MY FAVOURITE VIEW
Sophie Allport, homeware designer
Homeware designer Sophie Allport has fond memories of walks in the bluebell wood at Belton Park, Lincolnshire
As a child, I grew up walking through the woods with my family at Belton Park.
It’s a beautiful National Trust location in Lincolnshire with wonderful gardens, woods, a stunning house and a great adventure playground. It covers around 1,300 acres, most of which is an amazing deer park, but my favourite place has always been the bluebell woods, where I go to see the first signs of spring peeking up through the earth.
It’s in early spring that the grounds become carpeted in swathes of daffodils, snowdrops, aconites, cowslips and my favourite flower, bluebells.
On a fresh and cold day, under the canopy of just-blossoming trees, with blue, sunny skies beyond, there’s nowhere better to take a stroll and watch the countryside coming to life again. I think it’s the spring bulbs creating colour but also the re-emergence of wildlife – the dawn chorus begins, the hibernating hedgehogs start to wake up, bees and butter ies make an appearance again... Belton creates such a magical setting to witness it all.
I still love being in those same woods as it brings back very happy memories of my visits there as a child with my brother Jem and my parents.
We often went there for a family walk on a Sunday morning before heading home to enjoy a roast lunch. I would do anything to spend another morning there with my father, who we sadly lost a while ago now. But because of all the happy memories and inspiration I get from it, it’s absolutely still a happy place for me to visit. Although it reminds me so much of my childhood, it still manages to be such a relaxing, peaceful place with all that wildlife and spring colour bursting to get out. It’s quiet and calm, unlike my life at work and home which is very busy and usually noisy with my three boys!
These days I love to go there to walk our two dogs, Florrie and Mabel, while my sons race around in the woods playing hide and seek and building dens.
There’s also a brilliant box hedge maze. It was replanted from a 1902 drawing as the original was removed, having become overgrown when the garden staff left to fight in the war – it thankfully creates hours of entertainment for the boys! In the summer
we take a picnic and a cricket set.
I remember walking along the River Witham at Belton as a child and I’m sure this is where I caught sight of my first dragonfly.
I’ve always been fascinated by them and I am so excited to launch our new Dragon y collection this spring. It’s a design I’ve wanted to do for years and am so happy I’ve nally been able to. SEE SOPHIE’S DESIGNS AT SOPHIEALLPORT.COM.