Our day out to RHS Harlow Carr on 7th April has been the highlight of the year so far. The weather could not have been better for the time of year, and we arrived before it became too crowded.
“Where to go first?” was the question given all the delights on offer. A few of us headed straight into Betty’s Café Tea Rooms, which were guaranteed to be hard to get into later on, but the vast majority headed straight out into the 58 acres of gardens.
Put very broadly, turning left took one along the Winter Walk to the Teaching Garden, the Lakeside Gardens, The Edwardian Garden and the Queen Mother’s Lake, with the South Field off to one’s right. From the entrance, turning right brought one to the Sun Border, the Kitchen Garden, the Alpine house and the Sub Tropicana Garden.
There are other treasures too, such as the Sandstone Rock Garden and the Main Borders, which do not impress at the moment, but which will look splendid in summer. There is something of interest all year round, including architectural features: Doric columns, the Old Bath House, and a bird hide. These are at the ‘back’ and to the right from the entrance, and up a slope due to the gardens being in a natural valley. Unfortunately this means that in times of heavy rain some of the gardens are flooded, and the very name of the gardens indicates this: “car” means a marshy wetland.
Well, we did not get wet, and after five hours of happy meandering at the gardens, our driver Clint brought us safely back to Bishop Auckland.
Author: Norman P. Photos: Anne A, Janet P, Pam T, and Norman P
