Saturday 30 August 2014

The Alnwick Garden....

***This blog post is quite bit picture heavy......I'm not apologizing....I took over 300 photos so have done well to whittle them down to about 50.....hehehe***

We visited The Alnwick Garden on Wednesday and had a fantastic day.....I traded my Nectar points in and for £10 worth of them I got a family ticket which would of cost £33....

The Alnwick Garden is one of the world’s most ambitious gardens. The Duchess of Northumberland’s vision for a forgotten plot is now a truly 21st century experience full of imagination, inspiration and fun. The Garden is a space designed to be enjoyed by all your senses, with a collection of over 4,000 plant varieties to discover, thousands of seasonal blooms and countless opportunities to get wet and play in The Garden’s water sculptures. 

What to see.

Ornamental Garden - Home to one of the country's largest collections of European plants in striking geometric beds.
Grand Cascade - Marvel at the scale of the Grand Cascade, and take in the spectacular half-hourly displays.
Serpent Garden - Wind your way through the Serpent Garden's sinuous topiary to find the water features hidden in its coils.
Rose Garden - Discover the riotous colours and delicate scents of the Rose Garden, with over 3000 David Austin Roses.
Poison Garden - Explore what lies beyond the locked gates of the Poison Garden.
Roots and Shoots Garden - Get your hands dirty, learn about the growing techniques in use and take a peek at our beehives.
Cherry Orchard - Over 300 Tai Haku cherry trees underplanted with 50,000 Purple Sensation Alliums.
Woodland Walk - Take a walk through the beautiful Woodland Walk, and see if you can spot any of the resident red squirrels.
Pavilion - The Pavilion gives a beautiful panorama of The Garden and is home to the Pavilion Café.

When we got there the queue to get in was long.....Luckily for us a guy came round asking if we had e-vouchers or paid passes we can skip the queue and just get them checked and go straight in....Hooray! 


We decided to sit down and eat our food first.....What an experience.....The girls were running back wards and forwards to the amazing water fountains and the ducks decided to join us.....lol They were brave.....Snapping up Ellie's sandwich out of her hand.....Becky's crisps and pecking at all the cake packets.....I couldn't move for laughing.....

After we'd eaten we went exploring.....There is so much to see.....I'm not into plants and flowers at all but I found it interesting and a lot of fun! All the way around the gardens there are pools and cascades of water.....The girls were in them any chance they got.....




 We must have walked for miles....Not once did the girls complain. There were plenty of seats to have a rest and unusual things to see....


 After a couple of hours we decided we needed a toilet break....It took a while to find them as they are not signposted....We found some in the cafe eventually. I wasn't to impressed with them....I know it was busy but the sanitry bins were over flowing and there was toilet rolls scattered about the floor....I thought at a place like this the toilets would be better maintained....


After walking through the Cafe I smelt the coffee and needed one. We took a pit stop...2 lattes, 2 doughnuts and 2 slices of cake was £22.80!! What!! I was quite shocked at the price....I'm so glad we had taken our own food to fill up on....Goodness knows what four meals would cost....There was plenty of seating around the cafe...More than was needed which was a good thing.

As we were walking around the gardens we had noticed a section of water fountains and pools which children could play in....Ellie was so keen to get in these....Ellie has a thing about water and absolutely loves it. She was in her element....Becky not so much she loves the water but thought it was too cold....I had packed a change of clothes and a towel but didn't think about taking swimming costumes....Jeans and t-shirts were the girls splashing attire....hehehe



They had a fantastic time.....They got changed into their dry clothes behind a bush...I think that is what Alnwick Garden is missing....Somewhere to get dry and changed espcially for older kids who are shy of flashing their bum to the world....lol.

A few things I noticed....

There are no litter bins....If there are they are well hidden....Considering there are a lot a people visiting bringing picnics they would come in very handy....but on the other hand I never saw any litter laying about either....

There are a lot of wasps and bees but they are not like normal one's....You just brush them away and they take the hint....
You are allowed to feed the ducks but they are like locusts....Feed one and they all come running!
A change of clothes is vital if you have kids who like water...
The cafe is expensive but the little Ice-cream stall outside is not....
We found the toilets outside the actual entrance....They could do with being signposted more....
There are plenty of staff walking about which I found reassuring....

We had an amazing day out and will visit again...It is a fantastic family day out....Even if you are not a garden/flower lover there is a lot more too it than that.....

I was not prompted to write this.....I just wanted to share our amazing day!!

46 comments :

  1. I would have found it very difficult choosing only 50 photos from 300 especially with all that fun that was had! #countrykids

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  2. This looks like a beautiful place to visit, silly prices for the coffees though!

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    1. Glad I'm not the only one to think so...hehehe
      Thank you.

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  3. Yes the loo situation is annoying - we climbed all the way to the top then 3yo decided he needed to go - they aren't even signposted on map. Was a bit annoying them being in basement of cafe. I agree with bin situation too - we took a picnic and ended up having to carry rubbish around with us. Despite all of this though I absolutely adore Alnwick garden and will be back next year xx

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    1. Yes despite the little niggles I had we will be going back next year this time taking swimming costumes....It is an amazing place!

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  4. What a thorough review. Sounds amazing - and we LOVE water. It is a shame about the toilets. I expect places to be expensive for food and drink so always take our own. I guess from a zero waste prospective I am glad there's not bins but do know what you mean.

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    1. Thank you! It was amazing! Even with the little things I didn't like we will be going back.

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  5. I can easily see why you took so many photos, what a beautiful place to visit with plenty of variety in the different areas of garden. I love the idea of the water features and that the children can play in them too. Thanks for linking up and sharing with Country Kids.

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    1. Thank you for hosting....I got so carried away taking photos but it's all great memories of our day x

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  6. What a lovely looking place to visit, I'd be annoyed about the toilets though, I NEED to know where they are (I'm old with five kids!) Loved all of your photos :)

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    1. It is gorgeous!
      All that water was making me need the toilet even more....lol

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  7. Sounds like you had a great time and the photos look good. Always difficult to whittle them down! Also great that you were able to trade for Nectar points :) #WeekendBlogHop

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    1. We did, thank you!
      Nectar points are brilliant...

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  8. Wow those fountains and the ice-creams look amazing, but the price of the drinks and cake seems a bit steep, but nothing a home made picnic can't solve. The photos are awesome.

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    1. Thank you! Just about everything was amazing! The ice cream was so good.

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  9. Aww I LOVE the Alnwick Garden, I can't wait to take the little one when she's a bit older. I'd have fainted at the price of your coffee and cake though!!! x

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    1. It is such a great place.....Taking a flask would be advisable....hehehe

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  10. It seems that food in places like this are always ridiculously priced! Love the photos, especially the photo fountains

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  11. Looks like an amazing day! Thanks for the tips, too :)

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  12. This wonderful place looks right up our street, especially the Poison Garden and water fountains. Looks like you all has a fab day #countrykids

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  13. Looks like a great day. Love that the wasps were well trained lol.

    And kids and water...they just love it. N would have been in there too!

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    1. hehehe They were the friendliest wasps ever! I never thought I'd ever say that about a wasp. lol x

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  14. That looks like a wonderful place to explore, I think a lot of places are not having bins to try to persuade people to take their littler away with them.

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    1. It was wonderful!
      Yes I think that's the case with the bins.....Would of still been nice to have them though.

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  15. We went earlier in the month and have been many times before. We've always taken our own food in and eaten at the tables in the Treehouse because the prices are sky high. You're right about the bins. Later in the day we sat down on the main lawn and had some fruit. I couldn't find a bin anywhere and ended up putting the satsuma peel in my pocket! I've always used the loos downstairs in the Pavillion cafe which has sinks which light up! Strangely they are situated just round the corner from the other loos. Considering the size of the site they could do with some more around the garden.

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    1. Those sinks were awesome....lol I wanted a photo but the toilets were just so busy....heheheh

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  16. It sounds like a beautiful garden to visit. I love plants. Definitely a sign of a good day out, when it takes so long to whittle the photos down! #CountryKids

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    1. I have never been one for plants but had a great time.....hehehe
      Thank you x

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  17. Ooh I hate it when things like that are overpriced, we all know how much these things cost! Looks like a lovely day other than that though and those ice creams were humungous! #countrykids

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    1. The ice creams were great & only cost about £3 each! Bargain!
      Thank you x

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  18. Looks like you all had a brilliant day! your girls are beautiful! x

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  19. This looks like a fab place to visit and it certainly looks like you all enjoyed yourselves. Brilliant tips for people that haven't visited before too. Oh and never apologise for too many photos!

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    1. I always worry about putting too many photos on thinking people will get bored....Thank you for the reassurance! x

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  20. Can I admit that I love post when they have photos! Just so easier to read for me! What a lovely day and what a love place =) Really cheaper too to get the tickets online beforehand rather than at the gate! #countrykids

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  21. Wow at the price of coffee and cake! I would have had a big shock. Lovely surroundings though.

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    1. I know....I think I might of said "What the hell" out loud....lol

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  22. What a beautiful place to visit! Stunning

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  23. Great review, I just love Alnwick garden it is so beautiful x

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  24. This looks fabulous. I love gardens and this one sounds amazing! Love all your photos :) #CountryKids

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  25. Sorry for the late comment, having a Saturday morning blog catch up! I dread to think how many photos I'd have taken, it looks a splendid place despite the little annoyances. Lovely :)

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