Cold Cotes Garden at Harrogate and Littlethorpe Manor, Ripon made a magical combination for an end-of-summer outing with a coach full of friends on Wednesday this week.

A Footpath at Cold Cotes

Cold Cotes is a small garden almost hidden between green hedges and twisting lanes – a delightful place where footpaths meander through trees and flowers blossom as high as a person’s head.  Be welcomed by the owner and hear how they’ve renovated the house and developed the garden over the last eighteen years. Drink coffee before exploring the garden; sit on wooden benches in shady corners; read poems written by Ed Loft and soak in the peaceful atmosphere before enjoying a really delicious lunch in their pristine café.

In complete contrast the second garden Littlethorpe Manor is a large estate offering 22 varied gardens and walks. Stroll under the arches hanging heavy with ripening apples; gaze at the fountain between statuesque trees; discover the pets’ graves in a small wood; walk round a lake with the clearest reflections of the building and trees beyond it and wander by the river that forms a boundary.

Already in August conkers are on the ground. A gardener explains how one of the ancient trees was almost blown down in a gale but some of it was saved and the damaged trunk is now a home for wild bees.

Continue across the grass and back to the Cut-Flower Garden; listen to the gasps of surprise and appreciation as people look at the beauty and colour of its beds. Even well known flowers are twice as high here as in other gardens and the colours defy description.  Congratulations to the head Gardener and his wife with their very knowledgeable assistant.

We came away with memories of a wonderful day and a coach full of healthy plants.