Alnwick Gardens - a wee visit

On a recent site visit in July some of the Trust took a trip to Alnwick Gardens. We were rather lucky with the weather as it was a glorious summer day, when the umbrellas were adorned to fend off sunburn, water was needed in plentiful supply, and shouts from children were heard rising to a unanimous chat from all corners of the garden, 'ice cream, ice cream'! Ok, enough scene setting..

Alnwick Garden is a modern garden built to be both a high profile tourist attraction and a garden accessible to people from all sectors of the community.

On the day we were there the garden was being enjoyed by a wide range of people of all ages; from walkers to folks using wheelchairs, from kids on free tractors to couples using walking sticks. There were several groups of children and young adults with learning difficulties and their teachers and carers.

Sensory things to enjoy

• Water, water, and more water. As well as a huge central cascade which has a cyclical display every 15 minutes, gushing down to the fountain at the bottom, there are also secondary fountains in the wider garden area, and a strangely intriguing bubbling pool in the ornamental garden.
• Seasonal scents - when we were there the rose garden was in full effect, and you can rub up against much of the planting throughout the place.
• Sounds of the different areas - doves and water in the ornamental garden, crunch of gravel and the loud crashing of the fountains around the cascade, lively chatter from visitors enjoying tea and scones in the marquee coffee shop.

The garden is not finished and has plans for several extra garden areas including a Labyrinth and a Poison garden.

Things to know before you go:

• The paths - surfaces are good underfoot but the climb can be steep (especially on hot days in wheelchairs)
• The cascade has a lot of steps, so isn't suitable for wheelchairs. You can't get really close to it.
• There are rumble strips at the head and foot of steps but there is a lack of contrasting edging on the steps themselves, so some people with visual impairments might find them difficult to negotiate.

For more information on the gardens please go to: http://www.alnwickgarden.com although if you are surfing using assistive technology, you may be better to telephone the gardens (01665 511350) as the information on the web site is very difficult to access.

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