Hestercombe and Dunster Castle Gardens

Have been our holiday garden trips though both were suffering in the heat. The hydrangeas at Dunster Castle Gardens today were looking parched and shrivelled. We did Hestercombe yesterday.

I'll upload a few pics tomorrow but the formal gardens at Hestercombe were lovely though I felt some parts of the estate needed some tlc and Dunster Castle grounds and gardens were well worth a visit.

I still find the catering provision poor though. Hestercombe had run out of all kids meals and no cafe at Dunster and the ice creams were too posh! My kids wanted a '99 not a stem ginger and rhubarb tub. What is wrong with a bowl of chips too! :D But we really loved the gardens. The Kids thought Dunster the best as amazing views from the highest gardens.

 

Dunster Gardens from the scaffold.

 

Holy cow, Ziggy!!

 

Scary!

 

Lol Ziggy! T'was high up. Mr Wolfie has fear of heights and was getting all pale and clammy as our kids were leaping at the parapets with excitement! :D The views were stunning.

It's widow twankys laundry here but I'll post some pictures soon.

 

Formal gardens at Hestercombe







And one of the Mill Walk at Dunster - beautiful and leafy on a hot day. Though you can see the plants ddrooping a bit in the heat!




And finally one of my favourite places in the world. Not a garden but the beach at Kilve... where we found many many ammonites in the rocks as always.

 

What a beautiful place!!

 

Not the parapets that I repaired?!

Even I got nervous the first time up that scaffold.



Lovely view from the top. The "Lawns" are where the Dunster Fair is held.

When they built the Castle, the sea came upto the bottom. Since then the land has risen, due to isostatic adjustment.

 

Thats gorgeous Zig.......I'd love to see places like that.

 

Cheers Penny, when I get home i'll put some on a separate thread, didn't mean to Hijack Wolfie's thread, only compliment it with a different perspective

I'd love to see Hestercombe Gardens, only down the road from me but i'm too tight to pay to get in there. Waiting till I get some work there

 

Hijack away Ziggy! I love hearing about places I have been too. Great pics and slightly vertigo inducing!!

 

Ok Wolfie, as long as you don't mind I'll put my full set of Dunster pics with some explainations of whats going on, won't be till later in the week though, working away & just about to loose internet..........

 

isostatic adjustment zig.....??

 

The Island sank with the weight of 2 miles of ice on it. Only been 10,000 years since it melted, we're still pivoting all over the shop. Dunster rose, while the Isle of Wight is sinking.

 

Went there several years ago as we holiday nearby a couple of times a year and when Smiths Crisps were doing a promotion I found some damaged half price multi-packs in Tescos that were also on BOGOF so we had plenty of crisps plus free entry for all of use into Dunster Castle.

I can't find my pics (but I saw my first swallow of the year allong the River Avill which might help narrow it down), nor can I remember what was along that trail - the timber chip paths through the gardens - was it timber scultures or something for else for children to look out for?