This February we made sure to visit the magical snowdrops once again at Painswick Rococo Gardens. An enjoyable 30 minutes drive through the rolling Stroud valleys takes you to this 18th century garden where blankets of snowdrops cover the ground for the whole month of February usually. It’s been estimated there are around 5 million individual flowers which makes for quite the romantic experience! You can easily lose an hour or two just wandering through the winding paths, stopping at the points of interest dotted throughout this enchanting garden and snapping some amazing flower power photos. There is a fun maze to follow which proves very popular with the kids and adults alike, we had lots of fun getting lost in it for a good 15 minutes. If only we had gone to the viewpoint from above beforehand to do some research! If you time your visit in the afternoon, the head gardener has a short 15 minute talk at 2:30pm each day on the history of the garden and tells you some interest facts about the snowdrops on show there. For any home gardeners too he is certainly a fountain of knowledge and we learnt a thing or two that will help us with our snowdrop collections back at the lake.
The history of Painswick Rococo Gardens…
Painswick Garden dates back to the mid 18th century when gardens were being created as theatrical sets in which guest would be entertained and where surprises and flamboyant eccentricities would be met at every turn. Like many of the great English gardens, Painswick was left unmaintained during the two World Wars and consequently became overgrown and partially lost. Subsequently the garden has been set up as a charity and has been carefully restored using a painting dating back to 1748 by the local artist Thomas Robins.
A full day exploring the Cotswolds…
After exploring for an hour or two there’s a great gift shop with an array of Cotswold foods and crafts. Make sure to stop also at the light filled café bustling with visitors enjoying a slice of cake and a cup of steaming tea. Where possible, ingredients come from the Kitchen Garden on site which is a nice bonus. If you are staying with us for a weekend in the Cotswolds, head to Painswick on a Saturday and travel via Stroud Farmers Market. This renowned award winning market runs from 9:00am-midday on Saturday mornings and is a great place to pick up Cotswold delicacies from the passionate producers themselves. Don’t be put off by the long que for the Pippin Doughnuts stand – they are very much worth the wait! On your way back from Painswick there are lots of great walks and villages to explore – head to our ‘Ultimate Guide to the Cotswolds‘ for more info on things to do in this beautiful area.
Travel details: Painswick Rococo Gardens are open every day from 10.30am-5pm. Their postcode is GL6 6TH and there is easy parking on site. Well behaved dogs are welcome in the gardens too so it’s a great place for dog friendly days out in the Cotswolds.