Thomas Gray said "Tis folly to be wise" – so how wise is this then?

That is just one of over 40 ornamental 'follies', or monuments, in Stowe Garden just outside Buckingham.

On our first and only full day on this short trip we cheated and, although still in Buckinghamshire, travelled 30 miles away from the Chilterns to Buckingham and Stowe Garden. First, though, we stopped in Buckingham which is a pleasant old town with some interesting old buildings of which this, the Old Gaol, is probably the most prominent.

Having walked up to the churchyard we saw this view from just inside the gates looking down Castle Street towards the town centre.

We stopped for a brief lunch before continuing to the main purpose of this day's trip – Stowe Garden. Stowe is one of the National Trust's properties consisting of over 400 acres of garden with over 40 ornamental follies such as the one shown above.

In the time we had we could only see a part of this huge garden and March, it has to be said, is probably not the best time to see it. The garden landscape with its lakes and monuments were beautifully lit on this warm sunny day as the Temple of British Worthies illustrates.

There were numerous surprising vistas and secluded corners and this little corner with its cascade, between the Octagon Lake and the Eleven Acre Lake, obviously made a good picnic spot for somebody.

On the circuit that we had chosen this view of the Palladian Bridge with the Gothic Temple beyond was one of the final scenes that we saw before making our way back to the entrance.

An uneventful drive saw us back at our hotel until our final half-day tomorrow after which we return home.