Scotland, after a brutally cold winter, is a little late with spring. But, to my tour group’s delight, we get to enjoy the swaths of bluebells, from the palest of blue to the deepest purple, everywhere. Lining roadsides, drifting through fields and underplanting the bracken that is just poking through the ground. I didn’t realise how extensively this bulb has naturalised in the countryside here.
For the second year, I am touring Scotland for 13 days, before heading to Normandy for a further six days. It’s a beautiful time of the year for gardens and Scotland is bathed in sunshine, much to the delight of the locals. Tours each year get tweaked and this year, not only are we visiting Scotland first, but we allocated a day to exploring the largest Scottish city, Glasgow.
Arriving about midday after a direct flight from New Zealand meant a shower and change of clothes was paramount. I returned to the charming Knockderry House on Loch Long, about an hour out of Glasgow. Quiet, serene and with charming service, it is the perfect hotel after a long journey.
I couldn’t wait to make a return visit to the Linn Botanical Gardens, which are about a 10-minute walk from the hotel past many beautiful homes and perfect exercise and fresh air before dinner. If you read my blog from last year, you will remember how thrilled I was to find this overgrown garden with a vast collection of plants, all labelled. It is owned by an eccentric old botanist, who very sadly lost his son, who worked with him in the garden. This year he came out to talk to us and I was so excited to see and chat to him about his New Zealand collection of plants. Not sure how a garden like this survives? Although it is still loved, it needs lots of attention and hard work in the future.
Our day in Glasgow allowed us to become acquainted with one of its famous creative geniuses, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. He is known for developing the Glasgow Style and created a phenomenon in art and design covering furniture, ceramics, stained glass, metalwork, embroidery, graphics, books, interiors and, above all, architecture. Such is his influence on the city, we wanted to take in as much as we could.
Starting at the magnificent Kelvingrove Museum, where there is a special 150th exhibition dedicated to Mackintosh, we were introduced to him and others who impacted the artistic world in the early 1900s. To me, it is like the beginning of early Art Deco. Because Mackintosh was involved in creating the interiors of the famous Willow Tearooms, we indulged in sandwiches, scones and cakes – all on a tiered stand – for lunch.
Philip and I visited Glasgow on our research trips and it was great to return to the city, albeit on a lovely sunny day. It has a complex history and maybe more known for its grim living conditions in the past during the industrial revolution and after the war years when it was extensively damaged. But, the buildings are magnificent, it has a strong vibrant university and is well worth a visit.
My maiden name is Cadzow and our historical lands are only 30 minutes away near the town of Hamilton. We have a ruined castle still visible and lovely white cattle still named ‘Cadzow’ so I suppose this is my roots? …