Mini Holiday 2007 -  Gardens of the North East

On 3^rd August, 28 enthusiastic members boarded our 52 seater coach (so lots of room for comfort and plants) for a long weekend visiting 8 gardens in the North East. Lunchtime found us in Hexham at the Garden Station which, not surprisingly, was a long narrow site in a cutting with lots of shade loving plants. In typical EHS style we had tea, coffee and homemade cakes before moving on to the Cottage Garden in Bolam. This was a private house in a quiet, secluded, country setting and the garden was a mass of planting with a dry riverbed feature leading from a jetty by the high wall towards the house. There were also lots of vantage points with “borrowed “ views into the surrounding country. Then it was on to Newcastle for our 3 night stay.

Saturday was the day for “the big events” with visits to Alnwick Castle Garden and Cragside. Alnwick is a “no expense spared” modern garden on a grand scale with fascinating water sculptures and fountains and a wonderful tree house with restaurant, but perhaps the most interesting was the Poison garden. I think everyone felt wary of working in their own garden after that experience. Cragside is totally different, covering a large area, and with its deep, wooded valley it was not for the faint-hearted but there was a minibus service between the visitor centre, gardens and house. The big attraction here was the house, which was where modern living began with water power first being used in 1878 to provide electricity. The innovations to make life easier were fascinating to see and we could have stayed there longer.

All the gardens we visited had their own character with different styles but perhaps the unexpected delight was Crook Hall Gardens in Durham. This was a tranquil spot close to the city centre and overlooking the cathedral on one side but a rural outlook on the other. The garden was divided into several discrete areas, each with its own theme, and you could relax and dream around the landscaped pond. The house dated back to the 13^th century and the owners were very trusting allowing people to browse around unattended. There was also a tea garden with everything homemade – what more could we want!

In the afternoon, we visited Herterton House and garden where the owners had worked hard to create a garden from nothing and had prepared precise records of every plant and its position in the garden! From there we moved on to the other extreme of the vast estate of Wallington Hall, which was a change in our itinerary. Time here was limited and some people visited the Hall whilst others toured the gardens.

Before leaving for home on Monday, via a lunch break in Durham, we called at Bide-a-wee Cottage (no toilets!) which was an amazing cottage garden developed, by the family, in the field and quarry adjacent to an old farm, which also required renovation. It was a labour of love as well as a diversification from farming.

Our Tour Manager, Michael, from Brightwater Holidays, who was a mine of information and very efficient and made a determined effort to learn all our names: and Mick, our coach driver, who was careful and considerate.

What a wonderful trip it was. At most gardens we had a guided tour or an introduction from the owner, which personalised the visit. Everyone got on well together and the group was small enough so we could get to know each other and many new friends were made. Even having some problems with meals at the hotel merely left us all with some amusing anecdotes.

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