The Alnwick Garden Reviews (Alnwick, England)

The Festival of Fools

Huddersfield, United Kingdom

February 10, 2013

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Best of IgoUgo One of the things we had arranged for our New Year trip to the North East of England were tickets to Alnwick Garden’s Festival of Fools at £12.50 a person. The Festival of Fools is open for a few weeks up until New Year, and I presume will be on ...Read more One of the things we had arranged for our New Year trip to the North East of England were tickets to Alnwick Garden’s Festival of Fools at £12.50 a person. The Festival of Fools is open for a few weeks up until New Year, and I presume will be on again at the end of 2013.

I'm guessing it is a good way for the trustees of Alnwick Gardens (founded by the wife of the Duke of Northumberland) to keep the garden as a paying attraction in the winter months. The tickets were provided in half hour time slots so as to ensure the Festival of Fools did not get too busy. I seem to remember that the festival runs from about 6pm to 9pm or so. I advise you book for the event ahead as it is a pound or so cheaper if you do, and you might find you have quite a wait if you simply turn up expecting entrance.

Alnwick Gardens are adjacent to Alnwick Castle and were originally developed for the first Duke in 1750 by Capability Brown, but in recent years they have been extensively enhanced and re-landscaped by the current Duke’s wife. You can often see her sitting in a dumper truck shifting soil and rocks around. OK OK, she actually pays other people to develop the gardens although I understand she is hands on with the plans and development and is one of the trustees of the charity.

I’ve been to Alnwick Gardens in summer and the other main attraction are the Poison Gardens which are kept under lock and key with escorted viewing only, and where you can see poison plants and opium poppies and a cannabis plant (although I confess I have in the past mingled in circles where they are not that uncommon to spot).

Our tour of the gardens after dark took us through the gloriously lit main focal point of the gardens, the cascades, and up to the walled garden where most of the activity took place. The shop and cafe were open if you wanted a warm up either before you walked through the Festival of Fools or afterwards.

At the entrance we were greeted by a marked man who spoke in riddles; he explained we needed to speak to each of the characters dotted around the garden to collect clues to a saying. We were not to leave the garden until the words had been collected and were handed a card and a pen with which to collect the various letters that would obtain our prize. Around us the garden had also been decked in pretty lights.

Although it was cold in the night air, we spent a happy hour talking to the various characters in the garden to try and find out which letter they represented. There were also some groovy lights to explore. Once the letters had been obtained (we got them all bar one), it was time to rearrange them from an anagram into two words. Thankfully we saved embarrassment by getting the wording right rather than having to beg someone to give us a clue or two. However, I do have to say it wasn't simple, but not too hard either.

I'm sure kids from the age of 8 up would certainly enjoy the quiz, although perhaps younger ones might both be scared by the freaky characters and frustrated by some of the clues. I’m also pleased to say we were not the only party sans enfants.

On exit we were all quite proud to wear a badge affirming that we had broken the code; even to the point of wearing them in the Indian Restaurant that evening. How old are we?

We didn't quite know what to expect with the Festival of Fools and completely enjoyed our exploration of the characters and the lights in the garden. The acting was superb and none of the characters seemed bored or looked like they wanted to be anywhere else. If you are in the area at the end of 2013 then look out for this attraction; I don't think you will be disappointed.

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From journal More experiences around Newcastle and Northumberland

Cascades and poison plants

by catsholiday

ashbourne, United Kingdom

May 17, 2012

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Best of IgoUgo Alnwick Castle is in Northumberland in the town of Alnwick just off the A1. It is sort of half way between Newcastle and Edinburgh to give you an idea. I would suggest that you would need a car to get there as public transport would involve local ...Read more

From journal A few days up in the North east

Beautiful Gardens in a historic setting!

by RLB2

Scarborough, England, United Kingdom

September 22, 2011

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What a lovely place to spend a Sunday!Alnwick Castle was made famous in the Harry Potter film as it was used as a filming location, but next to the Castle are the Gardens. We arrived and parked in the official car park, which is a short walk away ...Read more

From journal Kid Friendly Holiday in Northumberland

An Enchanting Garden

by Denise Scotland

Scotland, United Kingdom

July 17, 2010

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Best of IgoUgo I am not the type of person who normally likes visiting stately homes and gardens, in fact the idea of walking through most formal gardens is something that I would find extremely boring but Alnwick Gardens is a cut above the rest and I loved ...Read more I am not the type of person who normally likes visiting stately homes and gardens, in fact the idea of walking through most formal gardens is something that I would find extremely boring but Alnwick Gardens is a cut above the rest and I loved spending time there.

Alnwick garden is situated next to the amazing Alnwick Castle and the gardens date back to the 1750’s when Capability Brown designed the first gardens. The gardens have undergone extensive redevelopment over the past few years and now consist of formal gardens, water features, a pavilion, one of the worlds largest treehouses and the famous poison gardens. It costs £9.50 for an adult to visit with kids visiting for a mere penny. The best value way to visit is to buy a combined ticked for the castle and gardens which costs £20.80 for an adult and £5.50 for a child and allows you to visit both attractions over two consecutive days.

The largest feature in the garden is the huge water feature, a magnificent series of pools on many levels with water cascading downwards. The fountains squirt water out at regular intervals in lovely patterns and children delight in standing and waiting to get wet. There are mini ride on toys for young kids at the bottom of the feature and they can ride these in the spray from the water. For those who do not want to get wet you can climb up the stairs and enjoy the sights and sounds or just sit on the grass enjoying an ice cream and relaxing with the sounds of moving water in the background.

The poison garden is kept locked for obvious reasons and you can join one of the many tours that seem to leave around every ten to fifteen minutes and take about half an hour. Our tour guide was really enthusiastic about the plants and she pointed out some of the highlights of the garden and answered questions. A lot of the plants were recognisable so it came as a surprise that they were poisonous; who knew that a bush commonly used as a hedge could poison you if you burned it or a common weed had chemicals that were absorbed through the skin. More exotic specimens included hemlock, ricin, opium poppies and the biggest killer of them all which is tobacco. The cannabis plant was kept under a dome to stop school groups from stealing a piece and seemed to be the most popular plant in our group of adults too, I never knew that it could grow outside in the UK. A tour of the poison garden is truly fascinating, I think in modern times we have lost the knowledge about healing and harmful plants that previous generations would have had.

The formal gardens are breathtakingly beautiful. The rose garden was a favourite of mine, there are several thousand rose bushes in this section and the scent was amazing and the variety of different types of flowers lovely. Another favourite part of the garden for me was the ornamental garden which had numerous nooks and crannies to explore amongst the fruit trees and lavender bushes. There were two dovecotes along the walls and the tame white birds were undisturbed by humans and were happy to wander close by while I sat and relaxed on a bench.

The woodland walk is another peaceful place to take a stroll, it features an enormous treehouse which is magical in appearance and also a place where you can book to go and eat in the restaurant. Even if you do not visit the treehouse it is wonderful to just look at it and wander through the mature trees.

I have only described a few sections of the garden, there are many more areas including a sensory garden which is particularly suitable for disabled visitors. The huge pavilion serves reasonably priced drinks, snacks and very good ice cream (I recommend the raspberry and honeycomb!) and you can sit out at tables in the sun or simply sit on the grass and enjoy the atmosphere.

Alnwick gardens are as far from the typical boring stuffy stately home gardens as it is possible to get. I spent hours here over two days and loved seeing people of all ages enjoying themselves in beautiful surroundings. The gardens should be top of your list of places to visit if you are in Northumbria.

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From journal Northumbria and the North East Of England

A Garden to Die for

by Jennifer23

Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom

September 15, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland is a really lovely place to visit, as I discovered recently when in the area.I had decided to visit on the recommendation of a friend who had recently spent a day there, and had spent quite a while telling me ...Read more

From journals A Trip To Northumberland, Great Places to Visit and Stay at in the UK

Spring? What Spring?

by Bjimmy

bob@roberts6716.fsnet.co.uk, United Kingdom

April 14, 2008

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A visit to the gardens 12/04/08 was a big let down. The spring Show was advertised on the Internet and locally, but it was not made clear that the gardens were not part of that show. The gardens had very little evidence of spring, a few dawf ...Read more

Alnwick Castle Gardens

by justin121883

New Haven, Connecticut

March 31, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo The gardens are really designed as a summer attraction, and are only worth a visit if there's fresh snow. That said, in the snow, the place is simply magical. The heated fountains and water sculptures run year-round, and the sparse backdrop of ...Read more

From journal Newcastle and Northumberland: England at the Edge of the World

Alnwick Gardens

by moatway

Riverview, New Brunswick

September 29, 2005

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Best of IgoUgo Well, to begin with, I don’t do gardens, do I? But we saw this one and it was absolutely charming. Our initial thought was that the Duchess of Northumberland was trying to outdo the gardens of the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth. She may very well ...Read more

From journal Alnwick Castle and Gardens

IgoUgo

The Alnwick Garden

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The Festival of Fools

Cascades and poison plants

Beautiful Gardens in a historic setting!

An Enchanting Garden

A Garden to Die for

Spring? What Spring?

Alnwick Castle Gardens

Alnwick Gardens

The Alnwick Garden

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The Festival of Fools

Cascades and poison plants

Beautiful Gardens in a historic setting!

An Enchanting Garden

A Garden to Die for

Spring? What Spring?

Alnwick Castle Gardens

Alnwick Gardens