As summer sees many families flock to the coast for fresh air and exercise, those seeking a change of scenery from the sand and sea will find Britain’s coastal gardens offer a beautiful alternative.
1. Coleton Fishacre, Devon
Step back into the opulent Jazz Age of the early 1920s at the D’Oyly Carte family’s country home. Rupert and Lady Dorothy first spotted the ideal site for their rural retreat from their yacht.
Now managed by the National Trust, this estate, built in the Arts & Crafts style with notable Art Deco influences, was chosen by the couple for its suitability to their outdoor lifestyle.
The valley leads down to the sea close to Pudcombe Cove and the house nestles harmoniously in the coastal valley, making the most of the sea views and natural light.
2. Plas Newydd House and Garden, Anglesey, Wales
Situated on the banks of the Menai Strait, this was the ancestral home of Henry Cyril Paget, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey, on whose life the new film Madfabulous is based.
Visitors can enjoy the 40 acres of garden and 129 acres of woodland and parkland, with sloping lawns, huge trees and dazzling borders to discover.
Among the highlights is a five-acre wildflower meadow, home to a huge variety of plants, insects and bird life.
3. Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland
Venture across the causeway to Holy Island and you’ll not only find the castle, but also discover the tranquil summer-flowering garden created by Gertrude Jekyll in 1911 on the site of a vegetable patch that once provided the castle’s soldiers with food, but now displays masses of colourful perennials, heritage vegetables and hardy annuals.
The walled garden is a riot of colour In July and August particularly, with sweet peas filling the garden with a fragrant scent, while tall crimson hollyhock give height to the scene. Admire the lavatera and chrysanthemum fringing the pathways, while in September, gladioli and sedum add to the spectacle.
There are picnic tables, deck chairs and a grassy bank, with views across the sea to the Farne Islands and Bamburgh Castle.
4. South Cliff Gardens, Esplanade, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
If you’re in Scarborough this summer, don’t miss a walk through this coastal garden and woodland, which offers spectacular views and a range of styles as you continue, including Italian Gardens, the Rose Garden and the Prince of Wales Gardens, as well as small pocket parks including the Shuttleworth Gardens.
Designed in the early 20th century, the sheltered Italian Gardens feature formal planting, seating and a fishpond overseen by the Roman god Mercury. There’s also an audio trail featuring real-life love stories connected to the gardens.
5. Prospect Cottage, Kent
Located on the vast shingle beach of Dungeness, sitting alongside the England Coast Path, the former fisherman’s hut was originally purchased by filmmaker and artist Derek Jarman in 1986, and features driftwood sculptures and coastal plants spread out between the cottage and the water’s edge.
It’s less a conventional garden than a work of land art shaped by one of the most austere landscapes in Britain, the ground comprising almost entirely of flint and shingle, where wind, salt spray and drought make conventional gardening nearly impossible.
Together with his long-time companion Keith Collins, Jarman planted species adapted to these conditions – sea kale, sea holly, poppies, santolina, lavender, viper’s bugloss, teasels, euphorbias and hardy grasses – often tucking them into pockets of soil hidden beneath the pebbles. Every successful bloom feels improbable, as though it has wrestled its way from the beach itself.
Driftwood, rusted iron, old tools and weathered timber are just a few of the adornments scattered throughout the garden, as well as shells and stones arranged into spirals and other sculptural forms.
6. Yewbarrow House Gardens, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria
You could be forgiven for thinking you were in warmer Cornwall rather than Cumbria when you explore this colourful four-acre garden filled with exotic and rare plants, with dramatic views over Morecambe Bay.
Highlights include the palm trees, an Edwardian terrace awash with colourful dahlias, echiums and cannas, plus there’s an orangery, a Japanese garden with infinity pool, the Italian terraces and the restored Victorian kitchen garden.
Yewbarrow House Gardens are open 2 August and 6 September for the National Garden Scheme, groups of 10 or more by appointment.
7. Inverewe, Scottish Highlands
Managed by the National Trust for Scotland, this heritage lochside garden on the Atlantic coast is truly special because of its location – the views over the Torridon Hills are awe-inspiring but also rare species thrive in the warmer weather from the Gulf Stream. Here, you’ll encounter red squirrel, red deer, otter, seal and golden eagle, while a walk among the huge Californian redwoods will see you admire a cornucopia of unusual plants from across the globe.
8. Culzean Castle & Country Park, Ayrshire, Scotland
Set on the Ayrshire cliffs, a magnificent cliff-top castle looks down over some 642 acres of woods, beaches, parkland, a deer park and Swan Pond, once the playground of David Kennedy, 10th Earl of Cassillis, keen to show off his wealth and status.
Walk through the 18th century walled garden, one of the largest in Scotland, with its two sections – the pleasure garden and the kitchen garden. As early as the 1730s it was pushing horticultural boundaries, cultivating peaches, nectarines and apricots, and the onion ‘Ailsa Craig’ was bred by a gardener working there in the 1880s.
Today the garden has had a 21st century twist, with the team using a range of horticultural skills from the Victorian age to the present day.
9. Trebah Garden, Cornwall
This wooded 26 acre sub-tropical ravine garden with a coastal backdrop descends to its own beach on the beautiful Helford River.
It offers four miles of footpaths to explore vibrant tunnels of colour cascading down to the secluded beach and in summer the giant gunnera is a must-see.
Look out for ginger lilies in the Water Garden in summer, the huge blooms in Hydrangea Valley, champion trees and a collection of bamboos planted in a maze of paths known as the Bamboozle.
10. Dunster Castle and Watermill, Somerset
Take a stroll in the enchanting gardens at Dunster Castle, which offer dramatic vistas and subtropical gardens.
The Norman castle is sited on a wooded hill and became a lavish country home in the 19th century.
Visitors can explore the tranquil terraced walks featuring garden displays of Mediterranean and rare plants and vibrant borders with stunning views of the Bristol Channel. The calm riverside wooded garden leads to the historic working watermill.
11. Mount Stewart, County Down, Northern Ireland
Enjoy the celebrated gardens surrounding this neo-classical house, which feature a Shamrock Garden, intriguing sculptures and flowering blooms.
Highlights from July to September include a dazzling display of roughly 700 giant Himalayan lilies with three-metre tall flower spikes, as well as masses of oriental flowering lilies.
Wander through the lush tropical display in the Formal Gardens in late summer, admiring sub-tropical displays of the Italian, Spanish and Shamrock Gardens, where bold bananas and canna lilies rub shoulders with giant dahlias and sunflowers, and pots brim with colour.
