Full information about the following parks and attractions can be found in the July 2004 issue of Practical Caravan. For back issues telephone 08456 777812. Admission Price and Opening Times were correct at the time of publishing. Please check for latest information before visiting.

Where to go: BODNANT GARDEN

Address Tal-y-Cafn, Nr Colwyn Bay, Conwy, North Wales LL28 5RE
Tel 01492 650460
Website Click Here
Opening times 13 March-31 October, 10am-5pm s Admission Adults £5.50, Children £2.75 Free for members of the National Trust
 • Few gardens in Britain offer views quite as spectacular as Bodnant's. From the top of its Italianate terraces you can look out across the River Conwy to the Snowdonia mountain range. Within Bodnant are plants from China, North America, Europe and Japan, all delicately arranged so there is colour throughout the year. Most famous is the Laburnum arch: a 55m-long tunnel of hanging golden flowers, out from late May to early June, as are the Japanese azaleas.

Where to stay: BRON-Y-WENDON CARAVAN PARK

Address Wern Road, Llanddulas, Colwyn Bay, North Wales LL22 8HG
Tel 01492 512903
Website Click Here
Open All year (limited pitches Nov-Feb)

Where to go: CHATSWORTH

Address Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1PP
Tel 01246 565300
Website Click Here
Opening times 17 March-19 December, 11am-5.30pm, gardens to 6pm
Admission (House & garden) Adults £9, Senior Citizens £7, Children £3.50
 • Within Chatsworth's 105 acres are kitchen and cottage gardens, a sensory garden, wild ponds, a maze and all sorts of sculptures, fountains and 'water trickery'. Most impressive is the 'cascade', where water flows over 24 gently graded steps, no two the same, so the sound is constantly changing. The Emperor Fountain, which dates from 1844, can spout water up to 90m high. The surreal willow fountain is a realistic-looking tree that periodically shoots water from its leaves and branches, wetting the unwary.

Where to stay: CHATSWORTH PARK CARAVAN CLUB SITE

Address Chatsworth, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1PN
Tel 01246 582226
Website Click Here
Open 26-March-3 January 2005

Where to go: FAIRHAVEN WOODLAND AND WATER GARDEN

Address South Walsham, Norwich, Norfolk NR13 6EA
Tel 01603 270449
Website Click Here
Opening times All year except Christmas day, 10am-5pm
Admission Adults £4, Senior Citizens £3.50, Children £1.50, Under 5s Free
 • This organically managed garden is in an enchanting watery wonderland. It offers three miles of walks through woodland, and in May the ground turns into a rich hue of pinks, purples and whites as England's largest collection of candelabra primulas makes its yearly appearance. Over 90 species of birds have been recorded here, and a bird hide allows visitors to wait for the rarer species.

Where to stay: CLIPPESBY HOLIDAYS

Address Clippesby Hall,Clippesby, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR29 3BL
Tel 01493 367800
Website Click Here
Open 5 April-18 September

Where to go: GRAYTHWAITE HALL GARDENS

Address Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 8BA
Tel 01539 531248
Website
Opening times 1 April-June 30 daily 10am-6pm
Admission £2
 • An example of the Arts and Crafts style, Graythwaite is a charming informal garden designed by Thomas Mawson. An abundance of rhododendrons and azaleas flower from April onwards, and there are charming terraces, yew hedges and a Dutch garden. As expected from the Arts and Crafts influence, there are plenty of features in the garden, including a sundial designed by Dan Gibson which appeared on the cover of Mawson's book, The Art and Craft of Garden Making. The gardens are surrounded by extensive woodland where red deer roam, and which Beatrix Potter is said to have used as the setting for The Fairy Caravan.

Where to stay: HOLGATES CARAVAN PARK

Address Middlebarrow Plain, Cove Road, Silverdale, nr Carnforth, Lancashire LA5 0SH
Tel 01524 701508
Website Click Here
Open 22 December 2003 -7 November 2004

Where to go: GREAT DIXTER

Address Northiam, Rye, East Sussex TN31 6PH
Tel 01797 252878
Website Click Here
Opening times April-October, Tuesday-Sunday, 2-5pm
Admission Adults £5, Children £1.50
 • The garden at Great Dixter is a riot of colour, brick paths, fun topiary, meadow areas full of wild flowers and, in the middle of it all, the beautiful sweep of Great Dixter's roof and red-brick chimneys. The house is part 15th- and 16th-century, with the rest built by Edwin Lutyens in the early 20th century. He was responsible for much of the garden design, too, when the house was owned by the parents of Christopher Lloyd, the current owner. The garden has a natural feel, and new plantings are being tried out by Lloyd all the time.

Where to stay: BROADHEMBURY HOLIDAY PARK

Address Steeds Lane, Kingsworth, Ashford, Kent TN26 1NQ
Tel 01233 620859
Website Click Here
Open All year

Where to go: LOST GARDENS OF HELIGAN

Address Pentewan, St.Austell, Cornwall PL26 6EN
Tel 01726 845100
Website Click Here
Opening times Open all year except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 10am-5pm
Admission Adults £7.50, Senior Citizens £7, Children £4, Under 5s Free
 • One of the greatest restoration projects ever, the gardens at Heligan have been reclaimed from an overgrown mass of vegetation. Its 80 acres contain a range of different gardens, from big lawns with rhododendrons, working vegetable gardens, glasshouses, flower gardens, hidden Italian gardens and a wild, lush garden, 'The Jungle', set around four lakes and complete with gunnera, tree ferns, bamboo and banana plantations. This isn't just a garden; it is a living museum of 19th-century horticulture.

Where to stay: PENTEWAN SANDS HOLIDAY PARK

Address Pentewan, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 6BT
Tel 01726 843485
Website Click Here Open April-October

Where to go: HENLEY HILLBILLIES

Address Poolewe, Ross-shire, Scotland IV22 2LG
Tel 01445 781200
Website Click Here
Opening times all year
Admission £7, £5.25 concessions
 • Imagine a barren Scottish promontory, beaten by winds and nibbled by sheep. It doesn't sound like the best setting for a garden, but that's where Osgood Mckenzie chose to pursue his gardening dream by creating Inverewe Gardens in 1862. Now it is a mature garden, with an outstanding collection of exotic plants, from Australian tree ferns to south African bulbs. It is awash with colour in April, when the many species of rhododendrons are in full bloom and the spring bulbs are out in force. The colour continues throughout the summer in the walled garden and herbaceous borders.

Where to stay: INVEREWE GARDENS CAMPING AND CARAVANNING CLUB SITE

Address Poolewe, Achnasheen, Highlands IV22 2LF Tel 01445 781249 Website Click Here s Open 1 April-1 November

Where to go: RIPLEY CASTLE

Address Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 3AY
Tel 01423 770152
Website: Click Here
Opening times Open all year except Christmas day, 9am-5.30pm (4.30pm in winter)
Admission Adults £3.50, Senior Citizens £3, Children £2, Under 5s Free
 • The time to visit Ripley Castle is late April or early May, when the hyacinths are in bloom. Ripley is home to the National Hyacinth Collection, and harbours over 40 varieties. The scent is overwhelming. The hyacinths are in a walled garden that is reached via a lakeside walk. The gardens also have hothouses with cacti, ferns and orchids, and a kitchen garden which grows a large number of rare vegetables. There's a lovely walk to the deer park, where some of the oaks are said to be 1,000 years old.

Where to stay: RIPLEY CARAVAN PARK

Address Ripley, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 3AU
Tel 01423 770050
Website Click Here
Open 3 April-31 October

Where to go: STOURHEAD

Address Stourton, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 6QD
Tel 01747 841152
Website Click Here
Opening times All year
Admission Adults £5.40, children £3
 • This classically landscaped garden has a lake encircled by a beautiful walk, which is punctuated by follies and temples. The walk leads through a mature woodland of exotic trees, which is dotted with bulbs in early springtime and bluebells in May. One of the most interesting follies is King Alfred's Tower. Visitors can go to the top, about 50m up, for fantastic views over the estate. The garden was laid out and landscaped in the 18th century. Rhododendrons, which were introduced later, explode into colour throughout May and June. A perfect garden for a stroll, full of fantastic views.

Where to stay: PLOUGH LANE CARAVAN PARK

Address Kington Langley, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 5PS
Tel 01249 750795
Website Click Here
Open 19 March-16 October

Where to go: STOWE LANDSCAPE GARDENS

Address Buckingham MK18 5EH
Tel 01280 822850
Website Click Here
Opening times 28 Feb-31 October (Wed-Sun), 10am-5.30pm; 1 November-28 February (weekends only), 10am-4pm
Admission Adults £5.50, Children £2.70
 • Stowe has stories in every corner. For 350 years, it belonged to the Temple family. In the 'Elysian Fields', owner Lord Cobham divided the mill stream in two and had one strand run through sunlight, symbolising good, while the other ran through shady trees, representing the mythical River Styx. Another area is full of monuments to illicit or unrequited love. The eight miles of paths take in beautiful temples, stunning views and a feeling that nature is everywhere.

Where to stay: BO PEEP CARAVAN PARK

Address Aynho Road, Adderbury, Nr Banbury, Oxon OX17 3NP
Tel 01295 810605
Website Click Here
Open 26 March-31 October

Full information about the above parks and attractions can be found in the July 2004 issue of Practical Caravan. For back issues telephone 08456 777812. Admission Price and Opening Times were correct at the time of publishing. Please check for latest information before visiting.