Kew gardens (21st June 2022)

We arrived at Kew Gardens on Tuesday morning on a hot and sunny day. We were given a map and entered via Elizabeth Gate. We started at the Orangery for a coffee and then took a slow amble and eventually ended up at Kew Palace and its associated gardens, and kitchens. This was one of the homes of King George the third, his wife Katherine, and his fifteen children. There were women dressed in Georgian period attire who were knowledgeable guides on King George and this era. He is remembered as the Mad King, but we found out that between his bouts of illness ( probably bipolar disorder) he was a loving husband to his wife and children, very caring, and had a very enquiring mind. We then strolled along the Riverside Walk, which was treelined and very beautiful,  strolled around Queen Charlotte's house, and then went on the Treetop Walkway where we had amazing views of the Pagoda, the Temperate House, and stunning views of Richmond. We had a picnic and then went on to visit the Temperate House and the Palm House which were very humid and the Waterlily House and the Princess Of Wales Conservatory. We then went on to the Hive which was amazing and then went along the Great Broad Walk Borders. There is a land train available which has various stops along each route. There are several gift shops selling all manner of flower and garden-related things- soap, cups, clothes, seeds, and the ubiquitous fridge magnet.

 

Kew Gardens was a great day out, very informative and I was surprised at how many different varieties of plants, like oak trees there were. The Hive was a very magical place and the treetop walkway was surprisingly high. All in all a great day except for the cost of food and refreshments and the myriad amount of schoolchildren milling about. Definitely recommend.

I really enjoyed Kew gardens. I found it very peaceful walking amongst the trees and each building housed a different array of plants - some even carnivorous! I particularly liked the Hive as I had never seen anything like it. Being slightly green-fingered I took some ideas back home about the type of plants used in the Great Broadwalk borders. There is a lot of walking available and my one sadness was that we didn`t take the Kew Train. Lots to learn and read about as you meander along. Allow for a good 4-6 hours to fully appreciate what this place has to offer. It has a thumbs up from me.