|
Crarae Gardens
Crarae Gardens are managed by the National Trust for Scotland. They are located 4 miles south of Burnside Cottage on the Lochgilphead road. Don’t miss the wonderful autumn colours this month and into October.
Rare trees and exotic shrubs from around the world thrive in the mild climate and the red squirrels just make it extra special. The gardens are located in a magnificent Highland glen with a lively stream flowing though the woodland. It all helps to make Crarae Gardens a special place in Argyll. The gardens are open all year round but the visitor centre is only open during the main spring and summer season.
With over four hundred rhododendrons and azaleas, spring and early summer are particularly good times to visit. Autumn is also beautiful thanks to the superb variety of deciduous trees. Throughout the year the sheltered woodland walkways and spectacular gorge provide a peaceful opportunity for walks or just a chance to sit and think.
There is a Visitor Centre selling crafts and refreshments which is open seasonal hours. Lady Grace Campbell began the development of Crarae Garden which extends to some 25 hectares from woodland in 1912. Her son and later grandson, Sir Ilay Campbell, carried on this work. Sir Ilay then generously gave the garden to the Crarae Garden Charitable Trust in 1978. The garden was forced to close in 2001 following financial difficulties, but after a successful £1.5m fundraising appeal to save it for the nation, The National Trust for Scotland was delighted to accept ownership of the garden in April 2002.
Since then repair work has been carried out to the network of paths and bridges which cross the burn giving a variety of walks up to approximately 1 hour in length. A detour off one of the routes takes you to a fine viewpoint of the surrounding hills and over Loch Fyne. .
The gardens at Crarae contain one of the best collections of Rhododendron in Scotland. They are also home to part of the National Collection of Nothofagus (Beech) and particularly good representations of Acer (Maple), Eucalyptus and Sorbus (Mountain Ash).
Crarae Gardens is improving year on year under the management of The National Trust for Scotland.
There is a resident population of red squirrels at Crarae Gardens. On our most recent visit on the 13th May 2005 we were able to photograph a red squirrel in the woodland garden.
Click to enlarge
There are also some lovely eucalyptus trees in the gardens with some of them being in excellent vantage points to view Loch Fyne.
Click to enlarge
|
