In Northern Ireland, I visited enchanting gardens full of natural beauty and a rich sense of heritage
Located about five kilometres from the city of Derry,
Brook Hall Estate & Gardens
is one of Northern Ireland's top arboretums. Established in the early 1600s, it was a stronghold for King James II during the Siege of Derry in 1689. And its walled garden, one of the largest on the Emerald Isle, played a key role in feeding the people of Derry during the lengthy military operation, as well as during the Great Famine in the mid-1800s.
Now, thanks to a growing interest in garden tourism, Brook Hall fulfils another role: as a popular visitor attraction.
Each year, more than five million people come to Northern Ireland. They walk the 17th-century Derry Walls around the historic centre; hike the famous Giant's Causeway coastal path, a UNESCO World Heritage site with unique basalt formations; explore the tragic story of the Titanic, the doomed luxury liner built in Belfast; and swing for par at one of more than 90 world-class golf courses.
But today's travellers are also seeking new ways to experience the destination, and they're finding a connection to its heritage through nature and the local landscapes. For the U.K. as a whole, it's estimated that garden tourism generates almost three billion pounds in GDP.
'Northern Ireland sees more economy from
garden tours
than golf,' says horticulturalist Trevor Edwards, director of the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Trust. He's also my guide as we explore the country's green spaces. 'It's never far to the next interesting garden, and every region has a garden trail,' he adds.
A bird's-eye view of Brook Hall Estate & Gardens, established in the early 1600s.
At Brook Hall, David Gilliland conducts personalized tours. His family acquired the estate in 1856, and over the years, they filled the 140-acre grounds with more than 1,200 rare and unusual trees and plants. More than 600 species are unique to the property. 'The majority of specimens here aren't native. I call it a zoo for plants,' says Gilliland.
The diverse plantscape is courtesy of Gilliland's great-grandfather Frank, a passionate collector of conifers, and his grandfather George, a renowned dendrologist with a love of flowering shrubs and trees from Asia and South America.
Frank's pinetum showcases more than 100 species of conifers, including the island's first dawn redwood, endangered dove trees, and a giant redwood planted in honour of Frank's birth in 1884. George, a world authority on rhododendrons, added more than 80 species of the woody plants, noted for their striking, colourful tubular blossoms, as well as dozens of species of magnolias and camellias.
'There's a big push for native planting, which has its place, but when you're trying to showcase the beauty of plants around the world, that's when arboretums and gardens such as ours become important,' Gilliland says.
The neoclassical stone manor house at Mount Stewart is surrounded by 950 acres of woodlands, lawns and orchards.
The next morning, I head to Newtownards, about 90 minutes east of Derry, to tour
Mount Stewart
. The ivy-clad, neoclassical stone manor house, seat of the Marquesses of Londonderry for more than 200 years and now owned by the National Trust, is surrounded by 950 acres of woodlands, lawns and orchards. Much of its formal gardens was developed by Edith, Lady Londonderry, wife of the 7th Marquess, in the mid-20th century.
'She created what is arguably one of the best gardens you'll ever visit,' says head gardener Mike Buffin. In spring, the landscape is blanketed with more than 15,000 tulips. The rhododendrons explode in May and June, in a kaleidoscope of yellows, reds, oranges and purples. Plant hunters introduced the ornamental species to the estate in the Victorian era.
'Because of Northern Ireland's high rainfall and mild, temperate climate, we can grow a range of plants you can't grow in gardens in the rest of the U.K.,' Buffin points out.
Sweet-smelling bay trees, roses and hydrangeas infuse the landscape with their fragrance. Rare Chilean hazelnut trees, tropical tree ferns and New Zealand broadleaf flourish side by side with 800 giant Himalayan lilies, the largest display in the world. Mythological creatures and endearing animals in concrete, stone and topiary add whimsy to the stately surroundings.
At Mount Stewart, Edith, Lady Londonderry, created 'what is arguably one of the best gardens you'll ever visit.'
One of Northern Ireland's most acclaimed heritage sites is
Hillsborough Castle and Gardens
, in the picturesque village of the same name. Located about 20 minutes southwest of Belfast, the 18th-century Georgian mansion is an official residence of the British Royal Family.
A reminder of the estate's historic status can be seen at the garden's west entrance, where stone gates are topped with gilded pineapple finials. Hillsborough boasts one of the U.K.'s earliest pineries, dating to the 1770s. During the 18th century, fashionable families would display the tropical fruit as centrepieces during dinner parties. A single pineapple could cost the modern equivalent of 5,000 pounds.
'Growing your own pineapples was a sign of extreme wealth,' says garden manager Claire Woods. It was also a testament to a gardener's skills. Edwards notes that families would compete to see who could cultivate the best and biggest pineapples.
The 3.83-acre walled kitchen garden, built in the 1750s and renovated in the mid-2010s, first opened to the public in 2018. Manicured hedges, geometrically aligned pathways and pristine plant beds sprout with Irish-bred fruits, vegetables and flowers. Golden daffodils, purple-blue monkshood and lavender crocus bloom beneath ornamental quince trees.
A soft mist permeates the air as we wander the castle's 100-acre grounds. Orchards brim with Irish heritage apples. Purplish bluebells, fragrant yellow azaleas and showy rhododendrons add bold splashes of colour. An allée of Irish yews cuts a forest-green pathway to the castle.
Hillsborough Castle and Gardens is an official residence of the British Royal Family.
'This time of year, we get the bright colours. In summer, we get much softer flowers and foliage. That gives way to lots of lovely autumn hues. And in the winter, you see the bones of the garden, the real structure,' Woods explains.
'A lot of these gardens were about showing off your collection of plants. The same holds true today,' Woods continues. 'We want people to come and explore. And we hope they will go away inspired to grow plants as we do, to use ideas they find here, or to simply want to visit other gardens or castles.'
Drenagh Estate and Gardens
in Limavady spans more than 1,000 acres and includes a walled kitchen garden, rhododendron garden, conifer arboretum, terraced Italian garden and ancient woodlands. It has been owned by the McCausland family since 1640.
Glenarm Castle
in County Antrim is a 17th-century Jacobean-style mansion. Its 2.5-acre walled garden, built in the 1820s, was restored in the early 2000s. Garden 'rooms' display ornamental fruit trees; a rainbow of tulips; and collections of hostas, peonies and roses. In 2023, Glenarm won the prestigious U.K. Historic Houses Garden of the Year Award.
Rowallane Garden
, just outside of Saintfield, is the headquarters of the National Trust in Northern Ireland. The 50-acre garden showcases towering conifers; rare handkerchief trees; and extensive collections of azaleas, rhododendrons and penstemons.
Rebecca L. Rhoades travelled as a guest of Tourism Northern Ireland, which did not review or approve this article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Geographic
a day ago
- National Geographic
Did these real-life events inspire the myth of Atlantis?
An illustration by Sir Gerald Hargreaves shows a utopian scene on a cove of the mythical land of Atlantis. Many scholars think Plato invented the story of Atlantis as a way to present his philosophical theories. Photograph by Mary Evans Picture Library/Everett Collection The lost city of Atlantis likely didn't exist, but Plato's fascinating island nation continues to spark questions. Here's what to know. Atlantis is an island nation mentioned in two of the Greek philosopher Plato's most famous dialogues, Timaeus and Critias. In them, he describes the ancient civilization as peaceful and vastly wealthy, protected by the sea god Poseidon. But although it's one of his most famous stories, it's almost certainly false. So why is this story still repeated more than 2,300 years after the ancient Greek's death? 'It's a story that captures the imagination,' says James Romm, a professor of classics at Bard College in Annandale, New York. 'It's a great myth. It has a lot of elements that people love to fantasize about.' Plato told the story of this ancient kingdom around 360 B.C. The founders, he said, were half god and half human. They created a utopian civilization and became a great naval power. Their home was made up of concentric islands in the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere near what would later be called the Strait of Gibraltar. The islands were separated by wide moats and linked by a canal that penetrated to the center. The lush islands contained gold, silver, and other precious metals and supported an abundance of rare, exotic wildlife. There was a great capital city on the central island, where a palace was built for Poseidon's mortal wife, Cleito. (These fabled 'ghost islands' exist only in atlases) Where is the lost city of Atlantis? There are many theories about where Atlantis was—in the Mediterranean sea, off the coast of Spain, even under what is now Antarctica. 'Pick a spot on the map, and someone has said that Atlantis was there,' says Charles Orser, curator of history at the New York State Museum in Albany. 'Every place you can imagine.' Plato said it existed about 9,000 years before his own time, and that its story had been passed down by poets, priests, and others. But Plato's writings about Atlantis are the only known records of its existence. (These 6 mystery islands existed only in the imaginations of ancient explorers—or did they?) Was Atlantis real? Few, if any, scientists think Atlantis existed. Ocean explorer Robert Ballard, the National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence who discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985, notes that 'no Nobel laureates' have said that what Plato wrote about Atlantis is true. Still, Ballard says, the story of Atlantis is a 'logical' one since cataclysmic floods and volcanic explosions have happened throughout history, including one event that had some similarities to the story of the destruction of Atlantis. (Here's why the myth of Atlantis endures today) About 3,600 years ago, a massive volcanic eruption devastated the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea near Greece. At the time, a highly advanced society of Minoans lived on Santorini. The Minoan civilization disappeared suddenly at about the same time as the volcanic eruption. But Ballard doesn't think Santorini was Atlantis because the time of the eruption on that island doesn't coincide with when Plato said Atlantis was destroyed. Petra, Jordan A person standing in the doorway of the Monastery at Petra, Jordan, shows the enormity of the ancient building's entrance. Carved into the sandstone hill by the Nabataeans in the second century A.D., this towering structure, called El-Deir, may have been used as a church or monastery by later societies, but likely began as a temple. Photograph by Martin Gray (The mythological sirens weren't the seductresses we know today) Plato's Atlantis So if Atlantis didn't exist, then why did Plato tell this story? Romm believes Plato created it to convey some of his philosophical theories. 'He was dealing with a number of issues, themes that run throughout his work,' he says. 'His ideas about divine versus human nature, ideal societies, the gradual corruption of human society—these ideas are all found in many of his works. Atlantis was a different vehicle to get at some of his favorite themes.' (Read about the ancient empire that civilization forgot) The legend of Atlantis is a story about a moral, spiritual people who lived in a highly advanced, utopian civilization. But they became greedy, petty, and 'morally bankrupt.' The gods 'became angry because the people had lost their way and turned to immoral pursuits,' Orser says. As punishment, he says, the gods sent 'one terrible night of fire and earthquakes' that caused Atlantis to sink into the depths of the sea. This story originally published on January 21, 2017. It was updated on July 31, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
In Switzerland's ‘Watch Valley,' I slow-travelled to tiny villages and towns where time seems to stand still
As I stand on the ramparts of Murten, Switzerland, fairy-tale roofs topped with twisty chimneys draw my gaze toward Lake Murten and the Jura Mountains beyond. I'm among a handful of summer tourists walking the walls of this medieval town of roughly 8,000, which was founded in 1159. From this lofty vantage, Murten 's cobblestone streets, Gothic castle and ancient limestone tower take me back centuries, to a time of witch trials and, even more distant, to the bubonic plague of the 1300s. I can almost hear the town crier shouting to villagers, 'Bring out your dead!' 'That's where we used to burn our witches,' explains city guide Barbara Mueller, indicating the tower, where women suspected of witchcraft were imprisoned while awaiting trial. Those convicted were burned at the stake. Medieval Murten's fairy-tale roofs and whimsical chimneys, and its 1712 clock. She also points out the baroque Berntor (Bern Gate) and clock tower, whose timepiece was built in 1712. The clock is still hand-cranked every 24 hours so it chimes on schedule, says Mueller. Incidentally, she set her phone alarm at the beginning of this media tour, so our group of travel writers wouldn't miss our onward train. I'd expect no less in a country with a global reputation for punctuality. We're in Switzerland's ' Watch Valley ,' a scenic patchwork of forests, fields, jewel-toned lakes and historic towns bordering France between Basel and Geneva on the southeastern flanks of the Jura Mountains. The region has been keeping the country ticking for centuries thanks to horology, the painstaking craft of making clocks and watches. Famous brands, from Omega to Victorinox, are headquartered here, in cities like Delémont and La Chaux-de-Fonds , a UNESCO World Heritage site. La Chaux-de-Fonds is considered the cradle of Swiss watchmaking. Even the townscape is orderly. But for most visitors, the draws are the region's villages and small towns like Murten, where time seems to stand still. These medieval relics are an analog answer to big, busy cities like Zurich and Geneva, where most international visitors go. And Switzerland being, well, Swiss, the efficient public transportation — trains, buses and boats — delivers travellers comfortably to these bygone treasures, with plenty of time en route to appreciate the journey. This is how we slow-travel from Delémont to Neuchâtel and deep into Watch Valley. Trains deeply influenced timekeeping in this mountainous country. Engineers realized the importance of running on time, to avoid collisions and maintain schedules, and precision became a priority. Although operating trains takes meticulous logistics, riding them is a leisurely pleasure, heightened by the anticipation of seeing a granite peak or walled town draw slowly closer. The small medieval town of St. Ursanne was named Best Tourism Village by UN Tourism in 2023. My first glimpse of St. Ursanne is from the train window. The tiny hamlet appears as a storybook cluster of red-shingled homes and businesses circling a church steeple, snug on the banks of the Doubs river. We walk the kilometre from the station to the imposing city gate like wayfarers of yore. During the Middle Ages, some 3,000 pilgrims arrived daily to pray at the tomb of Ursicinus, an Irish monk who came to town in the 7th century. Today, we have the village's three cobblestone streets, and the 900-year-old church's secluded cloister, mostly to ourselves. St. Ursanne was named Best Tourism Village by UN Tourism in 2023, in recognition of its medieval town centre, cultural heritage and commitment to sustainability. But outside of Les Médiévales, a festival held biennially in July, it remains largely under the radar. There are seven or eight tiny hotels in town, including the lovely, new Hôtel de la Cigogne , alongside a few restaurants, a bakery, a butcher shop and, like any good medieval rest stop, a brewery. Rumours of cold riverside beers draw me to a public beach along the Doubs. But the family-run Brasserie Tonnebière is on the far bank, so I settle for refreshment in the clear water of the languorous river. The afternoon stretches on without care as I float under a bright blue sky. Equally as charming is Auvernier, a millennium-old town hemmed in by leafy vineyards on the shore of Lake Neuchâtel. Like clockwork, a train and bus deliver us to Auvernier's hilltop stop, with time en route to watch the passing fields and church steeples, or daydream about never driving a car again. Château d'Auvernier is one of Switzerland's oldest family-run wineries. The walk to our winery destination, Château d'Auvernier , feels like another step back in time. We pass snapshots of village life that belong on a faded postcard: pastel buildings with brightly painted shutters, public fountains adorned with flowers, a green-eyed cat perched imperiously on a stone fence. One of Switzerland's oldest family-run wineries, Château d'Auvernier was founded in 1603 and is located in a limestone castle. It's best known for a rosé called L'Oeil de Perdrix, made from Pinot Noir grapes, so called because its colour approximates that of a partridge's eye. Cellar master Frédéric Droz tells us about harvesting grapes, fermenting juice and aging wine in French oak barrels. The process can't be rushed, but he often feels like he's fighting the clock. 'We want always to go farther and do more than time allows,' Droz laments. That sentiment rings true on this trip, where each sleepy town unlocks stories from the past that point toward new-to-me destinations worth exploring. A view of Neuchâtel, another watchmaking city, and its 12th-century castle. In Neuchâtel, another watchmaking city, our historic walking tour ends by one of the city's numerous public fountains. Anne-Laure Pollet-Bolon, a guide with Neuchâtel Tourism, uses a key to open a secret compartment under the fountain's flower box. She pulls out a bottle of absinthe to share the famous drink of the Belle Époque, when the city flourished and many of its grand limestone buildings were constructed. While we sip the spirit, once banned in Switzerland for its high alcohol content and links to social disorder, she explains how it was invented in nearby Val-de-Travers (and not, as commonly believed, in France). Inspired to learn more, the next morning I ditch the group and board a train for Môtiers, another ancient village, to reach the local museum, La Maison de L'Absinthe. Outside the train window, views of turquoise Lake Neuchâtel are soon replaced by green forests and fertile fields. As the carriage rolls steadily up the lush valley, I reflect on the transportive power of even a short train ride, to take me from the present to the past. It's perhaps as close as I'll get to time travel, and it feels a bit like magic. Lisa Kadane travelled as a guest of Switzerland Tourism , which did not review or approve this article.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
I keep going back to Newfoundland. I've made 20 trips there
We asked Star readers to tell us about trips they have taken and to share their experience and advice: Where: Newfoundland When: September 2024 Trip rating: 4.5/5 What inspired you to take this trip? I have travelled most of the world, but the one place that keeps drawing me back, on an annual basis, is Newfoundland. I have made more than 20 trips there. Each has rewarded me with something new every time. The inspiration for this trip was to make it a bit different by taking a new approach. Don't just drive, but try to look beyond the obvious by digging for the hidden gems of stories from the past. In a previous year, I had explored the Baie Verte Peninsula. This trip was going to take me to the other four and much larger peninsulas: Avalon, Bonavista, Burin and Great Northern. What was the best sight? The scenery along St. Mary's Bay was outstanding. The beaches were clean, and the presence of lots of cages showed this to be an active lobster fishing area. Quite by accident and in the mood for exploring, I turned onto a gravel road toward Portugal Cove (Portugal Cove-St. Philip's), a Portuguese fishing community dating back to the 1500s. The road was full of deep ruts and quite dusty. I did not know where I was going and almost turned back. The road came to a dead end at the Cape Race Lighthouse, a National Historic Site. The Lighthouse is not only the oldest one in Newfoundland, but it also has one of the most powerful lights in the world. To this day, it is the first and last light seen by many ships crossing the Atlantic. This lighthouse also played a pivotal role in communicating enemy ship or submarine activity in both world wars. What was your favourite activity? While I did not set out to do so, it did end up that my activities focused on visiting historic sites. Cape Race also had Newfoundland's first wireless station. Hard-copy news bulletins would arrive from Europe in boats. These would be retrieved, then transmitted by the Marconi wireless telegraph to news organizations, primarily in New York. In April 1912, the wireless station received one of the first distress calls made from the Titanic. Today, the Myrick Wireless Interpretative Centre gives a full account of the fateful event. It also houses many artifacts rescued and has a wall banner providing the names of all those who were victims of the disaster. The site is the closest point of land to the Titanic's resting place. What was the most delicious thing you ate? Dining in rural areas and small towns provided home-cooked meals. Because it was so good, cod was the main course I had most nights for dinner. The cod dinner in Aquaforte, at Bernard Kavanagh's Million Dollar View Restaurant, is memorable. The view made the evening perfect. What was the most memorable thing you learned? This is the trip that taught me how much Newfoundland offered to the overall history of Canada. On Conception Bay, the visit to Cupids Cove offered a glimpse of the first English settlement in what became Canada. Further along, in Harbour Grace, I saw the place, where, in 1932, Amelia Earhart was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean to successfully land in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Along Trinity Bay, I stopped in Heart's Content. Here, there is a line going across the road, where the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable was brought ashore in 1866. On Placentia Bay and overlooking the town of Placentia (original French capital of Newfoundland) is the 17th-century Castle Hill fort, built by the French to control the lucrative cod fishing of the Grand Banks. It took me an afternoon to complete the audio tour of this huge fort. I also paid a visit to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, a Norse settlement in North America dating to approximately 1,000 years ago. Other early settlers? I visited the monument dedicated to John Cabot. In 1497, this explorer landed in Cape Bonavista, on the coast of Newfoundland, making him the first known European to do so since the Norse visits in the 11th century. What is one piece of advice you would give? Not every port, town or hamlet had accommodations, restaurants or a gas station. Book well in advance, and fill gas at every opportunity, even if not needed. Carry snacks and beverages, and be aware of the fact that there are no roadside rest stops. Being alone and frequently without cell service, being stranded was not an option I wanted to cope with. I have booked my next visit and know without planning and research I will miss the many stories and sites that make trips so interesting. Wilhelmina (Willy) Wilkins, Richmond Hill, Ont. READERS ' TIPS We've launched a series that invites Star readers to share places they've visited recently and would recommend, whether it's a weekend getaway in Elora, a Banff canoe trip, or a jaunt to Victoria, B.C. If you've been, loved it and want to tell us about it, we'd like to hear from you. Email us with 'TRAVEL TIPS' in the subject line at travel@ . Please include brief responses to these questions. If your holiday experience is chosen, we'll be in touch. 1. Where did you go and when was it? 2. Where did you stay? 3. What was a highlight of your trip? Why? 4. Any travel tips?
