I’m not a winter person at all, but as soon as I see Snowdrops on the ground, I know that Spring is on its way. There may be some cold weather before it finally brings colour back into my garden but I know it’s coming. I thought I’d pull together a list of some favourite places to spot Snowdrops in late January and during early February. If you have any recommendations then please do let me know.
A couple of years ago we finally made it to Welford Park in Berkshire, and I have to say, that I’ve never seen quite so many Snowdrops in one place before or since. They were amazing and hard to beat. I think we will definitely return there again.
Stowe Landscape Gardens in Buckinghamshire is one of our favourite destinations all year round. Snowdrop spotting there is also a favourite pastime.
Another fairly local gem is Evenley Wood Garden in Northamptonshire which has a huge variety of snowdrops to see, more than eighty! Their Snowdrops Days are always worth a visit.
I can also recommend Painswick Rococo Garden in Gloucestershire, which has a stunning display of snowdrops, a lovely play area for children and a maze too!
I’ve also asked around for suggestions further afield of favourite places to spot Snowdrops.
Samantha at North East Family Fun is heading to the Howick Hall snowdrop festival in Alnwick, Northumberland this year. The snowdrops were planted on the estate by Lady Grey (of Earl Grey fame) between the wars and there are lots of natural hybrids to spot.
Floors Castle in Kelso also appears to have a lovely display of Snowdrops if you’re in the area.
Another suggestion for the Surrey area comes from Amy at All About a Mummy who mentions Gatton Park near Reigate Surrey and their beautiful display each year. The gardens will be open to the public on the first Sunday of each month from the beginning of February from 1 pm to 5 pm.
Beth at Twinderelmo recommends a trip to Attingham Park in Shrewsbury is a fabulous place in the Midlands to see them. Their full carpet of snowdrops is so beautiful. This is somewhere we need to revisit, we had a flying visit there in April on our way to North Wales, it was pouring with rain, so we didn’t get to see the grounds in all their glory.
Maria at Happy Mummy suggests a visit to Hever Castle in Kent as they do a beautiful snowdrop walk and the castle and grounds are stunning, there is an amazing children’s play area too.
Moving on to Wales and Becster.com suggests a snowdrop walk at Penrhyn Castle in Bangor, Gwynedd which she’s heard is beautiful. Pippa at Red Rose Mummy and I have both loved visiting Bodnant Gardens in North Wales before, and apparently, their snowdrops are stunning too. I fell in love with the gardens when we visited in April and can imagine just how magical they’d be in early February too.
Lynne from New Mummy blog has heard good things about the Snowdrops at Snowshill Manor in Gloucestershire which is meant to be gorgeous. She’s also planning a visit to Colesbourne Gardens when they open in February as they’re meant to be spectacular.
For other National Trust sites that offer a great Snowdrops display, visit their dedicated Snowdrops page.
A good place to look for favourite places to spot Snowdrops in your area is The National Garden Scheme website which has a selection of gardens throughout England and Wales open for snowdrops: ngs.org.uk/find-a-garden/snowdrop-gardens All open for charity. As suggested by Vanessa at Jibber Jabber UK.
Where would you recommend as your favourite places to spot Snowdrops?
A Mum with a 13 year old son, enjoying life and having fun as my son travels through school life. We love to get outdoors whenever possible and make the most of the world around us.
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Last year I went up to Stanton Lacey church in South Shropshire to see the snowdrops (they practically carpet the churchyard). I’m tempted to go to Attingham Park to see them this year.
Can’t wait for the snowdrops to start appearing. There’s something quite blissful about being surrounded by a carpet of white flowers.
I’ve already spotted a few snowdrops peeking through ! Can’t wait to visit howick hall x
We were at Lacock on Sunday and there were already quite a few there, I wonder if we really are in for a very cold spell soon.
So looking forward to the snowdrops arriving! Really lovely post too Mary, thank you for featuring us 🙂
Thanks for your ideas
Last year I went up to Stanton Lacey church in South Shropshire to see the snowdrops (they practically carpet the churchyard). I’m tempted to go to Attingham Park to see them this year.
That sounds lovely. We had a flying visit to Attingham Park in April but it was pouring down at the time.