Threave Garden – The Gardeners' Garden
A few hours.
The route
Threave Garden is where the National Trust for Scotland trains its gardeners.
It's laid out as a string of smaller gardens, each in its own style, around a Victorian house, with views over the Galloway hills and a nature reserve beyond. It's an easy few hours, with a café for lunch.
The day
Threave
A slow wander from one garden room to the next, with lunch in the café. Bring a jacket for the views over the estate.
About two and a half hours
Threave Garden and Nature Reserve
An attraction
Threave Garden is a National Trust for Scotland garden on the edge of Castle Douglas, postcode DG7 1RX, with parking at the visitor centre. The garden, café, visitor centre and shop open every day from 10am to 5pm; the Trust's Threave Garden page has the season's dates, so check there before going. There's a charge to visit, and members of the Trust go free. The garden has been made over the years by the students of the Trust's School of Heritage Gardening, here since 1960. It's laid out as smaller gardens in different styles, among them a rose garden, a rockery and a walled garden. Threave House, built in the Scottish Baronial style in 1871, stands at the centre. Volunteers open the house, so it may not always be open: ring 01556 502575 if you want to see inside. Beyond the garden, ospreys hunt over the estate's wetlands in summer, and pink-footed geese spend the winter there. Lunch is in the café, and there's an outdoor play area for children.
If it rains
The garden is outdoors; on a wet day the café is the place to warm up between showers. Bring a waterproof.
Where to eat
Streetlights Coffee House, a café in Castle Douglas.
Designs Gallery and Cafe, a café in Castle Douglas.
Photographs by anthony bowers and Pau B via Google