20 Gardens in 2 Days

Well 19 to be exact – one we couldn’t find.

Astley Country Gardens

The first group of 8 gardens, well spread out over the surrounding countryside, included a Grade ll listed half timbered house with sub tropical planting, stumpery with tree ferns and woodland temple, underground grotto and water features; classical style garden with a variety of features, a half acre garden with mixed borders and large paddock with specimen trees; a Grade ll listed C16 farmhouse garden with herbaceous borders, small feature courtyard leading to a part-walled terrace and lily pond; thatched cottage surrounded by mixed borders, bedding displays and woodland; spacious garden with beautiful views and a lake in a secluded valley with an arboretum; farmhouse garden with stream and bog garden, mixed borders and pathways through shrubs and woodland; country bungalow with choice plants in a cottage style garden and wildlife pools.

Broughton Poggs and Filkins Gardens

These two Cotswold villages, near Lechlade, contained 12 open gardens and an allotment. Scale and character varied from the grand landscape setting of Filkins Hall, to the small but beautifully formed Pigeon Cottage, Taylor Cottage and The Tallot.

There was also an interesting display of bonsai – including maples...

... and some interesting garden art.

Broughton Poggs Mill had a rushing mill stream; Pip Cottage combined topiary, box hedges and a picturesque rural view.

We also visited the small but perfectly formed Swinford Museum in Filkins. Two small cottages containing exhibitions of bygone Farming, music and masonry.

We were also entertained by the ‘Rock Choir’.

The village pub also had an unusual name – the Five Alls. Originally, this depicted the Queen who governs all, a Lawyer who pleads for all, a Parson who prays for all, a Soldier who fights for all, and a Farmer who pays for all. Some years later, however, a different mix of Alls was adopted, the Queen being replaced by the Devil, who takes all. Elsewhere in the country there are a few similarly-named inns with slight variations on the Alls theme: there is a Four Alls where the Lawyer is left out, and a Six Alls with both the Queen and the Devil included.

Falkirk and New Lanark

The Kelpies can be found at the Grangemouth end of Helix Park at the confluence of the Forth/Clyde and Union canals. The Helix is an ecopark, part of the Falkirk Greenscape Initiative, transforming 350 hectares of land between Falkirk and Grangemouth and connecting 16 local communities through an extensive network of paths.

The Kelpies - Duke and Baron - name reflected the mythological transforming beasts possessing the strength and endurance of 10 horses. Water kelpies are the Scots name given to a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the lochs and pools of Scotland. The photos hardly do justice to the scale and magnificence of these structures. At 30-metre-high the two horse-head sculptures were designed to depicting the heavy horse of Scottish industry, pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges and coalships that shaped the layout of the Falkirk area.

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal – a height equating to eight double decker buses. Constructed to 21st century, state-of-the-art engineering it is already being recognised as an iconic landmark of Scotland's traditional engineering expertise. Designed to replace a series of lock gates built in the 19th century which have long since been demolished. 

Built ostensibly as a working boat lift it has become a major tourist attraction and it is possible to take a trip on the Wheel. We ascended in Archimedes – aptly named as the wheel works on his principle of displacement. Due to this concept the two cradles are equally balanced whatever their content and it therefore takes very little (green) power to turn the Wheel.

New Lanark Mill is a World Heritage Site,  a unique 18th-century mill village sitting alongside the River Clyde. There you can walk through millworkers’ houses, historic working machinery and view the nearby ‘Falls of Clyde’ waterfalls. The tour also includes the Annie McLeod Experience' ride which takes you back in time, Owen's School for Children, working textile machinery, People & Cotton exhibition, roof garden and village store.

The cotton mill village of New Lanark which was founded in the 18th century and became known, under the enlightened management of social pioneer Robert Owen, for providing decent homes, fair wages, free health care, a new education system for villagers and the first workplace nursery school in the world.

Threave Castle, Castle Douglas.

Situated on an island in the middle of the River Dee, the remains of this ancient castle is only reachable by boat. It is accessed along a footpath skirting a bluebell wood.

The island would have supported subsidiary buildings, such as stores and workshops, as well as the castle. It became the stronghold of the Black Douglases and still today, round its base you can see the artillery fortification built before 1455 when James II besieged the castle.

In its long an illustrious career the Castle changed hands a number of times, until in 1640 it was laid siege. After holding out for 13 weeks, the garrison surrendered on the orders of King Charles. The opposing army ordered the buildings to be dismantled, and the materials to be disposed "to the use of the public". It was also later altered to house French POWs. 

In 1913 the ruins were given into state care and declared a scheduled monument in 1921.

Happy Zadar Birthday Jean

Zadar, a city on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, is known for the Roman and Venetian ruins of its peninsular Old Town. There are several Venetian gates in the city walls. Surrounding the Roman-era Forum is 11th-century St. Mary’s Convent, with religious art dating to the 8th century. There’s also the grand, 12th-century St. Anastasia’s Cathedral and the round, 9th-century pre-Romanesque Church of St. Donatus.

We managed to bag an apartment right on the coastal edge of the old town which was ideal for exploring, boat and people watching and ferry rides.

Its central location and an international airport have made Zadar a popular tourist centre. It also has two unique attractions – the sound-and-light spectacle of the Sea Organ and the Sun Salutation.

A walk through the Old Town

Takes you into Zadar Park 

 Zadar is also a key transport hub, with superb ferry connections to the surrounding islands.

We could see the island of Ugljan, which is part of the Zadar archipelago, from our apartment. The island is nearest to the mainland. There are numerous ferry lines from Zadar and the ride takes about 30 minutes. It is called the green island because it is covered with pine forests, olive groves and other Mediterranean vegetation.

On the north side of the island there are fishing villages, which are recently engaged in tourism. We landed at Preko a picturesque small town well worth a wander round, then walked the coastal path to the village of Kali. There are regular bus services that cover the island and are timed to coordinate with the ferries.

might've been on holiday but still had the laundry to do :)

On the Saturday Zadar seafront was bedecked in flowers for Zadar in Bloom.

Zadar also has a number of museums covering archaeology, history of glass and a quirky

something else you would not
expect to find in Croatia :)

The jewel in the crown was the trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park. An absolute must if you ever in the region. Pictures hardly capture the majesty of the place - but we'll try. 

Plitvice Lakes National Park is a 295-sq.-km forest reserve in central Croatia granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. It's known for a chain of 16 terraced lakes, joined by waterfalls, that extend into a limestone canyon. Walkways and hiking trails wind around and across the water, and an electric boat links the 12 upper and 4 lower lakes. The latter are the site of Veliki Slap, a 78m-high waterfall. 

There was transport to the top of the lakes

and an electric ferry across the lake

and the water was unbelievably pure and clear.

We also took local transport to the neighbouring old town of Nin. 

Nin was founded by the Ilyrian tribe of Liburnians in the 9th century BC and known by the name Aenona. A prosperous settlement on the small island was surrounded by walls, and the houses were built using the drystone- wall technique. During the Roman rule, Nin was an important town and sea port. In its long history Nin was destroyed several times, but it rose again, only to be completely destroyed in 1646 when Venice sacrificed it in order to save the fort of Zadar from Turkish invasion – but it rose again.

The smallest cathedral in the world is here and the coronation Church of St. Nicholas can be found here as well. Nin is also a European Destination of Excellence. It is well known for its medicinal mud and extensive saltworks.

Touching the big toe on the statue of Grgur Ninski 

tradition has it-brings good luck.