New audio tour an inspiration for virtual visitors
Stunning gardens in Clackmannanshire can now be enjoyed the world over thanks to a new digital audio tour.
The tour, downloadable from the Geotourist app to visitors’ smartphones, will not only enhance the experience of visitors to the Japanese Garden – or Sha Raku En – at Cowden near Dollar, but can also be listened to from anywhere in the world for free.
The tour has been curated by The Japanese Garden, Cowden and has been produced in partnership with mobile platform and app Geotourist.
Created in its entirety during the UK lockdown period, the tour is currently being used by visitors who visit the garden in prebooked time slots to ensure that social distancing guidelines are met and adhered to.
The story of the Japanese Garden spans over a century. Nestled in the Ochil Hills, the Japanese Garden forms part of the Cowden Estate. The trail skirts the lake and explores other parts of the garden, as it explains how the garden was designed and created by Ella Christie, adventurer, explorer and visionary.
Travelling to Europe in her childhood, Ella became extremely adventurous following her father’s death in 1902 and journeyed to remote locations, including Kashmir, Tibet, Cuba, the Silk Road, China, Korea and Japan.
The garden at Cowden captures Ella’s vision and sense of discovery, with specialists, such as Taki Handa, brought from Japan to ensure that the details of the garden were in keeping with the principles of Japanese landscaping. Plants and shrubs were imported from Japan, along with several antique stone lanterns.
The garden was vandalised in the 1960s and remained closed and in a state of disrepair until 2014, when Ella’s great-niece, Sara Stewart, began a fundraising campaign The garden enjoyed its first full season in 2019.
The Geotourist trail of the Japanese Garden, Cowden, has been made possible by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic Environment Scotland.
Chairwoman of the garden trust Sara Stewart said: “We are delighted that our 20th century garden is being enjoyed by visitors now able to use innovative technology to learn about the surroundings and why a Japanese garden was created in Clackmannanshire”.
CEO and Geotourist founder Shaon Talukder said: “We are thrilled to be the chosen provider for The Japanese Garden, Cowden – this is a spectacular garden and an example of painstaking application of the principles of Japanese gardening, situated in Scotland’s Ochil Hills coupled with the personal story of the family and esteemed Japanese garden experts responsible for bringing this attraction to life. The juxtaposition of the two landscapes is exceptional and is unique.
“This is one of our most important tour launches ever because of the story and demonstration of what is possible with imagination.”
Restoration of the garden, led by Professor Fukuara, started in 2014 and is almost complete. Visitors last year were predominantly adults and seniors but the charity has been delighted to welcome many families since reopening in June 2020, largely due to the Japanese themed woodland trails to the east of the garden.