A Grand Tour of the Gardens of Scotland

We depart from our designated pick-up points and travel north to our first visit, Branklyn Gardens, a haven of peace and colour. Begun in 1922, on a south-facing slope with acid soil, the garden represents a wonderful collection of small rhododendrons, blue poppies, magnolias and woodland plants. Paths wind along the contours of the land bringing the visitor nose to nose with all kinds of distinguished plants, all beautifully grown.

We continue with a visit to Cluny House Gardens, near Aberfeldy. Wandering through this wonderful wild woodland garden, we discover rare and exotic plants from around the world. The gardens feature trees and shrubs from America, New Zealand, Japan, China and Tibet, creating the unique atmosphere of a Himalayan woodland paradise. We also see Britain’s widest conifer – a giant Wellingtonia, 11 metres in girth and over 130 years old. Afterwards, we continue to our hotel.

Meals: Dinner

Accomodation: Hotel in Inverness Area

This morning, we visit Dunrobin Castle – the château-style ancestral home of the Dukes of Sutherland. The castle is a wonderful early 19th-century fantasy castle with a touch of the Loire and a dash of Bavaria. Below the castle is a magnificent example of a formal 19th-century garden. The gardens are laid out on terraces which descend to the sea.

We later continue to John O’Groats before having an afternoon visit to the private gardens and former home of Her Majesty the Queen Mother, the Castle of Mey.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accomodation: Hotel in Inverness Area

We have a most rewarding day as we drive across the north of Scotland to visit Dundonnell House Garden. The house was completed in 1769 by the Mackenzies of Dundonnell, who lived in it until the 1940s. Since then it has had a number of owners, including the late Alan Roger – rumoured to be in MI5, but known locally simply as a plantsman and bonsai expert. The garden now features delightful borders for year-round colour, centred on an enormous and ancient yew tree over 300 years old. The main part of the garden lies within very old walls and is divided into distinctive compartments, adding greatly to the interest here, with other highlights including riverside walks in the fine arboretum and a restored Victorian glasshouse.

Our final visit of the day is to Inverewe Gardens, unquestionably one of the most outstanding gardens in the country. The northern road into Inverewe is spectacular – towering mountains and breathtaking vistas – and the view from above Gruinard Bay has to be seen to be believed. Famous gardens do not always live up to their reputations but it would be hard to imagine anyone failing to be excited by Inverewe, when at this time of year it will be at its most colourful. The balmy Gulf Stream Drift Climate promotes luxuriant growth and today it is a jungle of mature exotic trees and shrubs laced with winding walks, rising and falling, giving sudden glimpses of shimmering water through the foliage. Later, we return to Inverness via Loch Maree and Achnasheen, another spectacularly scenic journey.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accomodation: Hotel in Inverness Area

After breakfast, we check out of the hotel and depart for Abriachan Gardens, near Drumnadrochit.

We continue along the shores of Loch Ness and through the Great Glen to Fort William, which sits at the foot of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. A scenic drive takes us down the coast and into Argyll. We follow a narrow road over the hills with superb views of Loch Etive and Ben Cruachan to the gardens at historic Ardchattan Priory. A garden has existed here for over 700 years, since Valliscaulian monks, a little-known order from Burgundy, first settled here on the north shore of Loch Etive. The summer months see the herbaceous borders at their best, while the scent of Philadelphus pervades the shrub garden and orchids can be spotted in the wildflower meadow. Later, we continue to our hotel in the Oban area.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accomodation: Hotel in Inverness Area

This morning, we head south to Loch Melfort to visit the National Trust for Scotland’s garden at Arduaine. The garden here was started in 1897 by James Arthur Campbell, a tea planter and a friend of Osgood MacKenzie, the maker of Inverewe. It is a splendid site, full of the most magnificent plants. It is most rewarding to keep going to the viewpoint, which gives an exquisite panorama of the calm waters of Loch Melfort below.

Our afternoon visit is to the small private garden of An Cala on the Isle of Seil, linked to the mainland by the so called Bridge over the Atlantic. This is a quaint garden very much on a domestic scale, which relies for its impact on its situation looking out to the sea with the islands of Luing, Scarba, Mull and the Garvellachs in the distance.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accomodation: Hotel in Inverness Area

After breakfast we check out of the hotel and drive through the Pass of Brander and along the shores of Loch Awe with views of ruined Kilchurn Castle, on via Inveraray and the shores of Loch Fyne to the woodland garden of Ardkinglas. Here, huge conifers planted in the 19th century provide a high canopy for rhododendrons and other shrubs. Highlights include five of Britain’s tallest or largest conifers, an extensive sorbus glade and some stunning Rhododendron ‘Loderi’.

We continue to Glenarn, reputedly one of the best woodland gardens in Scotland. Glenarn was originally planted by the Gibson brothers and filled with rhododendrons and other plants collected by Kingdom-Ward, Ludlow and Sheriff on their expeditions to Tibet and China. The garden had been neglected for many years when Mike and Sue Thornley acquired it in 1983 and they have been gradually restoring it ever since then.

Following our visit, we continue to our overnight accommodation near Glasgow.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accomodation: Hotel near Glasgow 

We continue south today as we travel into Ayrshire and visit Dumfries House. Its stunning interiors are home to a world-class collection of furniture by Thomas Chippendale and many late 18th-century cabinet makers, which has featured on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. We are able to make the most of those interiors on our grand tour of the house, followed by tea and shortbread. We also visit the Queen Elizabeth Walled Garden, which is one of the best examples of its kind in Scotland and in many ways the flagship of the restoration project. You may also wish to venture into the intriguing yew hedge maze and see if you can reach the Japanese pagoda at its centre – and then find your way out again! After our visit, we continue to our hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accomodation: Hotel neat Stranraer 

After breakfast, we visit Glenwhan Gardens, spread out over a windy hilltop with marvellous views of Luce Bay and the Mull of Galloway. Since 1979 a very large, interesting and individual garden has been created that is filled with a range of plants. At its heart is an extensive pool, divided by a grassy causeway and fed by a tumbling stream. The slopes above are lavishly planted with trees and shrubs – almost any gardener will find something unfamiliar here.

This afternoon, we continue on to our next destination: the world-famous Logan Botanic Gardens at Port Logan. Port Logan lies in the Mull of Galloway, which juts out into the sea in the extreme south-west of Scotland. The garden was started by the McDougall family who lived here for 800 years, and since 1969 it has been in the care of the Royal Botanic Garden at Edinburgh. Logan Botanic Garden is beautifully laid out, particularly in the walled garden with its fine terraces and well-planned borders under an avenue of cabbage palms. The climate here is exceptionally mild and several different habitats provide conditions for a huge variety of plants.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accomodation: Hotel neat Stranraer 

In the morning, we visit Broughton House, the plantsman’s nursery at Ellenbank and the gardens of the Threave Estate, created by students at the School of Horticulture since 1960. Later, we return to our original pick-up points. 

Meals: Breakfast