as they divide up and establish their territories. If you keep looking up and around you, there’s so much to see.

“It’s worth looking down too. It’s an excellent time of year for mushrooms. I still haven’t found any rare edibles but there are lots of beautiful inedibles, including earth tongues. These weird, black, tongue-like fungi appear on mature pasture in late autumn and are good indicators of the kind of middling fertility that lots of useful meadow flora thrive on.

“We’re all really excited about sharing lots of fascinating stories with our public. We’ll be properly busy as we’ll be running 102 walks over six weeks for up to 2,940 people! These tours are likely to be popular as we’re offering rare and exclusive experiences so please book early. We’ll see you all out there and you can ask me as many questions as you like!”

You can check availability and book your tickets HERE. Tickets cost £5 for the Country Walk, £10 for the Park & Garden Tour and £15 for the Hall Tour. Friends of South Ormsby Estate get £5 off all tickets. It’s free to become a Friend of South Ormsby Estate and you can sign up when you book. We look forward to welcoming you very soon.

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