Halfway to Taunton, we stop at Stourhead. Here we meet our friend and her dog Mickey and look forward to a lovely day in the beautiful landscaped garden. And we are not disappointed!

Passing a small café and a few houses, we reach the Palladian Bridge, over which Keira Knightley ran in ‘Pride and Prejudice’. For the filming, mats had to be laid out on the grassy bridge so that she didn’t get her shoes stuck in the mud, says a volunteer in another part of the park. Fortunately, the sun is shining today and the 20 degrees centigrade are absolutely perfect for our visit.

We walk clockwise around the picturesque lake and stop again and again because everything is so beautiful. I climb up a path through a natural stone gate. Yes, it leads to the Temple of Apollo, a local visitor assures me. And it really is. And even without Keira Knightley, who meets Mr Darcy here in the rain, the 18^th century building is beautiful. It has an exciting architecture with its round shape and the round and circular recesses. The sunburst inside the dome seems to rotate when you stand beneath it. And with the roof pulled out onto the pillars, the building must look like a cogwheel from above.

The riverside path leads us on to the Pantheon. This is also beautifully built and contains many statues inside. It was actually planned as the most striking sight in the garden. It is certainly the largest building here.

Further along the lake, a staircase leads down to the grotto. On the right, I look into a cave with a statue and fortunately don’t go any further. The water in the cave is so calm and clear that it is almost indistinguishable from the rocky floor in the semi-darkness. The statue represents the personified river Stour, after which the estate is named. I enter the main cave in the other direction. A round hole allows a view of the lake and directly onto the bridge, and opposite there’s another cave. In this one, a nymph sits in front of the rippling water from one of the springs that feed the lake.

We can hardly get enough of the rhododendron bushes in all colours. I’ve never seen them in such numbers and in such vibrant colours – red, white, pink, yellow, purple. But the trees and other plants also look great! Countless dragonflies buzz back and forth in the reeds, while a herd of cows wanders towards the shore and gets closer and closer. The animals drink water and make themselves comfortable in the shade of the trees.

After having completed the tour around the lake, we’re rather exhausted. In the café, we have a sausage roll, a Thai curry pasty and a children’s box with sandwiches, crisps, a chocolate, apple juice and a fruit. Mickey gets a few treats and lots of water too. While the other two sit here comfortably, I stroll to Stourhead House, where the original costumes of Mr Darcy and Keira Knightley are supposed to be on display. And I actually find them in the second-to-last room. In the house, I also marvel at a Pope’s Cabinet decorated all over with gold, ivory and semi-precious stones, which once belonged to Pope Sixtus V. It contains more than 150 drawers, including secret ones that have not yet been opened.

After a delicious piece of cake, we say goodbye to our friend and Mickey and drive the last stretch to Taunton. While Gabi prepares the food order at the hotel, I charge LucY at the fast charger nearby. I also see a jet wash at the adjacent petrol station and give LucY a long-deserved wash. And I have to say: in Switzerland, the car never gets as clean as it does here! The hot car shampoo, which is sprayed on after pre-washing and before using the brush, seems to make a big difference. At least that’s the only difference to our self-wash facilities.

Then the food delivery service brings our dinner. We ordered a hamburger and a chicken burger from Hub Box. The menu also includes chips and the biggest onion rings I’ve ever seen.