08/08/26 - King Alfred's Tower and the Stourhead Estate

Great EstateOur host has left a series of George (the dog we are sitting) favourite walks. King Alfred's Tower recommended for the shade provided by Penselwood, an ancient forest.Early and out for free National Trust Parking. How lovely! Usually the most expensive in the land.It's forest rides, ancient earthworks and hillforts until we reach Stourhead - a country estate, for which we were wholly unprepared. The footpaths go around lakes, past follys and right to the front door of the country estate. A national trust kiosk baking fresh pasties and you know you have lucked out.Stourhead is a celebrated 18th-century landscape estate in Wiltshire, created by the Hoare family around a picturesque lake, with temples, grottos and woodland walks designed to evoke an idealised classical landscape. One of its most striking features is King Alfred’s Tower, a 160-foot (49m) folly built in 1772 by Henry Hoare II to commemorate Alfred the Great’s victory over the Vikings in 878.Here are some…