Muckhart Village Gardens
Yes, this is a post about gardens – but first things first. Coffee and cake! Muckhart is another of Scotland’s Gardens opening for one day for charity – but this time, it was a whole village joining in. Tickets were purchased from the Village Hall, morning coffee (all included) consumed and off we set, map in hand.
5 Golf View
Just up the road from the Hall was the smallest garden on the list, a wildlife friendly cottage garden with vegetables and fruit growing alongside the flowers.
From here, it was a half-mile stroll alongside the golf course to the school. Beautiful views for a walk to school.
Muckhart Primary School
Muckhart has been awarded the best school garden in Clackmannanshire for the last two years, deservedly so. There are obviously a lot of fairies about, and the children had left very helpful directions.
The Willows
Another half mile walk took us to this mixed herbaceous garden.
Hollytree Lodge
Half a mile again and we had completed the circle back to the centre of the village. Hollytree Lodge was the first garden to truly blow us away (and we thought it was enormous until one of our afternoon visits). Some interesting sculptures too.
The Inn at Muckhart
Not a garden, but you know – lunch!
Mount Stuart House
Fortified by good food and drink, we set off by car for Mount Stuart. Walking was not recommended as it’s well out of the village on a twisty narrow road.
Here, I was most impressed by the varied sitting areas, the lovely extension and patio and the multiple ways of having a barbecue (outdoor pit, gas barbecue and that cute little barbecue hut). Sorted for all weathers!
The Steading
At Yetts o’Muckhart a farmer had opened his yard as a car-park, and from here we were able to do another three gardens on foot. For me, The Steading was the star of the show. It was huge with paths and ponds in the lower section and a large grassy area with a Japanese garden above, all nestling below the Ochil Hills. You can see the date of the house above the small window – 1704.
By the way, if anyone knows what that weird red flower is, please tell me in the comments.
Moss Park Coach House
Country lanes and paths took us to Moss Park Coach House. This garden was only two years old, its owner having “downsized” from the main house by converting the coach house and stables into a home. The garden was created from the paddock and, strangely, we seem to have taken no photographs of it. Obviously, we were mesmerised by the beautiful pink house.
Shepherds Cottage
Back along the lane we found Shepherds Cottage, another small cottage-style garden.
Balliliesk House
Finally we took the car to Balliliesk, partly because it was down the main road which didn’t look too pleasant to walk on and partly because we were almost out of time before the gardens closed at 5pm. The owners moved into this grand house 4 years ago and the garden was described as a work in progress, a nice touch being the hand-drawn map provided to visitors with notes about projects they had undertaken and their future plans.
At £8 for nine gardens, this was a snip for a day out! We also managed to walk several miles and, despite the hearty lunch, work up an appetite for dinner. I therefore feel justified in contributing to Jo’s Monday Walks – follow the link to see stunning Krakow this week.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
Pretty sure the pink flowers are gunnera, looking at the leaves. See e.g.
https://tinyurl.com/yc8huzb7
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Thank you – I think you are right!
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Well I seem to be all about pink today. I was very drawn to the pink house and to the pink flowers at The Steading. What are those flowers anyhow? I have never seen them.
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I still don’t know! I was hoping some gardening experts would tell me but nobody did.
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Love the signs about the garden fairies! 🙂
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Me too, the children had made a big effort in that garden.
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Everything looks so beautiful, and tempting – like cakes 😀
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Cakes and flowers: both tempting!
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That is great scenery. That must have been a full day.
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It was! Thank you for visiting and commenting.
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Such a delightful place! Love the Fairy doors 🙂
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Aren’t they cute?!
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They are 🙂 All the place looks like a fairy land .
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What beautiful gardens! I am always impressed when someone can work fruits and vegetables into their flowers seamlessly. I am not that person!
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Me neither!
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That fairy sign is adorable! What a great idea to get the children involved in the garden. Lots of lovely pictures – I almost feel like I went on the walk with you 🙂
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Thank you! The school garden was full of lovely touches.
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I love that you always have your priorities in order, and showed us the selection of cakes first! What a garden-tacular day! That school garden looks quite cute, but I think that owl from Hollytree Lodge is my favourite!
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But of course – cake! A necessary fuel.
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Glad you started with the most important thing – cake!! And isn’t that a great name for the village. Do love unusual names, and talking of names I wonder if that red flower is a type of Ninebark?
Thought of it because another reader mentioned they have something similar with white flowers, and I know physocarpus-opulifolius diablo come with white flowers.
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Had to google that! Not sure the flowers look quite tight though.
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yes I wasn’t certain either- hopefully someone will know!
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Or even look quite “right”!
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What a great way to spend a day, such good value I love looking at other people’s gardens they give me so many good ideas
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Thanks – I’m not a gardener so I just like looking and appreciating other people’s hard work!
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This looks like such a great day. I love to look at gardens…love all the flowers especially the daisies with the purple in them. You also had me at cake:)
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Brilliant day – and yes, cake! A master stroke.
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So many beautiful buildings and gardens, Anabel. I have no idea what that flower is. It looks a bit like a raspberry ice cream cone. 🙂
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It does! Still a mystery so far…..
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What a lovely jaunt you had, Anabel! 🙂 I do like the Open Gardens scheme. We struggle to get to many of them because they’re often on a Sunday and by the time we’ve had lunch it’s too late. 😦 I’d love to abandon cooking on Sundays but Dad likes to come to ours.
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Ah, we rarely bother with the Sunday lunch thing. Unless it’s in a pub of course……
Thanks Jo!
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I wish I didn’t 😦
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I love that stone patio at the Mount Stuart House. I may have to save that photo to recreate it later! It sounds like a really lovely area. All those gardens, and the faerie trees! How fun. 🙂 It seems like you never run out of fun stuff to do up there.
P.S., I sent my dad your Lindisfarne article and he was thrilled. He’d been researching it for years, but your photos provided new angles to the building he’s never seen before. 🙂
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Oh, that’s great! I’ve been useful. Thanks for telling me.
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Always useful, of course!! ❤
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Before I moved here (and the village hall closed) our village did this sort of thing, alternating years with a neighbouring village. Somehow it all fell apart and despite one attempt to start it up again, when just two of us said we’d take part, we haven’t got it going again. Yet. There’s always hope. We wouldn’t be as elegant as these, though 🙂
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I’m in awe at anyone even contemplating such a thing!
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Such a nice day out, walking with a purpose, and beautiful rewards at every stop. Each of the gardens has its own character and much work put in!
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Yes, they were very varied. I’m glad I don’t have to look after them!
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What a great walk. And what a lot of work all these beautiful gardens must take. I don’t know what the red flower is, but we have a similar one that blooms white.
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Thanks, Susan – I’m hoping someone will know! It’s so odd looking.
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What a day you had! Great gardens! 🙂
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Thanks Pit! I had never been to this village before but was very impressed.
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Gosh – I’d have needed the Inn after I’d walk … but aren’t they lovely and so many different aspects to look at – amazing … cheers Hilary
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Thanks Hilary. I was so impressed by the hard work and organisation the village had put in.
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Oh goodness, cake! I’m off to bake; the gardens and sculptures are grand too but cake…
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Yup – had to get the cake in first. Save me a virtual slice of your baking, Geoff!
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One day we can share a slice and discuss the merits of different types!
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Deal!
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