Friday 28 May 2010
We depart from our local pick-up points and head north, breaking our journey with a visit to an old friend of Brightwater Holidays at the House of Pitmuies, near Forfar. The flower garden is situated behind the house, where in an old walled garden, lavishly planted borders are planned to maintain their flowering interest over a very long season. Colour schemes are fastidiously chosen here - a double border, for example, seen from the drawing room has a scheme of blue, cream, white and yellow to go with the colours of the room. Beyond the walled gardens a riverside walk leads past a castellated dovecote through an old woodland of marvellous beeches and oaks underplanted with ornamental shrubs – look out for the beautiful Acer griseum.
We continue with a visit to Gallery at Montrose. The historic garden has been redesigned and replanted to preserve the traditional framework of holly, privet and box. There is a grassed central alley, embellished with circles and links, interesting theme gardens and lawns.
From here we move on to our hotel, the Huntly Arms Hotel set in the picturesque village of Aboyne. The hotel is one of the oldest coaching inns in Scotland, and dates back to 1432 and has played host to Jacobite leaders and later to Queen Victoria, who often rested at the Hotel on her way to Balmoral. All rooms have en-suite facilities. Dinner will be served in the evening.
Saturday 29 May 2010
Following breakfast we travel a short distance to the private gardens at Findrack House, set in beautiful wooded countryside and a haven of interesting plants and unusual design features. There is a walled garden with circular lawns and deep herbaceous borders, stream garden leading to a wildlife pond, vegetable garden and woodland walk. There is also an excellent selection of plants for sale, all grown in the garden.
Another fine private garden awaits us at Tillypronie, with its herbaceous borders, terraces, heather beds, water garden and a new rockery. There are also shrubs and ornamental trees including a pinetum with rare specimens.
Dropping down into the valley of the River Dee we will travel west to Balmoral Castle, a journey first made by Queen Victoria in 1848. By 1856 a new castle had been built and the gardens were started under the supervision of Prince Albert. Between 1923 and 1925 Queen Mary devised the charming garden, with a semi circular wall of rocks surrounding a fountain. The Duke of Edinburgh has extended the gardens to incorporate a large kitchen garden, whose vegetables are harvested between August and October during the Royal Family's summer holiday. The formal gardens, covering some three acres, also contain a range of Victorian glasshouses and the conservatory, which displays flowering pot plants. A water garden has been formed to the West of the main garden in the trees between Garden Cottage and the West Drive.
We return to our hotel, where dinner is served in the evening.
Sunday 30 May 2010
After breakfast we travel into Aberdeen for a visit to the private garden in Rubislaw Den, a beautiful and complex garden of sculptural design with many rare and exotic plants not usually found in North-east Scotland. It reflects the owner's passion for form, science and philosophy, as well as for plants.
Our second visit today offers something of a contrast, as we travel to historic Crathes Castle, a superb example of a tower house of the second half of the 16th century. Of particular interest is the 1½ acre walled garden, which incorporates herbaceous borders and many unusual plants, providing a wonderful display. On the estate there are seven marked trails (including one suitable for wheelchairs) that lead through the mixed woodlands, along the Coy Burn and past the millpond.
Dinner is served in the evening.
Monday 31 May 2010
After breakfast we check out of the hotel and begin our homeward journey, although we have time for two more visits en-route. The first is to the walled garden of Glenbervie House to the south of Stonehaven. Typical of a style and scale of gardening which is fast disappearing, there are extensive borders, a kitchen garden and many interesting tender plants.
Finally, we call at Cortachy Castle at the foot of the Angus Glens near Kirriemuir, which like Crathes is a 16th century castellated house (not open). There is a wild pond garden with azaleas and rhododendrons, along with some fine American species trees and a pleasant river walk along South Esk.
Following our visit we return to our original pick-up points, with arrival due late afternoon/early evening.