Route: Holehird Gardens
Area: Southern Lake District
Date of walk: 12th May 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3 miles
Ascent: 300 feet
Weather: Cloudy, some sunny spells
Holehird Gardens are managed by the Lakeland Horticultural Society which exists to promote horticulture with particular reference to soil conditions in the Lake District. We were last here 2 years ago when we combined a visit to the gardens with a walk to Orrest Head (click here for that walk)
The garden is open to the public daily throughout the year from dawn to dusk and admission is by donation – £4 per adult is suggested, though we added a little more since the garden is non-profit making and survives solely on gifted income
I’ve not included a route map, since this is a place to wander around as your fancy takes you. There’s plenty to see, including a formal walled garden, herbaceous beds, shrubberies, a woodland walk and a hidden tarn – we explored all of these and more
I’ll let the pictures tell the story of a wonderful 3 hours or so…
Click on the icon below for a location map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Red squirrel in the garden before we set off from the north to the south lakes...
After a 45 minute journey we enter Holehird Gardens, near Windermere
View from the entrance, but the Langdale Pikes can hardly be seen through the thick haze
Inside the walled garden
Des res for plants
Tulips showing well at this time of the year...
Bee on allium
Looking along the border
The auricula theatre...
...and one of the cast
We leave the formal area and turn left at this sign to enter into Highlands Wood
For the 3rd walk in a row, more bluebell photos....
Back in the main garden area, we walk along the fell borders
Numerous varieties of azalea and rhododendron thrive in this area
Wild garlic...
Azalea
Inside the Tufa House
A haven for acid loving plants
Himalayan blue poppy
Drumstick primula
Wildflower area with buttercups and daffodils
We leave the main garden again to seek out the tarn...
There follow a pathless walk across open countryside
Swan at the edge of the tarn
We walk around the tarn in an anti-clockwise direction...
The boathouse
More photos as we complete the circuit of the tarn...
The Gunnera Pool back at the start - what a wonderful place this is
