Crarae and Arduaine Gardens
Two magnificent National Trust gardens each around 30 minutes drive from Crinan (opposite directions).
Crarae Gardens has been described as Britain’s finest example of a Himalayan-style garden, with gorges, waterfalls and cliffs.There are spectacular year-round displays as each season brings new blooms, particularly known for its rhododendrons March – June.The sparkling waters of the Crarae Burn form the centrepiece for a woody paradise of rocky gorges, wooden bridges and thickets of maple, birch and evergreens, blending with sprays of flowers. Crarae Garden was created in 1912 by Lady Grace Campbell, the aunt of intrepid plant hunter Reginald Farrer, who sourced trees and shrubs from China, Nepal and Tibet. The garden hosts an amazingly varied collection of trees, some champions of their species, and a National Collection of southern beech. https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/crarae-garden
Arduaine Gardens
- ideal to combine with a meal at the adjacent Loch Melfort Hotel
The Loch Melfort Hotel has a wonderful location at the waters edge. Eat inside or outside. Just outside is a children's playground: Ideal for keeping the little ones happy while you wait for your food.
Arduaine Gardens is a moist coastal garden, influenced beneficially by the North Atlantic Drift and enjoyed by enthusiasts from all over the world. Twenty acres of outstanding woodland plants include not only a major rhododendron species collection with a leaning towards the more tender, but also all the usual spring-flowering favourites such as camellia, pieris, azalea and magnolia. Other trees and shrubs take the flowering season on into the autumn along with an inspiring miscellany of bulbs, perennials, climbers, water plants and ferns, many rare and unusual, many down to earth and familiar, all interesting and beautiful in their diverse ways. A spectacular coastal and island panorama can be enjoyed from the easily accessible cliff top viewpoint. Visitors are welcome every day and will find something of interest throughout the year, come rain or shine. https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/arduaine-garden