Jean M
10+ Posts
After a glorious time in the Cotswolds in April 2018, we are now planning a trip to other parts of England in October of 2019. We are semi-retired hikers who now stroll and, for health reasons, have to remain on fairly level ground. My question is about gardens and what the state of gardens might be at that time of year.
There was much that we loved about the Cotswolds - the pubs, the lanes and the villages, and the hedgerows, the churches, gorgeous fields - all too much for words.
What we enjoyed most were the gardens - Westonbirt, Hidcote, and Buscot Park particularly. Because we stayed primarily in a National Trust Cottage (Woody's in Sheepscombe which was indescribably perfect for two people in their 70s who like quiet places and level walks. Here's the link: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/woodys-cottage-the-cotswolds), I'm again looking at National Trust cottages and am focusing on gardens in Kent/Sussex and Dorset/Devon. I've also considered Wales and the Midlands because it looks like there are some terrific gardens in those places. These might be more hilly for us than we can accomodate. Even the mild inclines in the Cotswolds were sometimes more than we could handle.
On our last trip we flew into Oxford which was easy to reach via the bus from Heathrow. This trip I'd like to go straight from the airport to Canterbury for a couple of nights. I'm thinking we would then rent a car for a one-way drive/drop off. We don't like to move around alot and typically stay in either a couple of places for a week each or, as we did at Sheepscombe, stay ten nights with a couple of brief stops on either end - in Oxford and London on that trip. Perhaps Canterbury at the beginning and somewhere else at the end this time.
There's a great National Trust cottage at Nymans in Sussex (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/woodlands-cottage-sussex) and, according to my guidebook, a good garden. And I've always wanted to see Sissinghurst, although it sounds like it is at its best in summer. I'm sure there are lots of other gardens in that part of the country - I'm early in my research still. If we don't take the train to more northern and westerly parts of the UK (e.g. Wales or the Midlands), then we'd drive west to Stourhead, whicih is supposed to be very nice in fall and spend most of our time in Dorset. Again, I know there are lots of gardens in that part of the world- narrowing down is always a problem. I try to focus on one or, in this case, two regions. That's hard to do in England where there is so much to see and do. I am trying to find gardens that in October would have color and interesting plants. Even in April, we were early for many gardens.
The point of this loosely structured and disjointed post is to ask two questions: first, for fall garden recommendations in Kent/Sussex, Dorset, Wales, and Midlands that might not be too hilly; secondly, to inquire if the weather in some or all of these regions might be more than tolerable in October. While I don't expect perfect and beautiful fall days, I'm hoping for not too much cold rain. We were blessed in April in Sheepscombe for the weather was nearly perfect every day.
There was much that we loved about the Cotswolds - the pubs, the lanes and the villages, and the hedgerows, the churches, gorgeous fields - all too much for words.
What we enjoyed most were the gardens - Westonbirt, Hidcote, and Buscot Park particularly. Because we stayed primarily in a National Trust Cottage (Woody's in Sheepscombe which was indescribably perfect for two people in their 70s who like quiet places and level walks. Here's the link: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/woodys-cottage-the-cotswolds), I'm again looking at National Trust cottages and am focusing on gardens in Kent/Sussex and Dorset/Devon. I've also considered Wales and the Midlands because it looks like there are some terrific gardens in those places. These might be more hilly for us than we can accomodate. Even the mild inclines in the Cotswolds were sometimes more than we could handle.
On our last trip we flew into Oxford which was easy to reach via the bus from Heathrow. This trip I'd like to go straight from the airport to Canterbury for a couple of nights. I'm thinking we would then rent a car for a one-way drive/drop off. We don't like to move around alot and typically stay in either a couple of places for a week each or, as we did at Sheepscombe, stay ten nights with a couple of brief stops on either end - in Oxford and London on that trip. Perhaps Canterbury at the beginning and somewhere else at the end this time.
There's a great National Trust cottage at Nymans in Sussex (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/woodlands-cottage-sussex) and, according to my guidebook, a good garden. And I've always wanted to see Sissinghurst, although it sounds like it is at its best in summer. I'm sure there are lots of other gardens in that part of the country - I'm early in my research still. If we don't take the train to more northern and westerly parts of the UK (e.g. Wales or the Midlands), then we'd drive west to Stourhead, whicih is supposed to be very nice in fall and spend most of our time in Dorset. Again, I know there are lots of gardens in that part of the world- narrowing down is always a problem. I try to focus on one or, in this case, two regions. That's hard to do in England where there is so much to see and do. I am trying to find gardens that in October would have color and interesting plants. Even in April, we were early for many gardens.
The point of this loosely structured and disjointed post is to ask two questions: first, for fall garden recommendations in Kent/Sussex, Dorset, Wales, and Midlands that might not be too hilly; secondly, to inquire if the weather in some or all of these regions might be more than tolerable in October. While I don't expect perfect and beautiful fall days, I'm hoping for not too much cold rain. We were blessed in April in Sheepscombe for the weather was nearly perfect every day.