Our holiday was only five days long, but you can fit more than you’d think into that! There were only 26 of us, but we bonded together and enjoyed good companionship through the week. We were joined by 2 new non-members, and I hope they felt part of our group and enjoyed the holiday as much as we all did.

It’s quite a climb up to the top to reach The Heights Hotel but Will, our excellent young driver, took it all in his stride; and after our visit to Compton Acres, he drove us to the end of the spit of land, to Portland Bill lighthouse so we could explore the museum, the café and the pulpit rock and watch the birds and other wildlife.

We received a very warm welcome at Westbrook House near Glastonbury. Two dedicated gardeners had built it from scratch with a mixed planting of old roses, fruit trees and tropical plants (including one yellow salvia).

Exploring the wonderful shrubs in the Abbotsbury Subtropical Garden. We talked with one of the professional gardeners there; she had been there a couple of years and talked about her work. The garden itself was easy to get lost in (!) but it was full of beautiful, unusual and exotic shrubs, including many hydrangeas.

After a climb up to the Viewing Point we could see West Bay, Golden Cap and even Lyme Regis in the distance.
We watched he Abbotsbury swans being fed at the swannery. They were everywhere – asleep on the paths, in separate pens for fostering (the special care unit was vacant at the time as there were no casualties to look after) – and many were gathered together for the 4.00pm feed. As feeding time arrived you could feel the anticipation; then 2 young members of staff arrived with wheelbarrows full of seed, emptied it out into green buckets and invited anyone, especially children, to participate.

We visited the Sunken Italian garden at Compton Acres. It was immaculately maintained, with symmetrical waterlilies and impressive statues. We chatted with one of the gardeners – it’s always interesting to observe how these amazing spaces are maintained. The café was bustling, obviously popular and the food excellent.

There were some quiet places to sit in the Walled Garden in Cannington and soaking up the tropical atmosphere. There was a pink oleander to enjoy. Many of the plants were set in gravel which set them off so well – among them convolvulus cneorum and euphorbia myrsinitis.

Thanks go to Yvonne for organising everything, and to Will the driver.

Cheltenham Horticultural Society

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