Cawdor

Holidays in the UK have so much to recommend them. This country has such a diverse range of scenery, culture and history, that it would be impossible for anyone to ever say they were familiar with Britain. As a keen gardener and golfer we have been drawn to many of the less travelled parts of the country. Earlier this month we were in the North East of Scotland in what I had imagined to be a little off the beaten track. However, the lure of some brilliant golf, some special scenery, the whiskey trail, not to mention the history and hospitality meant that even into autumn there were full hotels and plenty of visitors.


The Moray coastline is quite spectacular but it is the gardens at Cawdor Castle which I have featured below. The award winning grounds are most definitely worth a detour. Dating back to the Renaissance, it is not surprising that The Walled Garden is the oldest garden at Cawdor Castle and probably the highlight.

 The family archives indicate the presence of orchards on the site of the current Walled Garden. Developed over the years and with the addition of a host of exotic seeds in the late seventeenth century. The Walled Garden naturally developed into one of the finest Victorian Gardens of its kind. Due to increasing number of visitors to the Castle, and with many of them helping themselves to the gardens treasures, it was eventually closed to the public.

Remodeled in 1981 by Lord Cawdor and incorporating over 1200 holly plants, the top half of the Walled Garden was developed into a maze. Taking inspiration from the mosaic floor of the ruined Roman villa of Conimbriga in Portugal. In classical form depicts the Minotaurs Labyrinth in Knossos in Crete.

In addition, some years later in 2015 American born sculptor Gregory Ryan created the Minotaur that stands visibly and proudly in the middle of the Cawdor labyrinth.

Surrounding the maze on three sides is the Laburnum arch offering a waterfall of yellow flowers from late May until June.