Cheshire Gardens in September: Abbeywood and Cholmondeley

In Brief.

By September, the vibrancy of summer has passed for many gardens, and autumn leaves are still pending. So, this trip during a sunny day in mid-September was to experience two gardens that are quite near to each other to see if an early autumn visit is worthwhile. The two gardens, at Abbeywood Estate and Cholmondeley Castle, were both deserving of a visit, and turned out to have completely different styles; Abbeywood is compact, intimate and lushly planted, whereas Cholmondeley has wide open spaces, mature trees and impressive vistas.

An imposing Oak and Cholmondeley Castle.

What's Here?

Abbeywood garden is entered through the cafe, which overlooks the tropical garden, and provides a civilised way to take on some unnecessary calories. When eventually entered, the topical garden has narrow paths that open into the peaceful Pool garden with its many carp. There is then a pergola and some herbaceous borders that open into the distinctive prairie garden that features a variety of borders that often include grasses. There are also benches, in case you have brought a novel and fancy spending a little time with it outdoors. Beyond the formal gardens, there is a children's play area, and some light woodland.

The Pool Garden at Abbeywood

Entering Cholmondeley after Abbeywood immediately indicates that you are not in for more of the same.  For example, temple garden integrates into the rolling scenery, and is all about the landscaping.  Now, Cholmondeley does include some more disciplined gardens, in the form of a Lavinia walk (pleasant in September) and a rose garden (not so much), but the highlights are probably the parkland and the views.  There is also a woodland walk up the hill behind the cafe.  

Temple garden at Cholmondeley


Both  Cholmondeley after Abbeywood have houses, but these are privately owned and not open to the public. 

Practicalities.

Distance from Manchester Town Hall: Abbeywood - 32 miles; Cholmondeley - 43 miles

Drive Time: Abbeywood - 55 minutes; Cholmondeley - 1 hour 15 minutes

Price: Abbeywood - $; Cholmondeley - $$

Parking: On-site parking.  

Food and Drink: Both have cafes. Abbeywood's cafe partly occupies an orangery and is quite grand; I had a better than average coffee and cake. The cafe in Cholmondeley is more low key, but friendly; I had a satisfactory sandwich.

Retail therapy: There is a gift shop at Abbeywood.

Child Friendly: There are play areas at both sites.

Toilets: Yes.

Do it justice in: 90 minutes each.

Inside-Outside: 10: 90

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