The grounds are undergoing some renovation at present. Following the removal of Rhododendron ponticum, access is now possible to areas which had not seen the light of day for many years. A burn runs through the grounds. Part of the grounds to the north of this burn have not been thinned. We hope it will interest guests to see how lush and dense the growth became with time. An interesting feature is a larch which fell across the burn some years ago. It is now has a dense cover of moss, and many seedlings growing on it.
The photos on this page were taken in early April 1999. The deciduous trees are still bare, but many rhododenrons were flowering.
For the first time in many years, we were able to see the R. macabeanum from a vantage point on a nearby ridge. This specimen has been described as possibly one of the best in Britain. Following the winter storms, a lot of damage needed attention over the spring. Horse power was used to remove some of the fallen larches. One log was thought to weigh over 1 ton, and was pulled out by a single horse. We were pleased that the use of horse power seemed an effective way to minimise damage to the ground.
