After all the rain yesterday, we awake to a thick mist over Great Barrington which clears to a beautiful warm day. The local grower's market is on every Saturday so we check it out and admire all the superb local produce. On the way back we notice a huge French style castle with extensive grounds which wouldn't look out of place in the Loire Valley. It is just up the road from where we are staying. We inquire at the info centre nearby and find out that it is the ...

It is wet & blowy this morning and quite unseasonably warm with a top of 20 predicted. From our top storey window we watch the rainbow leaves as they tumble down from the trees around the property. We are the only guests with more coming tonight for the weekend so we eat breakfast alone in the ornate dining room. We are served a poached pear for starters, then 2 perfectly poached eggs on toast, elegantly decorated and served with an accompanying rissole which...