I’ll let Jo explain: “It’s not a challenge, you see. Walking is one of the great pleasures of my life. Ever since I began my blog I have enjoyed introducing people to new places, and the walks are another way to do it. Many of them are local and well known to me in my north east of England home. Others are a bit more exotic. So, how does it work? Every week I will publish a walk on a Monday. If for any reason I can’t make it, I will let you know. When the walk is published, anyone is welcome to leave a link in my Comments, to any walk that they have taken. It doesn’t have to be on a Monday. It can be at any time and of any duration. The amount of detail/photos, etc. is up to you. Free and easy, you see?”
My weekend in Bude, north Cornwall was interrupted by the first named storm of the year – Amy. Sunday looked to be the better day so the one I decided to travel 50 mins across to north Devon and visit RHS Rosemoor. Not as big as RHS Wisley in the south-east, but I thought it would be nice to revisit this garden, last seen in April 2011.
The lesson I have thoroughly learnt, and wish to pass on to others, is to know the enduring happiness that the love of a garden gives – Gertrude Jekyll
Winter GardenCool Garden
Asters and Pompon Dahlias in the Long BorderMiscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine-Silberspinne’The Herb, Potager and Cottage Garden with shelterBeautiful dahlias everywhereDogwoodOne moves between the new garden and the original garden, created by Lady Anne Palmer, through a tunnel beneath a road passing this little bridge and fabulous Japanese maple.Croquet lawn and Temperate HouseThe Stone Garden has a very Japanese feelCercis canadensis commonly known as Redbud trees or Judas treesHot colours in the form of RudbeckiasRosemoor House is fairly modest considering it belonged to the Earls of Orford who descended from Horace Walpole. It can now be rented out for holidays. There is a small tea-room at the side.More asters on the verandaThe Cherry Garden – best in springtimeA Kaleidoscope of colours (Dahlias – some with bees)The Lakeside in October is ablaze with autumn colour, from the molten leaves of liquidambars to the bright yellow foliage of Cornus sanguinea ‘Winter Beauty’ and the deep red of Acer palmatum ‘Chitose-yama’ – all reflected on the mirror-like water.
All approaches to the garden involve navigating miles of winding roads, hence Rosemoor is also one of the quietest RHS gardens, but utterly charming and demonstrating how colourful a garden can look in early October.
If you love your Tudor history, Hever Castle is the perfect place to get up close to several significant pieces of 16th century history. Built in 1271, it is the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII who was Queen for only 1,000 days and mother of Elizabeth I. Anne’s family name was Bullen but when she was in France in the king’s court, she decided to adopt the way a French person would spell it phonetically.
As well as the beautiful gardens the castle itself is well worth visiting. It’s not very big for a castle, and some of the rooms are quite cosy you could say. Audio guides are included in Castle admission prices. They are available in English, French, German, Dutch, Russian and Chinese.
Inner CourtyardThe Great Chamber – used by the Boleyn family for entertainment. music, reading, poetry readings and occasional dining.
I’m not usually keen on photographing interiors and especially when I only have my phone with me as the light can be poor, but I do like to grab shots of little details that I find interesting.
Henry VIII portrait and the costume as used in Wolf Hall and The Mirror and the Light (TV series)Wall tapestryCarvings above a fireplaceKing Henry VIII’s Bedchamber, though it is believed that he would never have actually stayed the night here. The costume of Anne Boleyn from Wolf Hall and The Mirror and the Light (TV series)Intricate design on the door of the Great HallAnother of Henry VIII costume in what is known as his bedchamberAnne Boleyn’s Book of Hours c, 1425 – 50 This prayer book was hand-written and illuminated in Bruges. Inside Anne has written her famous inscription “le temps viendra” (the time will come). She signed her name Anne Boleyn and and drew a small astrolabe or armillary sphere.More detail of carvings on fireplaces, the dining table in the Great Hall and two German swords used for beheadings.
It takes about an hour to go around the castle and the Castle is usually busiest in the morning and early afternoon. I would recommend late afternoon to avoid school parties.
William Waldorf Astor used his fortune to restore and extend the Castle in the early 20th century.
[Wolf Hall is a British television series adaptation of two of Hilary Mantel’s novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, a fictionalised biography documenting the life of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII. The second series was adapted from The Mirror & the Light, the final novel in the trilogy. Both are excellent series and available in the UK on iPlayer.]
If you want to know more about Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn and the rooms in the castle then I recommend visiting the website (link below).
Although we didn’t manage to see all of the beautiful gardens we tried our best! Here are a few more photos from the estate.
The Castle and outer moat and mazeA closer view – if you click on this image you might be able to make out the topiary chess set on the far right in the Tudor GardenOne of the towers and the inner moatCastle from the opposite side and topiaryShady area close to Anne Boleyn’s Walk – and the festival theatreRhododendrons and AzaleasThe Blue Corner – The plants are concentrated around huge rocks and steps leading to Sisters’ Pool Lawn and include blue hydrangeas, ceanothus and blue seasonal perennials.Hundreds of tulips in the border leading to the Two Sister’s Lawn and PoolRose Garden – best in June to SeptemberRose Garden – best in June to SeptemberSome of the lovely flowers in early MayThe Edwardian boathouseThe 38 acre lake, the brainchild of William Waldorf Astor, was excavated and constructed by 800 men who were contracted in December 1904 to “carry on the works regularly and continuously by day and night (except on Sundays) when so ordered” and complete the work in two years! The lake was filled in July 1906.
It takes about an hour to walk around the lake and you might just make out the Japanese Tea House folly on the left-hand side. There is also a water maze too. The boats and pedalos are available for hire on Weekends and Bank Holidays from Saturday 5 April 2025 and daily during school holidays. You can also take a 20 minute trip on the Lady Astor steam boat which you can just make out to the right of the photo above.
Whilst in Surrey over the early Spring Bank Holiday, I suggested that my daughter and I had a day out visiting Hever Castle and Gardens in Kent. It was a hot day so we didn’t have enough energy to stroll around the lake, nor did we visit the Tudor Garden with the topiary chess set! Two good reasons to return.
Dating back to the 14th century, Hever Castle was once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and Mother of Elizabeth I. It is well worth a visit especially of you are interested in Tudor history.
But for this post I am only exploring the beautiful gardens which were laid out between 1904 and 1908 by Joseph Cheal and Son. Until William Waldorf Astor bought Hever Castle in 1903, only a modest garden existed around the castle walls. One of the most magnificent areas of the gardens is the Italian Garden, which was designed to display William Waldorf Astor’s collection of Italian sculptures.
The impressive Loggia at the lake end of the garden is flanked by pillared colonnades and descends by balustrade steps to the piazza below with its classical sculpture inspired by the Trevi Fountain in Rome.The Italian Garden. Covering four acres, the long sweeping lawns and tall clipped yew hedges form the central area of this magnificent garden, bordered by two twelve foot high walls made from local stone.Along the south side runs the Pergola Walk with its shaded grottoes planted with ferns and moisture loving plants.Pergola WalkItalianate sculptureEntrance to the Pergola Walk and the Italian Garden with the stunning golden gatesOn the north side is the Pompeiian Wall which contains small bays showcasing antiquities in stone and marble enveloped with shrubs and climbing plants.Italianate sculptures and antiquities
In one of the recessed baysPompeiian WallHidden in the centre of the Italian Garden behind a tall hedge lies the Sunken Garden, an oasis of peace and quiet.Sunken GardenAt the beginning of May the gardens were full of tulips, irises and wisteria. The planting is stunning and there is so much to see. Far more than I can possibly put in one post.And to end, a glimpse of the lake from the Pavilion courtyard.
Then there is the Rose Garden, the setting for over 5,000 roses which flourish from June until the end of September. Yet one more reason to return.
The Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park, Surrey, is a 40 acre woodland garden set within a Victorian woodland plantation planted in the 1830’s. First opened to the public in 1953, it is best known for its evergreen azaleas, which line the ponds and streams and at their peak of flower in late April and early May.
My previous visit was in late August 2022 and the floral offerings were somewhat disappointing although it was still a lovely place for a walk. The timing was perfect this month though, as the long queue to the car park indicated.
Let’s take a walk and immerse ourselves in the glorious colours of this garden.
TRAVEL WORDS 