Synopsis: A rather unusual and exotic garden thriving on its microclimate. Informal planting with pleasing vistas work well. Glorious view from high in the garden of Chesil Beach.
I had nothing planned come late Friday evening, then I remembered I had some Tesco Deals vouchers about to expire at the end of the month. I stumbled upon the ‘new’ entry for Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, a place I’d not heard of before. This looked appealing so I rang Mum and asked if she fancied a trip out and she said she’d come too. As the gardens allow dogs on leads, Jaffa could also come for the ride.
We set off from home at 9:45am and had arrived by 10:55am. The journey up was most enjoyable as the road passes through some beautiful countryside and villages. The villages take on a completely different look as we entered into Dorset. On the final approach to the gardens the road took us along the tops of hills that provided views along the coast taking in the whole of Chesil Beach. This brought back memories of the time I walked the long hard haul along this stamina sapping stretch of pebble beach during the time I was walking the South West Coast Path. Today promised to be much less of an exertion.
Formal gardensThe weather was mild, with a mix of sun and cloud. The promise was of brighter weather predicted later, and this proved right. The gardens are said to be 20 acres in size and are interlaced with a network of paths. There’s a recommended ‘whiter arrow’ waymarked route around the garden that we picked up and found easy to follow. There was a formal Walled Garden and areas of lawn at the beginning of the walk. The birds were singing loudly and the visitors drifting abstractedly, an altogether peaceful and relaxing air pervading the gardens.
View east along Chesil Beach
The path then gradually ascended to the top end of the garden where there is a deer tall fence and gate which leads out onto a clearing of grass which rises steeply to a viewpoint. Mum said she was keen, and Jaffa was too, so off we set at a steady pace, climbing to top where there’s a viewing space (alternatively named Lyme Bay and Jurassic Coast view point) with benches. From here it’s possible to look for miles west along what is known as the Jurassic Coast, and miles east all along Chesil Beach right out to Portland. There were a few families down on the beach, possibly from the car park just along the road from the gardens.
Come to join us for lunchBy now it was approaching time for lunch so Mum dropped Jaffa back at the car and I waited by what’s called the Old Colonial Tea-House from where food is served. This is a lovely spot to eat. You can choose between eating in the house, on the veranda that surrounds it, or on the paved courtyard out front. We settled on the veranda which offered some shelter from the sun. Birds came and sat on the railing hopeful of some dropped crumbs and we were more than happy to oblige. There is a lemon tree laden with lemons growing in a pot by the Colonial Tea-House, testimony to the lovely micro-climate of the gardens.
Chinese pagodaAfter lunch we headed off on a loop around the lower parts of the garden, starting at the Sunken Garden, where there’s an aviary, and then heading for the Lilly Ponds. The Lilly Pond is full of fish that children were enjoying feeding. We then walked out through the Southern Hemisphere Garden to a Chinese Pagoda. Here we saw a bright green lizard basking in the sun. We walked through the Jubilee Sculpture Garden displaying traditional and modern sculptures.
Prehistoric swampThe Coronation Walk led us to the Prehistoric Swamp (or Lower Pond), which looked precisely that, appropriate for the Jurassic Coast location of the gardens. The Summer House barely affords a glimpse through trees of St Catherine’s Chapel. From here we dropped back down to the stream and headed towards the exit via the bog garden.
For further information, visit Abbotsbury Tourism, which has information about Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens and other attractions nearby.
We finished with a cup of tea on the grass in the car park before heading for home. A thoroughly delightful day.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 3.1 miles (around the garden)
Drive Distance: 46.8 miles (Exeter to Abbotsbury)
Drive Time: 1hrs 17mins
Buses: none
No comments:
Post a Comment