Watergardens on Kingston Hill (April 2012)

The Watergardens on Warren Road, Kingston Hill is one of those gardens that I like to visit whenever it is open as it so different from other local gardens and there is so much to explore there.

This year was no exception despite the slight drizzle and the threat or more to come that made it more sensible to go there by car rather than bike.

The garden is clearly very pretty, even in the wet, but its main charm comes from the myriad pathways that take you to unexpected places.

Some of these paths are reasonably straight and wide but the more interesting ones are not. This trail of stones takes you across the water and in to the bushes.

Following one of the paths down the steep hill brings you to the main feature, a round pond with a fountain and a few playful birds frozen in time.

Water runs throughout the gardens (there is a clue in the name) and there are many bridges to let you cross it.

Some are grey and made of stone while others are made of wood and are painted bright red.

Wandering along a muddy path through the trees the sighting of a bridge reveals that another more substantial path lies nearby.

And wandering these paths is what the Watergardens is all about. There are a few places to rest and enjoy the view but only a few. This is a garden to scramble through following the twists and turns as they take you wherever they want you to go.

The reward for this haphazard exploration is scenes like this where the garden wraps itself around you as if to keep you in more than to keep the town out. Here there are no cars and no people, just the trees and water for company.