Wednesday 12th June 2019 saw our Parkinson’s cafe assemble at the Hullbridge Community Centre for a trip out to Hyde Hall. Pouring with rain, we were greeted by our driver Danny before making the half hour journey to Hyde Hall.

On arrival, Holly (our tour guide) came on board to give us welcome stickers and a map of the grounds before disembarking. We then made our way to the restaurant for a welcome cup of tea before going our separate ways to investigate the wonderful scenery. (For those who could not make the hill, a buggy ride was available)

Being the month of June, the roses were in full bloom and very aromatic…the gardeners were out in force planting new saplings for the coming year and the vegetable dome was an abundance of crops nearly ready for harvest. Walking around the lakes and watching the ducks,  Hyde Hall was a place of tranquility. Despite the weather, there were plenty of huts for you to sit in and watch the world go by.

A visit to the Queen Mother’s garden and the dry oasis is a must to visit and for those who ventured further afield there was the woodland area.

Making our way back to the entrance you’ll find a big gift shop and garden centre where you could purchase plants or souvenirs.

Finally, We all met up for lunch at the spacious restaurant for reasonably priced food and refreshments before returning to the coach for our journey home.

Everyone enjoyed themselves and asked if we could arrange more trips out, which I am sure there will be in the future.

Colin Rickards