Inverewe Garden – A Gulf Stream Garden on Loch Ewe
A few hours.
The route
Inverewe Garden grows on a rocky headland above Loch Ewe, where Osgood Mackenzie began planting on bare rock in 1862.
The Gulf Stream lets plants from much warmer places thrive this far north. Paths wind through woodland to the walled garden, the lily ponds, viewpoints and a little jetty on the loch.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
Poolewe
A wander through the woodland paths to the walled garden and out to the jetty, as long or as short as the weather allows.
About two and a half hours
Inverewe Garden
An attraction
Inverewe Garden is on the A832 just north of Poolewe, and the car park is right outside the visitor centre, with limited spaces. It opens every day until 31 October. From November to March it closes at 3pm and may open only on some days of the week, so check the National Trust for Scotland's Inverewe page for the winter days before going. There's an entry charge, free to Trust members. You're given a map on arrival: follow it through the sheltering woods to the walled garden, the lily ponds, the viewpoints and the wee jetty. In the walled garden are willow figures of Osgood Mackenzie and his daughter. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the garden itself, but dogs are welcome on the Pinewood Trail, a 45-minute loop on the estate, and there's a dog-walking area beside the car park. The restaurant serves soup, sandwiches and cakes into the autumn; in winter it may be shut, so bring a flask.
If it rains
The garden is outdoors; in rain keep to the woodland paths, which are the most sheltered, and the visitor centre is by the car park.
Photographs by Carsten Seick and Karin Rosenau via Google