Benmore Botanic Gardens

Heavens above!  I hadn’t realised it has been so long since I wrote about the Gaelic Mod!  Life is just so full of busy!

Well then, after the massed choirs event in Dunoon, Rena and I headed off in the car alongside Holy Loch and on to Benmore Gardens, one of three outlying gardens of the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens.  Parking the car in the carpark we were already being treated to the beautiful colours of autumn, and sitting in the tearoom having a bowl of soup for lunch we could see  more of the colours waiting for us in the gardens.

It was a lovely afternoon, as we walked towards the bridge over the river, the Eachaig, and into the gardens, with views of the hills round about.

 

 

 

 

There were lots of reds and yellows in the trees and bushes, and a fair scattering of russets and browns too.   It was just beautiful!  There was so much to see, but we didn’t have time to get all round the gardens.  The pond wasn’t so far from the entrance, so we walked round it, stopping to look at the water and the reflections. 

We even spotted tadpoles - really!  I took a photo to prove it!!   The water’s not too clear but you can see two of them. I’ve tried to find out about tadpoles still alive in the middle of October – with no success!  We tend to see them in springtime rather than autumn. 

 From the point where we saw the tadpoles we could look on to the island   another mass of reds and yellows – and across the loch to the fountain – a boy and a dolphin.  Very cute!

Further round the loch a rustic wooden bridge led to the island which of course we were interested enough to cross. and of course we could look through branches to the fountain again.

I just couldn’t get the exact view I wanted. Even just a step to the left, and the tree trunk blocked the view of the fountain altogether.

In the other direction the reflections were  beautiful.

Then we took the path to through the trees to reach the large castellated house called Benmore Lodge, an “outdoor training centre” for school children.  They go rafting, hillwalking, orienteering, rock climbing, canoeing… but their accommodation is in the splendid looking castle.

From the track we had just followed, other tracks led off, some going uphill for great views of the Benmore Estate no doubt, but time was pressing on and we still had a couple of hours of homeward journey to go once we took the ferry from Hunters Quay to Gourock, so we crossed in front of the Lodge and followed the path , past more autumnal trees, and past steps to higher points of the gardens, back to the entrance.    

We were in dire need of a thirst-quenching and warming cup of tea by this time, so headed once more for the tearoom and a quick cuppa.  Then it was time to leave.  We were in good time for the next ferry across a very calm Firth of Clyde, and before we knew it we were back on the road through Greenock and Port Glasgow to re-cross the River Clyde by the Kingston Bridge and continue on our way through Glasgow on the motorway back to Edinburgh.

What a good day we had had!

Talk again soon.