Autumn in the Cotswolds Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds contain some of the finest gardens in Britain. They range from national icons such as Hidcote Manor and Westonbirt Arboretum to lesser known treasures such as Mill Dene and Bourton House Garden (winner of the prestigious HHA/Christie’s Garden of the Year award in 2006). In all the region boasts over fifty top class gardens that are regularly open to the public, many of which are at their very best in the autumn. Listed below are ten of my autumn favourites, all of which I would thoroughly recommend to those of you planning an autumn break in the glorious Cotswolds. Tony Russell BBC Garden writer and broadcaster Hidcote Manor. Created by American horticulturist Major Lawrence Johnson in 1907, Hidcote Manor is famous the world over. It is a stunning garden comprised of a series of outdoor ‘rooms’ each with strong, but very different design and there is a surprise around every corner. The garden was created to provide colour and interest throughout the year, including in autumn. Batsford Arboretum. Batsford contains one of the largest private collections of trees in Britain and in autumn the whole place is a magical kaleidoscope of colour. It has a strong Asian influence with statues of Buddha and grazing Sika deer placed alongside streams, pools, waterfalls and a delightful Japanese Rest House. Bourton House Garden. Planted only ten years ago, this 3-acre garden is rapidly developing into one of the Cotswolds finest gardens. It is full of exciting plant and colour combinations set off by evergreen box and yew immaculately clipped into knots, parterres and spiralling topiary. Sezincote. It was Sezincote that inspired John Betjeman to write his famous poem ‘Summoned by Bells’. He was a regular visitor to this remarkable place, which is considered to be one of the most fascinating garden landscapes, not just in the Cotswolds but in the whole of Britain. Think of the architecture of the Brighton Pavilion and combine it with the gardens of the Taj Mahal and you will be getting close. Westonbirt Arboretum. Our national arboretum and probably the most famous garden for autumn colour in Britain. Here you will find 600 acres of Cotswold woodland interspersed with hundreds of Japanese maples, Persian ironwoods and Liquidambars all resplendent in autumn colours ranging from burgundy, through pillar-box red to clear butter-yellow. Mill Dene. Set in a beautiful steep-sided Cotswold valley, these delightful gardens surround an old woollen mill which dates back to Norman times. The mill pond and race are now incorporated into the garden and the sound of moving water provides a tranquil backdrop to your exploration of its horticultural delights; which include a potager, cricket lawn and a mysterious steamy grotto. Painswick Rococo Garden. Truly a fascinating garden at any time of year, providing the only complete example in Britain of the 18th century English garden design known as Rococo. Here you will find a wealth of intriguing follies, winding walkways and magnificent vistas, which in autumn look out across rolling Cotswold hills clothed in beech trees the colour of burnished gold. Westonbirt School Garden. One time home of Robert Holford, the Victorian creator of nearby Westonbirt Arboretum, and now a private school; this Grade I listed landscape has terraced pleasure grounds, Italianate walled gardens, water features, statuary and hundreds of magnificent specimen trees which will be looking at their very best in late October and November. Tortworth Court In its day Tortworth Court rivalled Westonbirt for its collection of exotic trees and shrubs. Today only a fraction of the collection remains, but even so, this still runs into many acres and in autumn the walks through the grounds are superb. Tortworth Court is now a splendid hotel and welcomes visitors in need of refreshment after their tour of the grounds. Forest of Dean. Perhaps not a garden in the strictest sense, but nonetheless one of the most spectacular landscapes for autumn colour in Britain. Originally an ancient royal hunting forest, planted after the Napoleonic wars with tens of thousands of oak trees, this is the place to view autumn colour on a grand scale. To the east lies the River Severn, to the west the River Wye and in between a magical place for a real autumn getaway. Copyright Tony Russell August 2007 For Autumn Break Offers in the Cotswolds please click here