Another brilliant day organised by Barbara at the RHS gardens at Bridgewater, outside Manchester. We set off with umbrellas and coats as the weather forecast was for rain, but the gods were smiling on us, and we saw very little. The gardens recently celebrated their fifth anniversary, having opened to the public in 2021. Initially, they expected about 100,000 visitors a year, but that estimate was well exceeded, and they actually have over 500,000. We started the day with a welcome coffee and snack in the visitor’s centre before setting off to explore the many different areas of the gardens. The Weston Walled Garden is a large, beautiful area, so big that you could fit the whole of the Chelsea Flower Show in it! From there, we made our way through all the wooded areas, featuring wonderful flowers and wildlife. We walked around the lake, which led us onto the Yangzhou Scholars Garden, before stopping off for lunch in the Bridgewater cafe. We rounded off our trip in the visitors’ shop, where I bought my customary fridge magnet to remember the day. We’ll certainly go back as there is so much more to see and enjoy in this ever-evolving project.
Nina Slightam
  
  
