On May Bank Holiday, Holker Hall held it’s annual Spring Fair and Festival, and yours truly went along for the third year in a row to check it out.

The weather was beautiful; sunny but not overly hot, with a slight breeze. Perfect for wandering around looking at artisan products, food, and crafts from local businesses. It also made it perfect weather for lots and lots of doggies to be around – my favourite! (Note to readers: I am absolutely dog mad, and will pet dogs wherever I see them. To be honest, I’m absolutely creature/animal mad – I will pet anything vaguely cute and fluffy; will never kill bugs or spiders; am in awe of all wildlife… I’ll even try and gently waft wasps outside, despite the fact they scare me!).

Upon arriving we parked in the disabled parking area (my mum has access needs and is a blue badge holder), and headed up the hill towards the fair. I bought us both a coffee from a stall before we had a noodle around the stalls. There were local artisans and craft stalls, such as Gazelle Crafts (Making Your Garden Wildlife Friendly), The Zero Pantry (Serving daily needs, plastic free), The Wilde Bakery (flapjack makers from Bare), and Northern Baked (Cakes, scones, pastries etc.). There was also representation from various charities associated with nature and animals, such as the RSPB, The Woodland Trust, and the Wildlife Trust.

As well as seeing the stalls and the artisans who had come along, I also went for a walk around the Hall & Gardens itself. I come to Holker Hall regularly, and there’s always something to see whatever time of the year. In Spring, the Gardens are famed for their rhododendrons and azaleas, as well as the wildflower areas specifically left to create havens for bees, insects, and other wildlife. I’ll be doing more posts about what to see at Holker Hall in the future. Holker also have other events running throughout the year – you can check out their ‘What’s On‘ page to see what’s coming up.

^ P.S – this was Winston, a 10 yr old Black Labrador that I just had to feature because he looked so gentlemanly and majestic standing in the wildflower meadow. He was a such a sweet boy and I gave him a big cuddle after he posed so nicely for a photograph.