One cloudy and non-descript weekend my friend called up needing rescued from the Sunday blues and a vicious hangover. ‘To the coast’ I pointed after we filled up at the petrol station, at this point the sun was threatening to break the clouds.
We headed in the direction of the beach but as we descended the twisty hill to the town I had a better idea. ‘Why don’t we visit the country park?’ I was jacked up on a sugary drink at this point and Nick having retreated into the safety of his sunglasses felt upbeat enough to agree.
We drove along the gravel road to the Kelburn Country Park and got stopped by a ranger at the barrier. Apparently we had to pay an extortionate fee to enjoy the place, so under the guise of taking the wrong turn-off we were signalled through. Parking up we broke into a run before we could get caught.
Kelburn Country Park is great fun, with a farmyard area, nature trails and a castle. It was also surprisingly quiet that day leaving us time to play on the swings and the climbing frame. The park is also host to a Bird of Prey sanctuary, so we marvelled over kestrels and owls, but the best part was the rabbit enclosure. If I stretched hard enough I was able to pat them.

After mooching around poking my fingers in the cages to stroke all the animals we made our way to the Secret Forest- possibly one of my favourite discoveries. A walled part of the forest, it has a path that stretches through some quite dense bracken in places. Along the way we saw unusual carvings and puzzles, as well as odd fairytale like structures. The creepiest being the Woodman’s Lodge, the path leads you through the small house, where little items like cutlery, books and an unmade bed lie abandoned.

The Tower offers a great view over the Secret Forest and out beyond the country park. From here we were able to see the castle and noticed the graffiti design that covers the main turret. We later learned the castle has been used as part of a project taking the urban art of graffiti and applying it to a rural and historic landscape. The colours certainly brightened our day and lifted Nick’s mood long enough to stay awake on the drive back home.

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