Route: Lowther Castle and Gardens
Area: North Eastern Lake District
Date of walk: 6th June 2018
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3.0 miles
Weather: Cloudy
Lowther Castle has a long and varied history, and following World War II was an unwanted ruin, which was deteriorating further as there were insufficient funds with which to maintain it. In recent years however a plan has been drawn up to consolidate the ruins, restore the 50 acre garden, and open the grounds to the public
We were last here 3 years ago and since that time the transformation has gathered pace. We were astounded by the amount of work (and money) which has been invested, making this place a must see attraction
After entering the gardens (free to members of Historic Houses), we made a beeline for the castle ruins. Renowned garden designer Dan Pearson has created a beautiful space within the ruins, in what used to be the old billiard room. The adjacent parterre has also been developed with some imaginative and quite superb planting
We then wandered along Yew Avenue to Western Terrace, from which there are wonderful views over the surrounding countryside. We passed by the Lost Castle, another feature which has been added since our last visit. Anyone with children or grandchildren will want to know that this is the largest wooden playground in the country
We continued around the perimeter of the gardens, visiting Jack Croft’s Pond, enjoying the views from Patte d’Oie and strolling round the rock garden and the new orchard. It was a wonderful visit despite the indifferent weather, and we look forward to returning in the future to see what further changes have been made
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
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Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Map of the garden, available at the entrance to Lowther Gardens
Entrance to the castle, which is mostly a roofless shell
The ruins of Lowther Castle...
...and the atmospheric garden within it, on the site of the former billiard room
Looking out over the South Lawns
Himalayan blue poppy...
Looking north towards Penrith
Clematis
Iris Siberica
The parterre by the castle ruins....
The wildflower meadow
Entrance to Yew Avenue
Looking along Yew Avenue
Ancient tree trunks along the way
Matilda's summerhouse
We arrive at Western Terrace, which commands lovely views over the surrounding countryside...
A view of Lowther Castle from Emperor's Drive
We climb up to see Jack Croft's Pond...
From here we climb up a grassy path to Patte d'Oie
The viewpoint is named after the foot of a goose, with three toes splayed out to highlight the views
We descend down one of the toes back to the castle...
View of the castle from South Lawns
We'd missed the Rock Garden earlier on, so cross the lawns in order to visit it
The Rock Garden
Aquilegia...
The Roman Bath
The newly planted orchard
Countess Summerhouse
Back at the castle, a last look across the parterre as we leave this wonderful place
