THE STORY

Introduction

Our walk

Introduction to Achamore Gardens (drawing on the Heritage Trust leaflet)

The famous Achamore Gardens were created by Sir James Horlick, who bought the island in 1944 and wanted to grow exotic shrubs. The conditions on the west coast of Scotland are favourable in terms of soil and temperate climate, influenced by the gulf stream.  However, the winds on the islands restrict plant growth, so a protective wall or shield of trees is needed to enable plants to flourish.  Although Gigha had been cleared of trees in the past, the Scarlett family who built Achamore House in 1884 also planted woodland to the north and south to provide shelter.  It was therefore ideal for Sir James to fulfil his dream.

Over a quarter of a century he built up a wonderful collection of rhododendrons, camelias, azaleas and various sub-tropical shrubs.  Some of these were passed to the care of the National Trust for Scotland on his death, and the gardens continued to be maintained by subsequent owners. In March 2002 ownership transferred to the people of Gigha as a result of the community buyout of the island.  The Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust now maintains and improves the gardens, through the work of head gardener Malcolm McNeill, and with guidance from the National Trust for Scotland.

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Our walk

Fortunately we had a sunny morning to enjoy our visit to the main attraction on Gigha, Achamore Gardens. All four of us set out from the hotel, walking the short distance down through the village and back to the woods we had walked through the previous afternoon. And we were soon joined, once again, by the white and grey kitten. Frances had great fun with it chasing back and forth through the trees.

Reaching the roadway beside the village hall, we crossed and went through the gate into Achamore Gardens. The path led through the shelter belt of trees and then past a large patch of Gunnera Manicata ("giant rhubarb") plants emerging from the ground, all the way from Brazil. Just beyond, at the junction of the path and the road up to the house, was the ticket booth. It was unmanned but there were details of the entry prices and an honesty box to post the money into. We collected a leaflet/guide from the rack, and walked up towards the house.  The kitten came along for a while, then went its own way.

Achamore House was an impressive building, overlooking the broad lawns towards the trees and shrubs. A sign indicated that Bed and Breakfast was available. By now we were warming up in the sun, and had a brief rest on a bench whilst Maggie checked the route. There was a shorter walk marked by blue arrows, and a longer (2-hour) route with green arrows which we decided to follow.  Although we could have varied it, this ensured we saw the main areas of the garden and a good range of the plant specimens.

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Behind the house was the walled garden, with toilets available.  Inside there were several peacocks strutting across the lawn to the left, and Frances went over to meet them. To the right were fine displays of spring flowers, and greenhouses, with one visitor consulting a gardener.

Round the other side we found a large thicket of bamboo, with a winding path through it which Frances disappeared into and had fun calling out to us to find her.  Just beyond was a tall berberis set against an impressive conifer (the leaflet listed several rare conifer specimens from different continents).

Leaving the walled garden, we crossed the roadway outside and climbed steps up the spring bank.  At the top, we suddenly emerged from the trees and shrubs into an open area.  It was like a window on another world, with the view of the shoreline and the hills of Islay and Jura in the distance providing a static but impressive display. The low cloud which I had experienced on Creag Bhan before breakfast had cleared entirely, bringing out the different shades of landscape and the deep blue of the sea.

We spent some time enjoying the view, then returned into the garden, traversing around towards the George Taylor Garden when Frances spotted the statue of a horse on a crag among pine trees. She went to have a closer look, then we walked down to the main gardens and followed the green arrows through one delightful setting after another.

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At the old piggery, a carved wooden pig poked its snout out, and along the path ahead the sunlight touched all the fresh spring leaves with a kind of golden green light.

We looked along the south drive towards the house, past masses of pink camelias (I'm relying on the leaflet here). Then the path led down to a little pond garden with a statuesque replica of a heron looking out for fish. Bright green poker-like flowers adorned the edge.

Further on, we saw white rhododendron flowers high up among the trees, and passed a tree fern before reaching a train made of logs which Frances could take a ride on.  There were lots more rhododendrons to admire, some with large leaves, some small. The knowledgeable horticulturalist would have a wonderful time here - we just enjoyed the spectacle and the relaxing walk, whilst Frances was kept happy by the added features such as a wooden model of a seal (see her separate story).

We were getting back to the ticket booth where we had started the tour from, and spent a final ten minutes sitting under a nearby palm tree enjoying the tranquility. In a way, that's what made the walk so special - there was no hurry, we weren't trying to get around a strenuous hike in a limited time, we didn't have to worry about climbing steep slopes or getting across streams.  It was just a relaxing stroll around an oasis of luxuriant exotic vegetation tucked away on this delightful little island.

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Contributed by: Andrew Llanwarne