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Hillyground Cottage Holidays |
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Self-Catering Holiday Cottages in the Heart of the Blackmore Vale |
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Self-catering holidays in Dorset |
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Abbotsbury Sub Tropical Gardens |
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Abbotsbury Sub Tropical Gardens
Filled with rare and exotic plants from all over the world. A mixture of formal and informal, with charming walled garden walks and spectacular woodland valley views. Magnolia walk and viewing point over the Jurassic Coast.
Distance: 37 miles, about 1.5 hours’ drive
Nearby: Abbotsbury Swannery; Abbotsbury Children’s Farm; Chesil Beach, Weymouth.
Kingston Lacy (NT)
Magnificent country mansion, formal gardens and parkland. Outstanding art collection including Rubens, Van Dyck, Titian and Breughel. Japanese tea garden. Woodland adventure play areas for children.
Distance: 18 miles, about 50 mins’ drive.
Nearby: Wimborne Minster, Badbury Iron Age Hillfort, Badbury Rings.
Stourhead House and Gardens (NT)
The garden was created in the 18th century, a classical landscape with references to heroes and gods of ancient Rome. There is a very pleasant meandering walk around the lake.
The house is a Palladian mansion, filled with Georgian treasures including Chippendale furniture and fine paintings.
Distance: 16 miles, about 30 mins’ drive.
Nearby: Wincanton Races, Shaftesbury.
Tintinhull Garden (NT)
Created around a 17th century manor house, the garden features small pools, varied borders and secluded lawns, all neatly enclosed within walls and clipped hedges. There is also an attractive kitchen garden.
There is an interesting walk around Tintinhull village, and two pubs serving good food.
Distance: 20 miles, about 35 mins’ drive.
Nearby: Yeovil, Montacute House. |
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Others we haven’t visited yet include:
· Bennetts Water Gardens (Weymouth) · Compton Acres (Poole) · East Lambrook Manor Gardens (near Yeovil) · Heale House and Garden (near Salisbury) · Larmer Tree Gardens (near Salisbury) · Lys de Bray’s Garden at Farrs Lodge (Wimborne) · Mapperton Gardens (near Beaminster) · Mompesson House (Salisbury)
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Stourhead: The Pantheon |
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Stourhead: The Palladian Bridge and Flora’s Temple (above) and Spring blooms (below) |
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Montacute House and Garden (NT)
Montacute House is one of the glories of late Elizabethan architecture. Built of local hamstone, it houses fine collections of pictures on loan from the National Portrait Gallery as well as furniture and tapestries. The gardens are mostly formal and there are pleasant walks in the surrounding countryside.
Distance: 22 miles, about 40 mins’ drive.
Nearby: Yeovil, Tintinhull House, Lytes Cary Manor
Lytes Cary Manor House and Garden (NT)
Lytes Cary was the home of the medieval herbalist Henry Lyte. The Manor spans many centuries with a 14th-century chapel and 15th-century Great Hall. The Arts and Craft-style garden is a combination of outdoor rooms, topiary, statues and herbaceous borders.
Distance: 23 miles, about 49 mins’ drive.
Nearby: Yeovil, Montacute House, Tintinull House.
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Montacute House (detail) |
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Montacute House and garden |
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Stapehill Abbey and Gardens
The Abbey buildings date from the early 19th century and house the beautifully restored Nuns’ Chapel and Cloisters and the recreated Victorian parlour and laundry room. The Abbey is surrounded by acres of award-winning gardens. In the courtyard there’s a café offering light lunches and cream teas.
Distance: 23 miles, about 40 mins’ drive.
Nearby: Wimborne, Knoll Gardens, Priest’s House Museum, Kingston Lacy. |
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Stapehill Abbey (above) and Japanese garden (below) |
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Knoll Gardens
Just a few minutes’ drive from Stapehill. Extensive modern planting of perennials and grasses in an informal setting of mature trees and shrubs. Also a Nursery selling a selection of the plants grown in the gardens.
Distance: 23 miles, about 40 mins’ drive. |
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Knoll Gardens |
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Kingston Lacy |
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Athelhampton House and Gardens
Athelhampton is one of the finest 15th century manor houses and is surrounded by one of the great architectural gardens of England. The glorious garden dates from 1891.The walled gardens include the world-famous topiary pyramids, standing over 30 feet high. There are also an Octagonal Garden, a river walk and a 15th century dovecote. The Topiary Restaurant does a good (though not cheap) lunch.
Distance: 20 miles, about 35 mins’ drive.
Nearby: Dorchester. |
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Athelhampton House (above) and Pyramid Garden (below) |
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Dovecote at Athelhampton |
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Spring snowdrops at Kingston Lacy |
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Snape Cottage Plantsman’s Garden
Small English garden with collections of snowdrops, hellebores, old daffodils, pulmonarias, auriculas, hardy geraniums, dianthus, irises and asters.
Distance: 10 miles, about 20 mins’ drive.
Nearby: Stourhead House and Gardens, Gillingham.
Minterne House and Gardens
The Minterne Valley was landscaped in the manner of Capability Brown in the 18th Century. The gardens are laid out in a horseshoe below Minterne House, with a chain of small lakes, waterfalls and streams. They contain a unique collection of Himalayan rhododendrons and azaleas, with spring bulbs, cherries, maples and many fine and rare trees; the garden is noted for its autumn colouring.
Distance: 13 miles, about 20 mins’ drive
Nearby: Cerne Abbas, Dorchester. |
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Spring snowdrops at Snape Cottage |
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Tintinhull Manor House |
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Tintinhull Garden |
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Lytes Cary |
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Minterne Gardens |