Route: Bodnant Garden
Area: North Wales
Date of walk: 18th September 2021
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3.5 miles
Ascent: 400 feet
Weather: Cloudy, turning to rain at the end
Today was the first day of a short walking holiday in Wales. On arrival at our base we made a beeline for nearby Bodnant Garden, owned by the National Trust
The Bodnant estate is located in the Conwy Valley near the foothills of Snowdonia and its garden has been developed and improved by a succession of owners over many years. It is now considered to be one of the great gardens of the world. Its 80 acres contain formal Italianate gardens, shrub-filled glades, woodland, meadows, streams and water gardens
The gardens were started by Henry Pochin in the late 1800s when he employed a well known designer called Milner who was an apprentice to Joseph Paxton. Over the next 50 years many plants were sourced from famous plant hunters and the garden is now home to several national collections. Among the historic collection are many UK Champion Trees – the biggest and best of their kind in Britain
There’s no point describing our route as this is a place to wander around as your fancy takes you, and depending on the time of year. There is all round seasonal interest here and, although we were too late to see the famous laburnum arch and wildflower meadows and too early for the autumn leaf colour, we spent 3 hours here and would have stayed longer, but for a spell of heavy rain. I’ll let the photos tell the story of a wonderful walk and garden visit
Click on the icon below for a general location map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Map of the garden which is available at the entrance
Entrance to the garden
Path to the Winter Garden
Fountain in the circular bed which is part of the Winter Garden
Late flowering perennials, a magnet for bees and butterflies as the later photos will show
The Poem, a mausoleum which was built by Henry Davis Pochin, a wealthy industrial chemist and founder of the present garden
The Arboretum, home to many ancient trees...
We follow the course of the stream uphill...
The Skating Pond, which was created by diverting the River Hiraethlyn
The pond is part of the Far End which fell into neglect but has now been restored by the National Trust
Groups of ancient pine trees in Far End...
Furnace Meadow
View of the house from Furnace Wood
We descend back into The Dell...
We arrive at The Terraces, a formal area near the house
The roses are still in flower, but only just
The Pin Mill, which was originally built as a lodge or garden house around 1730 at Woodchester, Gloucestershire. The building was later used as a pin factory. Henry McLaren purchased Pin Mill when it was derelict and arranged for it to be dismantled, transported and reassembled at Bodnant in 1938–39
Pin Mill again
The herbaceous borders beside Pin Mill
By now it was raining quite heavily, so we made our way to the exit
Late flowering perennials on the way out...
The end of a visit which we enjoyed so much that we returned on the last day of our holiday
Five days later, we arrived back at Bodnant Garden at opening time and returned to The Terraces, seen here in brighter weather...
Pin Mill again...
The stream which runs through the garden
One of the many ancient trees in The Arboretum
Waterfall Bridge...
The Winter Garden
Michaelmas daisies, attracting scores of bees and butterflies
Helenium
The end of another visit to this wonderful garden
