I had never been to Kew Gardens so I was in for a pleasant surprise… It was amazing! And huge! It is home to many different species of plants from all over the world. It took us most of the day to just get a general look around but we tried to cover as many areas as we could in the time we had.
The location: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB.
First of all, it was lovely weather, which always makes a difference, and secondly, we were in great company, my son, daughter-in-law and grandson.
We made our way around the many different areas of the gardens and this included the incubated Giant Greenhouse which houses plants from tropical climes in the Palm House , the Bonsai House and the beautiful Waterlily Pond.
When we entered the Waterlily Pond I was excited to be greeted by one of my Facebook Friends who recognized me. I knew that she volunteered there but she told me she would not normally be there on a Sunday or in that particular area – amazing coincidence!
The Rose and Cactus Gardens were very interesting and there were some fascinatingly enormous trees.
We had lunch in the Café, when we needed a rest and then resumed our walk with a visit to the Stately House… and the Canopy Walk, which had fabulous views of the surrounding trees.
I also loved the approach to the Pagoda. There are several paths leading to and from it creating good photo opportunities. The HIVE is an amazing insight as to what being inside a beehive is actually like if you are a honey bee!
A note here is be sure to wear good comfortable walking shoes as you will certainly need them! If you decide to take it a bit easy, you can book a place on the tram that takes you around the gardens for a small charge.
It is better to book online in advance to save a few pounds and there are also concessions for those over 60 and a chance to get a yearly pass at a small extra charge if you so desire.
The area is so large it is easy to imagine you are the only people there, then you turn a corner and there is a group of visitors having a picnic. There are picnic benches and scenic areas for you to take advantage of all over.
Kew Gardens is a great family day out for young and old, there is so much to do there!
