Snowdrop Splendour at Floors Castle, Kelso

You'd think that after my epic birthday fail hunting for daffodils last year that I would have learnt my lesson when it comes to driving great distances to look at flowers. But no, I've been at it again! This time desperately looking for the perfect place in the North to see snowdrops. Don't ask me how but I somehow managed to convince Simon that going to the Snowdrop Splendour at Floors Castle in Kelso was a great idea.

I may have failed to mention to him that we'd be journeying to Scotland in our search for snowdrops!

I have lived in the North East for a few years now but I am forever forgetting exactly how far north we are. Who knew we could drive to Scotland in 90 minutes? Feeling pretty excited by this prospect and planning more adventures over the border we set off too early for a Sunday in search of those beautiful little white blooms.

Kelso is a market town in the heart of the Scottish borders and home to Floors Castle, Scotland's largest inhabited Castle and home to the 10th Duke of Roxburghe. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't often get to visit the home of a Duke so I was pretty curious to spend the day at Floors Castle. There's plenty to do - lose yourself in the grand rooms, enjoy the sights and smells of the formal gardens, stroll by the river, get lost in the woodlands or have a cheeky slice of cake in the Terrace Cafe. It's a great place for an adventure!

Important things first, we were there for the Snowdrop Splendour that took place over one weekend in February offering guests the chance to explore the gardens and grounds at a discounted rate (£5.00 per person) to see the snowdrops.

I will admit I was pretty worried that we'd travelled all the way over the border to Scotland and that I'd be left disappointed.  Simon had already made me promise that if I didn't see any snowdrops that I wouldn't throw a strop and spend the rest of the day sulking. So we were both relieved as we made our way into the woods to find blankets of white nestled underneath the trees.

I was so happy, there may have been some skipping as I dived in and out of the trees discovering more and more snowdrops - they were stunning and I haven't seen such an impressive collection in a long time.

My obsession with snowdrops began when I was in the Brownies. Brown Owl lived in the same village as me and had an impressively sized garden that came to life with snowdrops at the end of Winter. Every February we'd all be invited into her garden to pick a small bunch to take home for Mum. Seeing bunches of snowdrops always transports me to my childhood and it's one of the simplest things in life to make me smile.

With each corner we turned we discovered more snowdrops, each display more impressive than the last and it wasn't long before I had muddy patches on my knees from crawling about on the ground trying to capture the perfect shot of the pretty blooms. I was in my element!

Once I'd finished messing around and had filled my memory card with a silly amount of snowdrop photos we decided to give our legs a proper stretch and go on one of the walks at the Estate. As the grounds and gardens were both open it seemed silly to drive all that way and not do a good amount of exploring. There were two walks to choose from, the river walk or the woodland walk.

As I'd forgotten to pack my wellies the river walk seemed like the most sensible option so with Simon in charge of the map and me carrying all of our luggage we set off on an adventure.

In my opinion every great adventure in the country has to involve a stile and I was delighted that we had a fair few gates to navigate.

As I attempted to climb over them gracefully I kept my husband entertained with stories of my childhood in the Norfolk countryside. I would spend hours running through fields and climbing over fences and as I navigated one particularly tricky stile I claimed that my natural climbing agility was clearly down to my Norfolk upbringing.

The riverside walk required an enthusiastic hike through some long grass which was a great work out for our legs and treated us to some lovely views of Floors Castle. Despite the less than brilliant weather forecast we were blessed with some beautiful skies and sunshine which made our walk particularly spectacular. I honestly don't know why I believe the forecast, it's always wrong!

We loved our first trip to Floors Castle and would definitely return for Snowdrop Splendour and for a good nose round the Castle when it opens properly later in the year.

Let me know if you've seen any beautiful snowdrop displays this year.