Too Wet to Wander

Last Saturday we went on a day trip to South Wales. We spent the afternoon at The Royal Mint which you can read about here. We thought we would make more of a day of it by visiting a National Trust property about 20 minutes from Cardiff called Dyffryn House and Gardens. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side. The day had dawned fair but by the time we were crossing the Severn Bridge it had started to rain. It was raining heavily by the time we reached the car park and made a hasty dash for the cafe where we were meeting up with some friends. Once we had refreshed ourselves with coffee or hot chocolate we were ready to brave the elements. Equipped in our rainwear we strode out into the gardens. You can get an idea of how wet it was from this.

The garden above is actually the heart garden. The path cuts the heart in half. It is probably more defined when the flower beds are full. A good amount of the gardens is arranged in rooms which was a popular Edwardian style. There are a lot of ornate walls and follies.

The gardens were designed in 1906 and are now Grade 1 listed. 

Despite the rain and the time of year it was obvious what lovely gardens they must be in the summer and we are already planning a revisit.

There is in addition an arboretum, a fernery and banks of Spring flowers. There is a project to replant hundreds of snow drops which is pretty well under way. There is an incentive where you can plant a snowdrop. It was all a bit wet for that kind of thing.

The house is also open. We underestimated how much there was to see inside which gives another reason to visit again.