Julia Bradbury and a team from the BBC spent Sunday at Kirkharle Courtyard filming for Countryfile.

The programme, which is being aired on Sunday 7th March, is following the exciting story of the famous historic landscape designer Capability Brown and the discovery of the plans for his birthplace - Kirkharle.
Over the last six months, excavators have been digging the famous ‘serpentine lake’ putting in place a path and landscaping, and, as tree planting was just about to get under way Julia Bradbury was keen to be involved. The BBC spent a full day filming which included Julia very much wanting to get ‘hands on’ and help some of the craftsmen and women who are based at this ever expanding complex.

Stephen Robinson Gay, who chairs the organisation that represents the ten businesses at Kirkharle said ‘It was a great honour for the BBC to want to get so involved in history in the making and we were all over the moon with how Julia and the camera crew visited every workshop individually and filmed inside each one. Her passion and enthusiasm for this exciting project was very apparent’.

It was hoped that the lake would be opened by Easter but because of this year’s tough winter it will now be open a little later in the year. Not to let the weather dampen peoples enthusiasm Kirkharle is giving free tours around the lake (before it is open to the public) on Saturday 3rd April. The tours will be given by a Capability Brown expert. Mr Anderson, the owner of Kirkharle, will also be on the tours to explain the exciting story of how the plans were found and the development of this incredible project right up to the present day.

If you would like to book on one of the free tours on the 3rd April please call 01830 540453.

Over the past few months we have been asked a good number of times, both in e-mails and over the telephone 'Do you do Nordic walking'?

We did it a number of years ago and it was very successfull, so I have found three great trainers and put together what I think is the best value Nordic Walking weekend you could possibly imagine.

A full morning of training and a led 5 mile Nordic Walk on both Saturday and Sunday of the'Nordic Walking weekend', which will take place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd May 2010.

At just £19.00 for the full day, including loan of all the equipment it is truly superb value for money.

--- A complete day of Nordic Walking ---

Workshop 1 – 9.30 am – A taster session to Nordic walking

This workshop is sometimes referred to as the ‘taster’ session. It lasts approximately 1 hour. The aim of this workshop is to teach the walking for health technique.

Workshop 2 – 11.00 am Taking your skills to a new level

This workshop takes your Nordic Walking Technique to a higher level. It will again last approximately 1 hour.

5 Mile Nordic Walk – 1.30 pm

Put what you have learnt into practice with a 5 mile Nordic Walk through the lovely countryside that surrounds Kirkharle Courtyard.

For more information click 'guided walks' in the menu (left hand side of page) and then scroll down to the 22nd and 23rd May 2010.