Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

Monkey and I have been having a few quiet days at home this week, it’s been much-needed after the events of the last few weeks.  But yesterday, we really were both in need of some fresh air.  I didn’t want to drive far, knew that we’d be at Stowe today, so was thinking of where we could go.  I was looking through Facebook and something caught my eye.  You know when you spot somewhere you’ve been meaning to visit for years and then it’s there, in your face, waving at you, come here. It was perfectly timed and off we headed for a bit of snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden.

Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

The 60 acre woodland can be found on the outskirts of Evenley village, a few miles from Brackley, in Northamptonshire.  The gardens are open daily from February until the end of October, with free parking available (in a field in good weather, or like yesterday, on grass verges on the approach to the garden.

We found an honesty box as we entered, with a £5 charge for me, children under the age of 12 are free, over 12’s are £1.  Monkey found a map and he was off.  This way Mummy.

Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

There are toilets close to the entrance that we spotted as we passed, and a cafe which is opened at weekends. There are a number of pathways, and we decided to set off on the blue route which would take about an hour and 15 minutes to complete.  We were off, snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden, and we weren’t going to be disappointed as there are 80 varieties to look out for.  I love snowdrops, they are my cue that Spring is coming.  But I had no idea there were so many variants.

Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

We wandered along the pathways heading for a stream that runs through Evenley Wood Garden. We’d arrived about 15 minutes after the gardens had opened, there were other cars parked along the verge, but we spent most of visit without seeing anyone else.  It was nice to be able to walk by ourselves, chatting away, enjoying the views.

Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

We were so lucky with the weather, it was lovely and mild, perfect for a stroll.  We saw lots of shelters along the way in case the rain did come, but they weren’t needed yesterday.

Monkey was in his element, collecting booty as he we went along.

Around every corner we discovered snowdrops of all sizes, snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden was keeping us both busy.

Monkey loved the freedom to explore, especially as there was lots of oozy mud to squelch through.

The stream running through the far end of the Garden just adds to the delight of this little gem of a place.  There was time for my resident bridge troll to make an appearance, a bit of pooh stick fun and apparently a stick elephant who needed to have a drink (yes my son does have a rather vivid imagination!).

We got to meet the locals – not sure what they are?

Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

Not only did we get to see lots of snowdrops on our walk, there were also plenty of signs to show that Spring is just around the corner now.

Monkey would run on ahead and see what he could spot and I’d get a running commentary of his latest finds.

Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

In one part of the garden, fallen leaves formed a perfect blanket as far as the eye could see.

Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

We also discovered the Willow Nests that reside at Evenley Wood Garden.  Great places for a spot of hide and seek and who’s the king of the castle.

We had a lovely time snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden yesterday.  I can see that we’ll need to return in the months ahead and explore the colours of the rhododendrons, lilies and camellias.  We may have taken way too long to discover the gardens, but now we have, I know we’ll be back again soon.

Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

Country Kids

28 thoughts on “Snowdrop spotting at Evenley Wood Garden

  1. Goodness 80 different types of snowdrop! I had no idea there was more than one variety and feel very ignorant! We have so many on the farm, I’m going to have to go and have a closer look now to see if there is more than one variety. We were doing snowdrop crafts with the guests this week, I will have to check the varieties we have before I do this again now. I feel slightly more knowledgeable on your wild bird friends though, they are guinea fowl, we have a couple who roam here too and roost in our trees at night.

    Loving the look of your snowdrop gardens, for the freedom and natural beauty to explore there. I do hope you do return in the summer, I have a feeling it will be awash with new colour.

    Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids

  2. Oh how lovely. I can’t wait for our spring flowers to start appearing here. They are just peeping green shoots through the snow at the moment! It looks a great place to go exploring #countrykidsfun

  3. I love going out in the winter, it’s so much more peaceful. The snowdrops look beautiful-I had no idea either that there are so many different sorts. I will have to have a walk round Evenley as it’s not far from us, thanks for the inspiration #countrykids

  4. You always look to have such a fun time when you are out and about with your son. My son is a similar age, so I know how much they love spending time outside. Evenley Wood Gardens looks great. #countrykids

  5. It’s wonderful to see all the snowdrops – we went to Waterperry Gardens recently and were told this is the best year for snowdrops in over a decade. Something to do with the right amount of cold vs rain vs frost!
    This looks like a gorgeous place to explore
    #CountryKids

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