Cholmondley Gardens visit

Three Ladies, One Castle and a Billy Bargain!

What do you get when you combine members of the elite Audlem Rummikub Club, Ros, Suzanne and Steph, a glorious summer’s day, and entry to Cholmondeley Castle Gardens for the princely sum of £5? A billy bargain, that’s what!

Fortunately, one of our more switched-on trio spotted that the tickets had to be pre-paid. Disaster was narrowly avoided as we confidently approached the front gate, armed with our proof of payment and looking like seasoned garden explorers rather than confused day-trippers.

First stop? The toilets, of course. Ros has become something of an expert at locating these essential facilities with military precision. Priorities established, the next vital requirement was coffee. Civilisation restored, we were finally ready to admire the gardens.

The gardens were spectacular, bursting with beautiful flowers and fascinating plants. Suzanne wandered around happily identifying almost every plant by name, while I perfected the art of nodding knowingly despite not having the faintest idea what she was talking about. Every flower seemed to have a Latin name. To me, most of them were simply ‘the pretty purple one.’

We strolled around the magnificent lake, admired the elegant statues and generally behaved as though we were starring in an episode of Gardeners’ World. Eventually we found ourselves swept along with a crowd of equally enthusiastic plant lovers towards what can only be described as a horticultural paradise – a cornucopia of nurseries displaying every plant, ornament and garden gadget imaginable.

Needless to say, Ros and I proved completely incapable of resisting temptation. Several plants somehow found their way into our arms, and Ros also fell in love with a delightful robin bird bath that doubled as a plant holder. Suzanne, despite having what can only be described as a show garden at home, displayed remarkable self-control and bought nothing at all, claiming she had ‘no room.’We’re still not entirely convinced.

Eventually, laden with our botanical treasures, came the next challenge: finding the car. After wandering around several suspiciously familiar-looking parking spaces, we eventually admitted that taking a photo of where we’d parked might have been a sensible idea. A lesson for next time!

With car successfully rediscovered, we headed to the Canalside Garden Centre, where we rewarded ourselves with delicious Staffordshire oatcakes stuffed with a variety of fillings. After all, buying plants and wandering around beautiful gardens is exhausting work and clearly deserved a substantial lunch.

Finally, we set off for home, thoroughly pleased with our purchases, our bargain day out, and the laughter we’d shared along the way. It just goes to show that all you really need for a perfect day is good friends, beautiful gardens, a few impulse plant purchases, plenty of coffee… and someone sensible enough to remember to pre-book the tickets!