Biddulph Grange Gardens

It's a long while since I've been to Biddulph Grange gardens. They aren't far away (just over an hour) but in a direction we don't think of travelling when thinking of a day out; maybe it's the thought of rush-hour traffic in Stoke that's off-putting. Anyway, younger daughter was home recently and as Biddulph lies roughly half way on her journey home we decided to all go there, and break her journey before she carried onward and we returned home.

It's an amazing place - a fantasy garden with follies, grottoes, tunnels, a mock Chinese temple, an Egyptian tomb, a stumpery, and long borders of colourful dahlias; all packed into a comparatively small area. An entrancing place for adults and children alike

 

Out and About at Christmas

Opening presents and eating all the food in sight is good fun but it only takes up a small proportion of Christmas week, and I'm not one for spending all day watching TV, so we've been out and about too.

To Swan Lake, Ilkeston on a damp Boxing Day

To Rushcliffe Country Park

Back to Chatsworth for my third visit of this Christmas

And, on a gloriously sunny day, a walk round Biddulph Grange gardens

Spontaneous Weekend Plans

 Last weekend I'd had plans to go to a beer festival, at which quite a few local bands would be playing. It was a three day affair - Friday to Sunday - but other commitments meant we couldn't go for the first day. Friday was wet though. In the evening folks were tweeting photos of ankle-depth water, and the lead singer of  one of the bands was seen jumping off stage and splashing about in the flood. We thought we'd give Saturday a miss, and let the water subside.














So ... we went to Biddulph Grange Gardens for the afternoon, through the tunnels, following the paths to rocky viewpoints, eating cake.



























The sun shone all day, and we assumed Sunday would be dry.











The first band we wanted to see on Sunday was billed for two o'clock, so after an early lunch we headed to the festival. One look at the muddy car park made us decide to leave and go down the road to visit Chatsworth. I'm too old to have to push the car out of mud!


























 The house itself was a little busy but the grounds are so extensive that it's easy to get away from crowds - and, importantly last weekend, all the paths are graveled and free from mud.

 So, not at all the weekend we'd planned but a good one.

Dodging the rain at Biddulph Grange Gardens

Despite the threatened rain I was determined to get out and do a little adventuring last weekend - okay, it wasn't a huge adventure; just a couple of hours exploring Biddulph Grange Gardens.





















It's an amazing place, and after the formal aspect of the garden entrance, the designers went wild! 

Labyrinthine paths clamber up rocky slopes and over bridges, and tunnels lead to secret quiet spots. There's a map provided, but try not to use it - it's much more fun to explore randomly.

The garden has numerous follies - a Chinese temple and  tea house, a Cheshire cottage, even an Egyptian tomb - so although we didn't manage to avoid the rain completely there was somewhere to wait out the showers.

For children and teens, especially if they're inclined to dismiss visiting gardens as boring, it's excellent - and if they aren't impressed by a Chinese temple or Egyptian tomb, there's a woodland obstacle course to try (and cake back at the cafe)