On the way home from our base at Sherwood Pines, we wanted to break up the drive south with a walk somewhere new. A quick filter through the National Trust app — open today, dog-friendly, EV charging — narrowed things down nicely. The map view gave us two realistic options en route: Belton Estate (which we think we’ve visited before), and Calke Abbey. Calke Abbey won out based on novelty.

It was a hot day, so keeping Breezy cool was high on the agenda. We combined parts of the red and purple walking routes, planning to stay near water and build in a stop at the café in the stableyards. Breezy got her splashes, and we got coffee and a spicy cauliflower pasty around elevenses, so everyone was happy.

lush green trees reflected in the blue water, giving a cool impression on a hot day

The parts of our walk that passed beside the water were a welcome break from the heat, especially for Breezy, who at one not-easily-navigable point was dunked like a teabag, me holding her lead and lowering her into the water. A small indignity for the greater good of keeping cool.

wider view of the water and surrounding greenery at Calke Abbey

broad lake scene with grasses in the foreground showing the expanse of water

I enjoyed a brief look through the four windows of the bird hide. Each aperture offered a slightly different view over the same patch of water — framed by the hide’s rectangular borders. It made me think about photography and the way we used to frame the world through a camera’s viewfinder, back in the days before phone cameras took over.

exterior of the bird hide, showing four rectangular windows looking out to the water

Betty’s Pond was especially full of life — we spotted loads of butterflies, including some green-veined whites resting on the bank. They weren’t up for being photographed, but they let me get close enough to watch their interactions — or lack of — for a while. Lovely to see them in no rush, just basking in the sunshine

We covered a fair bit of ground, looping our way through the estate. Breezy got plenty of sniffs in, the car was fully charged by the time we returned, and we refilled our water bottles and ate our sandwiches before continuing our journey home.

A good stop. A new place. And a satisfying stretch of the legs.