Garden Visit: Glenwhan Gardens

Monday, 27 July 2020

On our recent staycation to the South-West of Scotland we couldn’t resist a garden visit. We decided to head to a garden we last visited around 8 years ago – Glenwhan Gardens just outside Stranraer. It is one of our favourites so it was a joy to head back there…

Sculpture

One of the great things about Glenwhan Gardens is the abundance of beautiful garden art throughout. From buddhas and wild boar to large pots and a towering pinnacle. Every corner has something nestling and a joy to find and our girls loved spotting the wild boar sculptures as we explored.

Seating

A beautiful garden should have plenty of places to stop and enjoy the surroundings and with a garden like Glenwhan the beautiful views are not only within the garden but beyond to the Mull of Galloway and the Isle of Man. There are seats at every turn from swing seats to beautiful benches. Even the simple benches made of some hewn timbers provide the perfect spot to rest.

Planting

As you would expect, the garden is brimming with horticultural delights. Nestled in the Gulf Stream, Glenwhan can take advantage of its warmer climes and enjoy a wider range of planting. Hydrangeas, hebes and crocosmia were amongst the stars on our trip. Visit in Spring to enjoy the delights of the many rhododendrons and azaleas.

Water

Water is used to great effect at Glenwhan Gardens, the most obvious being the two lochs, complete with boathouse, boat, fish and aquatic plants. There are many ajoining rivers and rills with delightful bridges providing easy access around the gardens.

Wildlife

The gardens are teeming with wildlife and not just the boar and eagles in the sculptures. We spotted lots of newts on the walkways around the pond, there is fish in the pond, guinea fowl running around the lawn and red squirrels in the woods.

Other highlights…

We love the plethora of pathways that link the gardens so you can explore for hours and you wouldn’t cover all the paths. The girls loved exploring making the garden perfect for all ages.

The gardens are dog-friendly (they must be kept on lead) making it a great option for dog-lovers.

The gardens have a lovely tea room serving home-made food.

The plant shop is stacked full of beautiful, healthy plants (so lovely to see when so many places don’t look after their plants well.) Be careful to select plants which will work in your climate – we couldn’t resist a couple of plants for our own garden!)

The gardens are great value at only £13 for a family – a great day out, we highly recommend a visit to Glenwhan Gardens.

Vialii