On the first Thursday in December, Mum and I went on another trip with our lovely friends from Red Bus Days Out. This time we went to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Harlow Carr Gardens, near Harrogate. We were picked up at half-past three in the afternoon and, although Harlow Carr is only about 25 miles from where we live, it was completely dark by the time we got there.
This was a Good Thing, however, as we weren’t going to look at the pretty plants, but instead were going to see the special illuminations which make the gardens Glow at this time of year – and they wouldn’t have glowed very brightly if we’d arrived there in broad daylight, would they?
The bus dropped us off by the entrance to the gardens, which cover an area of around 68 acres (or 27.5 hectares, if you prefer to be more modern), and we then set off walking, following a one-way system along a well-defined path.
As you can see from Mum’s photos, many of the trees were illuminated in such a way that their trunks and branches really did seem to glow in the darkness and this effect was enhanced by the slight drizzle which kept falling, so that everything was just damp enough to reflect colours. There were also some fabulous figures made out of willow, including some prehistoric monsters. (I also hoped to see some bears, but I was out of luck until we got into the shop on our way out.)
One of the prettiest features is the Streamside Garden, which is one of the longest in the country and runs the full length of Harlow Carr. It’s based around a fast-flowing stream with several little waterfalls and alternate blue and green lights along its banks. Mum was so taken up with it that I’d to remind her we still had other things to see and so, a bit reluctantly, she moved on.
Our next stop was the Alpine House, an 80 foot/24 metre greenhouse standing at the highest point in the gardens and which, as I’m sure you’ll have guessed from its name, is full of Alpine plants which are grown at Harlow Carr. These were also illuminated with different coloured lights, which made them look quite magical.
After that, we went on to the outdoor shop, where lots of Christmas plants such as poinsettias and kalanchoes were on sale, and then we went inside to the gift shop, where we saw the most amazing Christmas tree decorations in the shape of fruit and vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, aubergines, figs, apples and chestnuts. After that we went in to the fabulous bookshop, where Mum had to buy a book about cats, and then on to Betty’s cafe, where Mum just had time for a big cup of coffee and a lovely toasted teacake – which she refused to share with me! – before we went back to the bus.
The only thing we didn’t see was the Hedgehog Friendly Garden, but we decided that by now they’d have probably all gone to sleep for the winter. I’ve heard that a lot of bears also do this, but me and my brothers are too nosy and so we stay awake all year!
Follow my next blog: 015. A TALE FROM CHRISTMAS PAST
06/12/2018
Wilf the bear-faced blogger 