Top 8 UK Winter Parks
Wrap up warm and enjoy the outstanding beauty and tranquillity of Britain’s best winter gardens…
1 CASTLE HOWARD
Vast winter skies, sparkling lakes and frosty lawns are the hallmark of Castle Howard on the edge of the Howardian Hills, Yorkshire. Ramble through parkland dotted with statues and temples, and meander through tranquil winter woodland. The Courtyard Café makes a welcoming end to a walk, and you can take an authentic taste of Yorkshire home from the farm shop. WWW.CASTLEHOWARD.CO.UK
2 CAMBO GARDENS
Few gardens have quite as many snowdrops as Cambo Gardens, near St Andrews in Fife. Home to the National Collection of over 350 varieties, Cambo also features rarer scented snowflakes and vibrant yellow aconites. Explore 70 acres of snowdrop woods, visit the Children’s Snowdrop Garden and enjoy fun family activities during the Snowdrop Festival from early February to mid-March. If you fancy a display in your own garden, you can buy bulbs at the gardens or online. WWW.CAMBOSNOWDROPS.COM
3 BODNANT GARDEN
No garden has to be drab in winter. Just visit Bodnant in North Wales, home to botanical collections from around the globe. This winter wonderland is full of interesting plants that provide a visual feast of colours and textures throughout the shorter days. Walk through 250 years of horticultural history on the Winter Garden Walk, a half-mile stroll that’s accessible to all. Look out for scented shrubs such as hamamelis and daphne, and colourful bulbs like snowdrops, iris, cyclamen and crocus. WWW.NATIONALTRUST.ORG.UK
4 KEW GARDENS
Just 30 minutes from Central London, Kew Gardens is world famous not just for its collections but for its plant research. Visit the tropical plants of the Victorian Palm House; the cacti and carnivorous plants in the Princess of Wales Conservatory; and experience the multi-sensory Hive that showcases the life of bees. A garden for all seasons. WWW.KEW.ORG
5 ANGLESEY ABBEY
Leafy avenues and summer flower borders give way to different colours and textures in the colder months. Enjoy bright yellow and red dogwoods, the polished bark of the Tibetan Cherry, and the slender white trunks of the Himalayan Silver Birch Grove. With a large restaurant and visitor centre, this country estate in Cambridgeshire is the perfect spot for a family outing. WWW.NATIONALTRUST.ORG.UK
6 DUNHAM MASSEY
Shake off winter gloom with a ramble through Dunham Massey’s winter garden in Cheshire, the largest of its kind in the UK. Feel your spirits lift amongst the white stems of the silver birches, the bright dogwood barks, and the colourful berries, not to mention thousands of bulbs
beneath the winter trees. WWW.NATIONALTRUST.ORG.UK
7 WOBURN ABBEY
Open throughout the year in Bedfordshire, Woburn Abbey’s 28-acre gardens are ideal for a refreshing winter stroll that’s dotted with interesting features like the Chinese Dairy, the Hornbeam Maze and the glazed Camellia House built in 1822. The tradition of afternoon tea was popularised here in the 1840s by the wife of the 7th Duke of Bedford who entertained her friends to tea. So enjoy afternoon tea in the Bedford Room for £16 which includes entrance to the gardens – reservations advised. WWW.WOBURNABBEY.CO.UK
8 NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM
Walk amongst more than 30,000 maturing trees in Staffordshire’s150 acres and admire more than 350 memorials dedicated to those who have served – and continue to serve – our country. Each memorial tells its own story from the Normandy Landings to Gallipoli, the Merchant Navy to the WI, and many trees reflect specific memorials such as cork oaks in the Mediterranean area and tulip trees in the Far East. And when you’re in need of refreshment, relax in the large visitor centre, restaurant and exhibition area. WWW.THENMA.ORG.UK