Barnsdale Gardens, Oakham

We fancied heading a little further afield last weekend for an outing and, via a convoluted set of circumstances, we ended up visiting Barnsdale Gardens just outside Oakham. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was very impressed. Barnsdale was the home of BBC’s ‘Gardener’s World’ back in the day when the programme was presented by Geoff Hamilton. Today the site covers 8 acres and features 38 different gardens, each with their own unique style. I’m not much of a gardener, I do enjoy it though and yearn for the day when we have a bit more space (and time and money!) and can have the garden of our dreams. It was really enjoyable to wander through each garden, picking up ideas and inspiration. Luke is a garden designer and even though it was a bit of a busman’s holiday for him, he appreciated the skill and expertise that had gone into designing each garden.

Even though it’s getting late in the year, there was plenty of colour and interest throughout the gardens.

 

The gardens are all easily accessible and we had no issues getting around with the pushchair. Having said that, there is little to keep toddlers/older children occupied. In fact, Luke and I brought down the average age of visitor by about 20 years! There is also a shop, nursery and tearoom on site, although we only visited the gardens. It cost £7.50 each to get in, which I didn’t think was too bad considering the amount of work to keep the gardens in top shape.

All in all a very enjoyable afternoon out.  Next time we head up to Rutland for a walk, I would love to go back and see the gardens earlier in the year.