For Apple Day: Eat your way to the river
It's Apple Day, one of my favourite days of the year and what better way to celebrate than to tell you about my recent trip to Longney, where Gloucestershire Orchard Trust have 18 acres of apple orchard under their tender care. Here you'll find older orchards with some trees well over a century old, plus their newer plantings of around 94 Gloucestershire cultivars which have just acquired national plant collection status at Plant Heritage . The jury's out on the actual number as DNA testing has revealed at least one locally named variety is actually a more well known one: Ribston Pippin in this case. Don't worry, there are dozens there which definitely have their origins rooted firmly in Gloucestershire and their cultivation at Longney is vital to their continued presence and preservation. There were around 200 local varieties at one time and today it's around 100 still in existence. Steve Mason - the Trust's Curator - was our knowledgeable guide who invited ...
Groan!
ReplyDeleteHelen - I've wanted to take this picture for ages, but we don't always stop at this particular services when travelling up north.
ReplyDeleteSort of beef it up while you're there and work it off when you get home?
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy - have a look at the name of the service station...
ReplyDeleteI did - I had an image of digging with a trowel when you got home instead of a spade. Extra hard work to compensate for eating junk food.
ReplyDeleteAha :) No junk food for us - we were on a fast day. However, I will be wielding my trowel now it's stopped raining as there's bulbs to plant...
ReplyDeleteI will never drive past again without thinking of gardening implements :-)
ReplyDeleteHi EG - tee hee :)
ReplyDeleteThere are hidden treasures to be found at these pit stops - puns aside. The other week I stopped at the Reading Welcome Break to walk the dog and found the mecca of blackberry bushes. (Well out of dog pee-on zone might I add.)
ReplyDeleteMonica - what treasure! I hope you had time to pick some of them...
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