Aberglasney Coach Trip

Never one to sit still, after returning from the Cotswolds Trips Secretary Elizabeth was back on the bus within a matter of weeks! The Society`s summer trip, on the 19th July, was to Aberglasney Gardens, situated near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire.

Aberglasney was made famous by the BBC television series `A Garden Lost in Time` which followed its restoration. Today it is quite simply one of Wales` finest gardens, and at its heart lies a fully restored Elizabethan Cloister Garden that is the only surviving example of its kind in the UK today.

There are 10 acres of over 20 different garden styles to explore, from formal to woodland, right through to exotic and modern. The gardens change with the seasons to showcase a wealth of flowers and trees. At the centre of the mansion you will find a `Ninfarium`, Aberglasney`s award winning sub-tropical indoor garden, where plants grow amongst the ruinous remains. The Kitchen garden is one of the most functional at Aberglasney and is filled with fruit and vegetables, as well as a large variety of cut flowers. The Rose garden is planted to ensure a long flowering season, with 3 different varieties on the same pillar – 1 vigorous variety that flowers once, another early flowering variety and a third which is repeat flowering. Sweet peas are added for further scent and colour. The rose wall is 100m long and planted with 30 varieties of beautiful roses.

A meadow surrounding a quaint little stream offers a contrasting experience to the more formal areas. The meadow is not natural but has been cultivated over several years. The Stream garden runs into a woodland area. The Sunken garden has a water feature at its centre, and while the evergreen planting remains true to the original vision, the new planting adds vibrancy and colour throughout the seasons. The Upper walled garden emerged from a sea of overgrowth and is now a beautifully planted area with yew cones throughout and masses of large groups of colourful, hardy perennials.

No trip to Aberglasney is complete without a visit to the tearooms overlooking the Pool Garden, where you will find the most delicious homemade, freshly prepared lunches and cakes.

Thankyou to everyone who joined us on the trip, and to Pencoed Travel, in particular Dave our driver who takes us everywhere!!

Our Autumn trip is to the Malvern Show at the Three Counties Showground on Sunday 27th September. For those who have put their name down already, payment needs to be made asap to secure your place - your place is not confirmed until monies have been received!

Tickets are still available, please contact Elizabeth on 07786 846825 if you'd like to join us.