Bodnant Gardens

Part One of our tour of British homes and gardens ended with a bang...Bodnant Gardens in Wales was perhaps the best yet, both traditional garden and an extensive parkland, filled with rhododenrons and azalaeas, dozens of great specimen trees (including at least one UK Champion tree), terraced gardens, ponds, bridges, pavilions, pretty much everything. And in bloom too.

It begins dramatically, with the Laburnum Arch, a couple
hundred feet of intense color

Another bug hotel

And then, color, color, color

A cascade down the slope; we were a day or so past the prime,
but the petals on the ground only added to the effect

Thus

And thus

Primula, a new interest

A bed of primula

Another cascade

Ditto

Wales, very near Snowdonia

The house and conservatory; alas, not open to the public

Llanddulas Encampment

After Powys, we drove on across northern Wales, aiming to spend the night in or near Conwy, within range of Bodnant, our next home and garden. But an intriguing site popped up on Wildcamping.co.uk, right on the sea, near Llanddulas, and we spent a pleasant evening there, listening to the enormous tides come and go.

There, right on the shore

With signage; and other campers too

And a nice walking path

Just beneath the coastal defenses

With a view

Looking back up the coast toward Liverpool, which is evidently
around the bend

One of the larger wind farms at sea we've seen

Sunset over the Irish Sea

Powys Parklands

We walked the parklands trail twice...the rhodos and azaleas were at their height...and irresistible. Consequently the pix are in no particular order.

Smelling the azaleas

The cold plunge pool

Another handkerchief tree

Ice house

One of several ponds on the grounds