#glenwhan gardens

[scots-gallivanter]

TWELVE

I spied a rickety ladder leading up to the loft. Climbing up, I found myself looking out of a broken skylight at the vast expanse of Luce Bay with the Mull of Galloway stretching into the distance. I shouted down to Bill: ‘This is where we are going to live.’

TESSA KNOTT SINCLAIR, owner of Glenwhan Gardens

NATURE PROBABLY INTENDED the Mull of Galloway to be an island but decided against it at the last minute. This lofty, precipitous headland, landlocked by an isthmus, is none the worse for it, however. It has a rare island feel about it that switches clock time off, so that a watch means as much as a hill of beans. Even the onomatopoeic placenames may soothe: Mary Wilson’s Slunk, Sheep Hank, Stinking Bight, Nick of Kingdom, Lagantulluch, Muldaddie, Cairnie Finnart, Scarty Head and Killantringan. We tramp the beach at West Tarbet, only a few hundred yards from East Tarbet, although the two might be on different planets. On the west we have sheer cliffs hammered by waves, while East Tarbet is less dramatic and greener.

On the eastern side, on Mull farm, at the foot of a cliff that faces Luce Bay, is the oldest ecclesiastical building in Galloway, the medieval Chapel of St Medana, partly built out of a cave. Nearby are the Chapel wells, which are filled with sea water at high tide. Bathing in them as the sun rose on the first Sunday of May was considered a cure-all. Most of the parishioners would congregate there on ‘Co Sunday’ to bathe and leave gifts.

We fall in with David Green, an engineer, who is wild-camping on the western shore, and scuba diving. Disarmingly, he introduces himself as ‘a spectrum dweller’ and brings me back up to speed with our slipshod times: ‘There are so many idiots coming up from the northeast to fish off the rocks here. The first thing they do is build a fire and get their carry outs out. We had them here last night. At four in the morning the wind blew their pop-up tent down, so they just burned it. It has got really bad the last few years. They leave their mess everywhere.’

We discuss jetsam that was battered into a slippery crag years ago. David, who has dived around here for years, knows about it: a gigantic, rusting gas heat-exchanger, which fell off a ship some 15 years ago and has been left for the archaeologists of a future time to fight over, to supplement the wreck of a tanker that ran aground in gales near Killantringan lighthouse in 1982 and still sits, half-submerged.

We are at the southern end of the Rhins of Galloway, that 25-mile-long hammerhead peninsula you see on maps of western Scotland. The Rhins itself would have been an island but for the flat throat of land near Stranraer. The Mull, half a mile at the most from the tarbets, is where the peninsula juts into the Irish Sea: Scotland’s Land’s End, crowned by a lighthouse built by Robert Louis Stevenson’s grandfather in 1830. Today we haven’t the foggiest where the lighthouse is. It’s pea soup: visibility is down to the length of your shadow. On a clear day there are spectacular views of Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Cumbria, and you can see thousands of gannets diving on the cliffs. The RSPB has a nature reserve there and porpoises and dolphins often swim in the sea below. Way beneath the lighthouse the currents of the Solway and the Clyde meet in a maelstrom. From what I hear a Galloway 'witch', spurned by a sailor, wove nine tides to entrap him at the Mull. But the sailor heard about her spell and always lugged his boat over the tarbet. He was never doomed but the spell is still in place today.

Creepier still is the true tale of three lighthouse keepers who vanished from their post at the remote Flannan islands in 1900. Their disappearance remains one of the most puzzling enigmas in maritime history. The unsolved mystery was the basis for The Vanishing, a 2018 film, starring Peter Mullan and Gerard Butler, much of which was shot at the Mull and up the western crags of the Rhins. The crew tidied the old lighthouse garden. With wood left over from the set, volunteers built raised beds and restored it to its former glory.

The Mull of Galloway became a public asset thanks to £300,000 from the Scottish Land Fund in 2013. The sale from the Northern Lighthouse Board included a community-run lighthouse museum, three letting cottages, coastal heathland and cliffs – not the lighthouse itself, whose foghorn has been painstakingly restored to functional order.

Picture-postcard Portpatrick was also the subject of a community buyout. It is the main village on the west coast of the Rhins with its pastel houses running down to a small harbour with a multitude of boats. There is a local tradition, but no documentary evidence to support it, that Peter the Great lodged overnight here in 1698.

A ferry service ran from Portpatrick to Donaghadee (the Dover of Ireland) on the coast of County Down for some 300 years until 1867. At its peak 80,000 people a year sailed the route. But strong westerly winds took their toll on Portpatrick pier. Traffic switched to the longer but safer route along Loch Ryan, from Stranraer to Larne. And in 1871 the lighthouse at Portpatrick was removed stone by stone and shipped to Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

On July 3rd, 1834, the Caledonian Mercury wrote of an entrepreneur who dived for sunken treasures between Portpatrick and the Irish coast, describing it as 'a remarkable instance of ingenuity and enterprise': a new apparatus that allowed men to walk on the seabed: 'The people on the coast, envying him his rich harvest, have come off in boats and impeded his labour by throwing stones and other missiles, to his vexation, annoyance and interruption.'

The Mercury added: 'He employs several men, who descend in turn - can stay five hours at a time with the utmost ease, as a proof of which we have heard it said, that one of the divers who was tipsy the day before, on going down yielded to a propensity to sleep, and a companion had to descend to raise him from his slumbers.'

In 2007 the private owners of Portpatrick harbour applied to build a 57-berth marina and pontoons, but the council deemed it ‘completely inappropriate for the conservation of the area’. Locals formed a trust, and by 2012 they bought the harbour for £350,000.

South of Portpatrick (where the Southern Upland Way begins) there are umpteen caves and indentations. William Purves, a Victorian traveller, clown and strongman, shunned the world for Sheep Rink cave. There are two photographs of this hirsute hermit, in one of which he is holding a cup in his left hand and what looks like a kebab in his right but is probably a good helping of bannock. He did odd jobs for farmers and, ever the performer, sold postcards of himself. He even had a cave visitors’ book. As he got older, he flitted into a summerhouse near Ardwell before ending his days in the poorhouse in Stranraer.

The gulf stream warms the Rhins, and at Port Logan Botanic Gardens, there are groves of gunnera and eucalyptus, and numerous plants from Australasia, the Americas, and Southern Africa. These gardens famously doubled as Christopher Lee’s in The Wicker Man.

Walk along Luce Sands on a hot day and you could, if you’re a dreamer, imagine yourself in the Caribbean. The beach, which unknown copywriters dubbed ‘Scotland’s little secret’, is sweeping, long, shallow and gorgeously situated. At low tide you could walk the six miles between Sandhead and Ringdoo Point along sand. Its dunes made it an official Special Conservation Area, but, as usual along south-west Scotland, there is a caveat.

Yes. War games and the physics of death again. Red lines on the map. Danger Area. West Freugh has had a military presence of some sort or another since the First World War. Now the MoD is considering the 800-acre site for a UK deep space monitoring station. It is already a land and sea, weapons testing and training base. (In April 1957, a UFO was seen on radar 50,000 feet above RAF West Freugh. It was stationary for around 10 minutes and then took an impossibly sharp turn. It was described as being as large as a ship, and bigger than a normal aircraft. )

Fifty years ago, nearby Glenwhan was wild moorland, but it is now an impressive garden with plants from around the world: a slice of heaven, with winding paths, tasteful sculptures, tranquil ponds, and wonderful sea views. Hungry for sandeels, kittiwakes breeze down the coast, and terns steer east. Tessa Knott and Ian Sinclair bought Glenwhan over the telephone in 1971 after exploring Galloway ruins during a visit.

Now many years on, the garden they created is, I would agree with Tessa, ‘a small piece of Nature’s magnificence’.

[w186]

[margaretshawartwork]

Goodbye Galloway

My time in this lovely area has come to an end.  Days have been spent wandering the coastline and evenings watching the sun descend.

Wide spaces have allowed me to play with panoramas.

The Glenwhan Gardens were spectacular in the sunshine.

And a few sketches of places have been made along the way.

[glenwhangardens-blog]

Wildlife Trust 30 Days Wild 2017 Glenwhan Gardens is fully behind The Wildlife Trust with it's campaign 30 Days Wild. Plan one of your days by coming to the gardens here at Glenwhan.

[williamemcknight]

Scotland festival celebrates rhododendrons – it’s ‘second national flower’

Gardens and horticultural businesses throughout Scotland are taking part in a nationwide celebration of Scotland’s “second national flower” – the rhododendron.

Organised by Discover Scottish Gardens and supported for the first time this year by VisitScotland, the Scottish Rhododendron Festival runs until 31 May. It incorporates a number of existing festivals and events as well as highlights other public spaces where visitors can enjoy the spectacular blooms.

Coming hot on the heels of the increasingly popular Scottish Snowdrop Festival, the Scottish Rhododendron Festival (1 April – 31 May) includes public gardens, castle grounds and estates from Dumfries & Galloway up to the Highlands.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye and the National Trust for Scotland’s Branklyn Garden in Perthshire are some of the top visitor attractions taking part.

A host of gardens in the west of Scotland that make up the Glorious Gardens of Argyll & Bute, including Benmore Botanic Garden, Glenarn, Arduaine and Ardkinglas Gardens, are also participating.

The festival was launched by the Glorious Gardens of Argyll & Bute in 2015. After a successful first year, Discover Scottish Gardens extended the festival across the country and, in 2017, nearly 60 Scottish sites, including public and private gardens, are taking part. They will be offering horticultural events, guided tours and exclusive openings in celebration of this exotic Asian spring shrub that thrives so well in Scotland.

From the ancient Greek for “rose” and “tree”, there are more than 1,000 species of rhododendron, which are famous for their vibrant colours. More than half of the participants are opening their gardens to raise money for national charity organisation Scotland’s Gardens.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said: “Given the enormous popularity of the Scottish Snowdrop Festival over the last decade, it is only natural that our magnificent public gardens should celebrate the rhododendron. We hope people of all ages will be inspired to get out and about to enjoy these colourful, vibrant flowers around some of Scotland’s most stunning gardens and estates.

“Many of the Scottish Rhododendron Festival locations are within the grounds of some of Scotland’s most historic buildings. Such buildings are a perfect fit for Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. From World Heritage sites to ancient monuments, cultural traditions to our myths, stories and legends, the year-long programme will shine the spotlight on our greatest assets and icons, as well as our hidden gems.”

Kenneth Cox, gardener, plant hunter and rhododendron specialist at Glendoick Gardens in Perth, said: “This year’s rhododendron season is off to a great start with many gardens full of rhododendron colour already.

“Some might say the rhododendron is Scotland’s second national flower. Although they don’t originate in Scotland, rhododendrons are very much at home here. In fact Scotland is one of the places where woodland gardening with rhododendrons was invented. Hundreds of spectacular species thrive here and create stunning displays.

“Some of the most stunning displays can be found in the North at Inverewe and Attadale Gardens, Central Scotland boasts Glendoick Gardens and Branklyn, while the south has Dawyck, Glenwhan, Castle Kennedy and Logan. That said, spectacular collections can be seen the length and breadth of the country.”

Many of the rhododendron sites across Scotland are members of Discover Scottish Gardens, which launched in 2015 with help from the VisitScotland Growth Fund. The organisation aims to put Scottish gardens, nurseries and garden related businesses on the tourism map and to showcase the nation’s outstanding horticulture and plant diversity. For more information, visit www.discoverscottishgardens.org.

  To see the full list of participating gardens in the Scottish Rhododendron Festival, go to www.visitscotland.com/bloom

[glenwhangardens-blog]

See our Video

Before planning a visit to Glenwhan Gardens get a taste of what to expect by watching our video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHb2PHnxzgk

[glenwhangardens-blog]

IDS tour 2017 comes to Glenwhan

IDS tour 2017 comes to Glenwhan

International Dendrology Society garden tour 2017 paid a visit to Glenwhan Gardens on Monday the 29th of May. Glenwhan Gardens founder Tessa Knott leads IDS 2017 tour of south-west Scottish gardens. Here they are at the viewpoint overlooking the gardens. Tessa and staff laid on a wonderful lunch in the marquee which was freshly prepared in out very own tearoom.           And all topped off with…

[glenwhangardens-blog]

Shepherd’s Hut now open for bookings at Glenwhan Glenwhan Gardens now has a Shepherds Hut open for bookings. The Hut has stunning views of Glenluce Bay and the rest of the gardens.

[glenwhangardens-blog]

Morning Sunlight Caught this shot of the sun streaming through the trees around 'The Dell' at Glenwhan Gardens. Nice touch of Autumnal colour to start the day with!

[glenwhangardens-blog]

Dragonfly Pond, Glenwhan Looking out onto the Dragonflies' favourite pond at Glenwhan.

[glenwhangardens-blog]

Autumn Shades at Glenwhan A glimpse of one of our sculptures at Glenwhan Gardens, behind the reeds.

[glenwhangardens-blog]

Autumn Shades Butter coloured leaves of Acer laxiflorum early Autumn display, should have more depth of colour soon. Weather marvellous, cold by crisp!

[glenwhangardens-blog]

Theatre Group Wanted! Theatre Group Wanted For Glenwhan Are you a performing Theatre Group? Then you might be who we are looking for.

[glenwhangardens-blog]

Azalea ‘Megan’ Azalea 'Megan' at Glenwhan Gardens, summer 2016.

[glenwhangardens-blog]

New Habitat For Bees New Habitat For Bees Making a new habitat for bees here at Glenwhan. The colonies are moving in soon with the help and advice of a local bee-keeper.

[glenwhangardens-blog]

Water Lilies On The Lochs Water Lilies on the lochs today, a splash of colour, always a good thing!