Gardens to visit in early springacross the UK, without a car
No need to drive when you visit these beautiful gardens, where winter interest mixes with the colours and scents of early spring. Not only can you get to them all by public transport, but the journey there is beautiful in its own right. These gardens have waterfalls and ruined walls, evergreens, winter blossom and bulbs to brighten the greyest days of the year. And greenhouses too, where colourful orchids, creepers and leafy palms bring a blast of tropical sunshine to the winter months.
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Winkworth Arboretum, Surrey
The National Trust’s only arboretum, Winkworth is already a profusion of colour in early spring. Extraordinarily tall trees of pink camellias tower over the flowering paths in February and March. Glades of yellow daffs and primroses line the steep, muddy walkways down to a reed-fringed lake.
- Open daily until 4pm (except for closure on December 24th and 25th).
- Getting there: Bus 42 from Godalming station stops outside the gates every couple of hours. To get from the station to the bus stop, head left towards the church and right up Church Street, passing handsome old houses.
- Food and drink: The arboretum’s tea room is a good place to warm-up after a woodland walk. Bring a reusable cup for 25p off your hot drink.
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Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire
The poet Byron lived from 1808 to 1814 at Newstead Abbey, once home to twelfth-century monks. With snowdrops in the woods, wild peacocks wandering past lakes and waterfalls, ruined archways and topiary, the grounds are dramatic. The heather blooms early among the bright green harts’ tongues in the fernery. There are stepping stones and cascades in the Japanese garden and cheerful, shade-loving mahonia to brighten the greyest day with its yellow flowers and scent like lily-of-the-valley.
- Gardens open daily (except final Friday in November). They charge more for cars than walkers and cyclists.
- The regular PRO bus from Nottingham to Mansfield stops at the gates of the wooded grounds in Ravenshead. From there, it’s a mile’s signed walk through the woods to the abbey.
- Interesting trees are everywhere in the grounds: a gnarled weeping birch or moss-rooted beech. And, particularly good for winter, the grounds are full of flourishing evergreens: conical box trees, tunnels of yew, an ancient lakeside cedar, miles of rhododendrons (already budding abundantly) and variegated hollies in the little Italian garden behind the abbey.
- Nearby, Byron’s epitaph for his beloved dog Boatswain is carved under an urn and concludes: “To mark a friend’s remains these stones arise;/ I never knew but one — and here he lies.”
- For more adventures in the area see our car-free guide around Nottingham and our Nottingham guide.
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Dawyck Botanic Garden, Borders
A leafy regional offshoot of Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden, Dawyck was the UK’s first carbon neutral botanic garden with the fast-flowing burn powering hydroelectricity. February snowdrops form a ghostly mist over the gently-sloping banks of rocky Scrape burn with its picturesque stone footbridge. Dawyck’s geographically-themed areas, set among wooded hills, showcase a global collection of plants. There are Chinese dawn redwoods, Serbian spruce trees, Korean arborvitae and Chilean plum yews. There’s also a trail of rare Scottish plants, including the woolly willow that was threatened by overgrazing. Later in spring, azaleas erupt along the terrace and a lake of blue Himalayan poppies blooms under the trees.
- Open hours vary so do check the website.
- Getting there: Bus 91, running from Peebles to Biggar every couple of hours except Sundays, stops outside the garden on request.
- Food and drink: The café does seasonal soups and scones plus sweets like triple chocolate orange brownies, raspberry and passion fruit marshmallows, or classic whisky tablet.
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Powis Castle gardens, Powys
First built on a high rocky outcrop in the thirteenth century, Powis Castle now has celebrated terraced gardens. Views stretch as far as the Shropshire hills. Urn-topped balustrades, dancing lead shepherds and shepherdesses line the walkways. An Ozymandian stone foot stands in the woods, near spring glades of common spotted orchids. In the Edwardian formal garden, there are century-old lichen-covered apple trees between box-hedge arches and topiaried yew. In the wooded wilderness, there are little clumps of cyclamen. Views through the sculptural bare trees show the castle terraces, patrolled by jewel-bright peacocks.
- Check opening times.
- Getting there: Regular trains from Birmingham and Aberystwyth stop at Welshpool Station. From the bunting-strung High Street, not far from the station, Park Lane leads to the wrought iron gates of Powis Castle. Walk up through the steep landscaped park, with herds of deer, to arrive at the red, gritstone walls.
- Food and Drink: Hot lunches in the Courtyard Restaurant and cream teas from the Garden Coffee Shop.
- For more adventures in the area, see our car-free guide to Welshpool.
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Ardkinglas Woodland Garden, Argyll
The arboretum at Ardkinglas is home to one of Britain’s tallest trees, a 64m-high silver fir. There are red squirrels in the garden all year round. You can enjoy views across misty Loch Fyne from the bank at the top of the garden or the walks across the wider estate. By March, the garden is full of birdsong and rhododendron blossom. The honey-apricot smell of osmanthus, an evergreen Chinese shrub with delicate white flowers, fills the air. Ardkinglas have removed steep steps and there’s a Gruffalo trail and a fairy trail for families.
- Garden open all year round, dawn to dusk.
- Getting there: The garden is a long but scenic bus ride from Glasgow on bus 926, or 976, beside Loch Lomond and through the glens to the war memorial at Cairndow Road End junction.
- Food and Drink: The loch-side stroll from the bus stop takes you past the Cairndow Stagecoach inn. Here you can warm up by an open fire with a choice of more than forty whiskies, Loch Fyne scallops or haggis, neeps and tatties.
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Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire
Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild created the gardens when he built Waddesdon Manor from 1874. The grounds are now a galanthophile’s paradise featuring 120,000 snowdrops. By March, the daffodil valley is a lake of yellow. Three-quarters of a million daffodil bulbs have been planted across the estate. Blue scillas and golden aconites are already budding in early spring under the tall, bare trees.
- Check opening times.
- Getting there: Follow Good Journey’s directions. There are various ways to get to Waddesdon car-free, including a cycleway from Aylesbury Vale Parkway.
- Food and Drink: There are fresh hot and cold meals and drinks to takeaway from the Manor Terrace. At weekends, there are often fabulously crisp fish and chips on offer in the Stables Courtyard with some indoor seating. See the full range of food and drink options.
- For more adventures in the area, see our car-free guide to Aylesbury.
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Audley End, Essex
This English Heritage flagship stately home in rural North Essex is a grand Jacobean house. It has interiors by neoclassical architect Robert Adam (several of which feature as locations in The Crown) and big, picnic-ready grounds by Capability Brown. In the lovely gardens at Audley End, water birds come wandering up from the widened River Cam and duck food is for sale in the shop. There’s an organic walled garden with a vine house and a little ferny, waterlily-floating Pond Garden. Evergreen shrubberies, cloud-form topiary and snowdrops under the linden walk add to the winter interest.
- Check current opening times.
- Getting there: Follow Good Journey’s directions. It’s also a pleasant walk from Saffron Walden, which is on bus routes from Cambridge and Bishop’s Stortford.
- Food and Drink: The Servants’ Hall tearoom has a changing menu offering things like chickpea and aubergine dhal or carrot and coriander soup. There’s Saffron Walden ice cream too, made just down the lane.
- For more adventures in the area, see our car-free guide to Saffron Walden.
