One of the joys of hiking the English countryside and exploring villages in June is the chance of happening upon an Open Gardens event. Held under the National Open Gardens Scheme, usually during June, these events give private houses the chance to open up their gardens to the public. It’s a great way to get a look behind the scenes of all kinds of gardens from grand manor houses to humble cottages and new builds. The modest entry fee is donated to charity as well as any money raised from sales of tea, coffee and cakes.
This past weekend, I (Emma from the Foot Trails team) spent a wonderful couple of hours with my partner wandering the grounds of a village in Wiltshire (through which one of our walks in our Kings & Kingdoms trip goes).
I was particularly interested in seeing the grounds of the local manor house, which is normally closed to the public. And they did not disappoint. We were able to wander winding paths past the house to see beautiful roses, swathes of oxeye daisies as well as catmint & foxgloves humming with bees and other pollinators. We took our time and wandered through the formal gardens into less formal wooded areas before stopping for an enormous slice of cake and a cup of tea.
Suitably refreshed, we then headed off into the village to explore more secret gardens, using our map to track down different properties from grand dower houses to humble cottages and farm house gardens. Each space felt special, offering us a unique glimpse into gardens large and small, and the chance to chat to the homeowners and gardeners. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, and I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for other open garden events this June!
If you’d like to explore some of South West England’s finest country house estates and picturesque village gardens, take a look at our Country Houses & Gardens trip or send us an email. We’d love to chat through your plans.
