I seam to be getting a hankering for Country Houses and Gardens, this time is Great Dixter, it was the family home of gardener and gardening writer Christopher Lloyd – it was the focus of his energy and enthusiasm and fuelled over 40 years of books and articles. Now under the stewardship of Fergus Garrett and the Great Dixter Charitable Trust, Great Dixter is a historic house, a garden, a centre of education, and a place of pilgrimage for horticulturists from across the world.
The gardens are lovely, but maybe not to everyone's taste, some say it looks a bit untidy, but I say try to recreate it in your garden and see how far you get.
The paths are not very wide due to the overflowing plants and some are only about a foot wide, so if you have walking difficulties or in a wheelchair then you are limited but still worth going.
Some paths/slabs are not flat, so you need to take care, or you might end up on your ass. The entrance price is £10.45, but the car park is free, so it's not that bad, The amenities are again clean and tidy (ladies) but the main door was open, so anyone could look in. The cubical had doors which could lock. There is a film to watch about the garden, but I would rather get into the garden. I actually walked around twice as some coach parties were in a rush, and you could not see everything in one go, or they would just stand in the way, especially when taking pictures.
The only downside was the weather as it began to rain, so I took shelter hoping it was just a shower, but it wasn't. I was sheltering in one of the barns and was joined by a couple and another lady, we started to discuss other gardens nearby and plants, overall we all loved Dixter and when the other decided to go into the main house I decided to make a run for it to the car. In the main house you only get to see three rooms which I just about remember when I visited when I was much younger with my family, I finished off my adventure by getting a sausage and chips on the way home.
So if you like this type of garden style do go to Great Dixter which is at Northiam, near Rye in East Sussex, the postcode is: TN31 6PH and website is at https://www.greatdixter.co.uk/ So get your best dress on and get exploring.
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