Old Houses, Gardens, Walking in March or April

In late March/early April, you should find magnolias & camellias in flower in southern Britain. Woodlands have blue bells in April - peak time varies according to weather. In the Cardiff area at that time of year, you will find all the above in flower at places that can be reached by public transport. These places are :> Bute Park (west side of Cardiff Castle); St.Fagans Castle & Museum of Welsh History (free) - a 23 minute bus (32) ride (not Sundays) west of the city centre; Cefn-Onn-Park = 20 minute *train ride north of the city centre. *You need Lisvane & Thornhill station but may like to consider staying on the train to visit Caerphilly Castle first as it is the next stop north.

If visiting Cardiff, you should see cherry trees in blossom and beds of tulips around 9 April in Alexandra Gardens which are behind the city hall. Dyffryn Gardens (NT) just to the west of Cardiff (First Bus X2 + 1 mile walk from St.Nicholas) is mainly famous for summer displays but does have some interest for those seeking spring flowers.

Obviously there are other gardens in southern Britain which will have similar flowers in bloom at that time. The first week of May tends to be the peak time for Rhododendrons & Azaleas to be in flower in the south.

For more information about British gardens see:>ttps://www.greatbritishgardens.co.uk

I would recommend Northumberland but March is a bit early to see gardens at their best, especially in the North of England which is cooler. What time of year did you visit the Cotswolds? If you can wait until early May you’ll see more things in bloom.

Houses with gardens I’d recommend in Northumberland - Cragside, Wallington, Alnwick Castle, Belsay Hall. There are others as well that I haven’t been to. Northumberland also has ruined castles and Hadrians Wall. So much to do and none of it is busy. There are many attractive villages with pubs and small country towns to explore. You would need a car to make the most of it.

There are so many great regions in the UK for this, including the ones suggested above. For me, late March and early April can still be a little chilly so I would stick to the south and look at Kent or Sussex. You could look at walking sections of the North Downs Way or South Downs Way. In Kent you have both Leeds Castle and Sissinghurst Castle Gardens (and lots more gardens... Kent is called the Garden of England). Knole is another really nice one. At that time of year, tho, some stately homes are just reopening from being shut for the winter so you may want to check the times. Also you probably wouldn't get the bluebells in Kent at that time of year as they're more prevalent in May.

I would also have a look at the Peak District, which has great walking and (in my opinion) the best stately home in the country, Chatsworth House.

I would also suggest looking on the National Trust website for ideas/inspiration. Good luck with your planning!

For that time of year I would probably suggest the South West of England. It's a bit milder than the rest of the country so Spring arrives that bit earlier. Cornish gardens in particular are at their best in Spring and there is no shortage - Lanhydrock, Trelissick, Trebah, Glendurgan, Heligan etc. etc. Lanhydrock and Trelissick have fine houses associated with them too. There's also a lot of coastline to explore, including the South West Coast Path all round the county and beyond!

Devon, which you pass through to get to Cornwall is full of options too.

Hi, what a wonderful objective! I don't have much to add, but did want to point out that James has given you a good link to find out more information.

But here is another one that would also be helpful from the National Garden Society: https://ngs.org.uk/

my thought for camellias and similar is in the huge Richmond Park, a Royal Park, in Richmond to the west of London.

A garden within the park is called Isabella Plantation and there is a whole section devoted to early spring flowering shrubs.

Plus, at free, it is worth the money many times over.

Thanks to Claudia of LaLa Land for introducing me several years ago to Richmond Park

Hi, for house and garden ideas/inspiration, I recommend looking at the Sisley Garden tours website itineraries. Even if you're not taking a tour, it's useful to see where they visit. (I traveled with this company two years ago.)

https://www.sisley.co.uk/

Thank you all for your suggestions! I have a window for travel that makes the first two weeks in April the best options for me this year. I like the idea of it being warmer (i.e. sticking to the southeast and/or southwest counties) but I also really like the rolling hills which makes Cardiff or the Peak District enticing. And thank you for all the garden and house websites. They are particularly helpful.