Where seeing is believing

There are gardens and there are gardens. Then there are the gardens at Burton Agnes Hall, a beautiful Elizabethan pile not far from Driffield on the road to Bridlington. I would gladly forego a stroll on the sands and an ice-cream with the donkeys if it meant I could spend an afternoon either ambling or sitting quietly among what have to be some of the finest gardens in Yorkshire if not the whole of England.

I do not exaggerate. These gardens are special. Very special. They have won a top award. Which makes them very, very special. Apart from the lawns and topiary, the woodland walk with its amusing sculptures, the classical pond and fountain, there are what I call the true gardens – places to sit, to snooze, to read, to wander, to enjoy the scents and sights and colours.

The superb and atmospheric walled garden is packed with plants – from vegetables to roses, delphiniums to herbs. Then there are a multitude of smaller, themed gardens – white, yellow blue, red, all of which are wonders in their own right. Seeing is believing.

For more information, visit www.burtonagnes.com or phone

01262 490324.

YP MAG 7/8/10