Our visit to Rydal Hall and Holehird was a very wet affair this year with true Lakeland weather.

We were met at Rydal Hall by the head gardener Ian Turnbull, who directed us into a very grand room in the main hall to be regaled with tea, coffee and an assortment of home made cakes, an excellent start to the day!

While we ate, Ian gave us a comprehensive history of the house and then a tour of the gardens. Once owned by the leFleming family for more than 400years it began life as a farm house and was expanded in the 17th century.

At the beginning of the 20th century Thomas Mawson a famous landscape architect was commissioned to create the Italianate terraces which sweep down from the house.

It was Mawson who used a form of pre cast concrete to make the balustrades and urns for the house. The hey-day of the house lasted until the Second World War when the house and gardens fell into disrepair.

In September 2005 work to restore the gardens to their former glory was started. Fortunately many of the original moulds for the urns and finials have been found and the house and gardens are gradually coming to life.

This is a garden to watch! The hard landscaping is now complete and new planting is very much in evidence.

Both the walk to view the waterfall and also the tranquil garden which contains sculptures are recommended.

Further information can be found at the Visit Cumbria website.

After a break for lunch and a visit to a garden centre in Grasmere we proceeded to Holehird, the showcase gardens of the Lakeland Horticultural Society. Fantastic! A complete contrast to the morning’s garden and a plantsman’s paradise.

Our two very knowledgeable guides showed us around and it even stopped raining. Holehird Gardens have interests for all seasons and hold the National Collections for Astilbe, Meconopsis and Polystichum. There is also a substantial Hydrangea collection.

As well as the outstanding Lakeland scenery, there is so much to see here a visit is really recommended!