Went to Emmett's garden, looked on Trip advisor and got good reviews so off I went, it was a very hot day. Eventually found it the other side of Sevenoaks, down a country lane. The car park was free, I was greeted by an Italian man with lots of charm, the price was £9 to gain entry.
I have never visited Emmett's garden before so didn't know what to expect, Emmett's Garden is an Edwardian estate that was owned by Frederic Lubbock, becoming both a plantsman's passion and a much-loved family home. The garden was laid out in the late 19th century, and was influenced by William Robinson. It contains many exotic and rare trees and shrubs from across the world.
There is quite a lot of walking as the gardens are well spaced, and you can go into the woodland areas, the first garden was a rockery, the acers trees were looking their best in the sun with the red leaves, but I thought the actual path was a bit hit-and-miss as to footing, you can easily slip or twist your ankle so make sure you have adequate foot ware, no heels!
Then you go into the rose garden which is formally layout in style, the roses did look good, but some did need dead heading. You follow the path pass the Wild flower meadow with brown butterflies dancing around, you end up the exotic shrub garden, nicely lay out and space to wonder about. Ended up at the Old stable block which was turned into the refreshment area with picnics tables outside, I didn't want anything at that time as it was busy but did want the ladies, it was clean except for the water on the floor.
There was a play area just before you enter the woods, there are some steep areas but managed to find the path which lead me further into the woods, you can see some landscapes through the trees as you wind your way through the trees. You will eventually come across a water pumping station and a large pumping water pond, not suitable for small children left unattended.
Then you have to walk back up the woodland path which is very uneven, but they do provide seating every so-often which is welcoming, I would like to do it in the wet. Meet a nice couple with their dog walking the other way, the dog was dragging a very big stick. You have to be careful as on the map provided the path's look straight forwards, but there are actually more paths, and you can take the wrong one and end up lost, I found a road which is not actually on the map, but you just have to be aware of where you are, and you will eventually hear the kids screaming as you arrive back into civilisation and with all that walking and sweating you will need a coffee! I was surprised how big the coffee was, as it was just a regular size.
After being refreshed you can wonder about taking pics and find a quiet spot to sit and relax, overall it was a nice garden to visit and to cross of my list of places to go.
For more pictures, you can visit my Flickr page or Click Here for my MediaFire album.
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