Up On The Roof

There is nothing like a grey drizzly day to trigger indecision.
"Let's go to Castle Drogo" said DH.
DH doesn't often make suggestions and there didn't seem any reason why we shouldn't.
So off we went, up the Teign valley.


For those not in the know, Castle Drogo was the last castle to be built in England, and almost since it was built early in the 20th Century, the roof has leaked.

Fairytale Cottage

The National Trust took it over, thinking they could sort it, and failed.
So now they are undertaking a five-year project to reroof the entire building.
The project is already overrunning by a year, and there is still plenty of work left to do.
As we hadn't been there since work had begun, I was curious to see what the KHT remembered.
She certainly remembered the little house, built for the children of the family, and in case you are wondering, yes, you can go inside and sit on the basic furniture within.







The gardens are glorious, even on a grey day.













The house has been covered in a free-standing plastic covered tent,
to allow all the building work to take place.

The KHT on the Stairway to Heaven

Tours are offered to visitors brave enough to climb up the staircases in the scaffolding to view the work currently being undertaken.
Hi-vis waistcoats and matching hard hats are compulsory wear for those foolish enough to accept the challenge.










I am pleased we took the opportunity, but I was even happier to be back at ground level.






Looking at the photos later,  a friend observed that my husband was one of those people who looks naturally right in hi-vis gear. Maybe he missed his vocation!







Having been up many church towers in her life, I asked the KHT afterwards how she found the experience
"Gut churning!" was her verdict, but she was pleased with herself.
We were pretty impressed too!