Himalayan Garden

On the recommendation of some friends, I made a visit to the rather well-kept secret of the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, up in Nidderdale, near Ripon. It's a 20 acre private woodland garden belonging to Peter and Caroline Roberts. Over the past 20 years they have created, more or less from scratch, a specialist collection of Himalayan rhododendrons and azaleas, along with other plants, trees and sculptures. It is only open to the public for a few weeks in the spring and autumn and is quite hidden away, tucked in a maze of narrow lanes, but it really is a gem of a place. I took loads of photos, though it's one of those places where a photo barely does justice to the scene.

Their rather grand house sits on a hill overlooking the wooded valley, which has several lakes and streams, affording lovely reflections and meandering paths. (The coloured discs, like lily pads, in the lake are a sculpture by Rebecca Newnham - though to be quite honest I thought they rather spoiled the lake! There were many other pieces scattered throughout the garden that I much preferred.)

The garden is still being developed and a large area has recently been planted as an arboretum, with native British trees and some more unusual species. That area runs down the hillside into a rather pretty bluebell wood by a lake.

You can take a virtual tour of the gardens via the website: https://www.himalayangarden.com/garden-sculpture-park/virtual-garden-tour/