Hotel Endsleigh

 The final place I'm going to write about visiting is Hotel Endsleigh, arguably the best garden we visited on our tour. This is what the website says: 'Endsleigh is a luxury hotel, by The Polizzi Collection, on the edge of Dartmoor. Set in 100 acres of fairy tale gardens, woodlands, follies and grottos created by Humphry Repton on the border between Devon and Cornwall.' 

It's in a beautiful location, although when we visited, the top car park where we were signposted was a bit hilly and bendy. I have to admit that I hadn't heard of 'champion trees' before visiting; they have 19 among the arboretum. It might be considered one of the best locations in the country and I would certainly like to stay there. Champion trees are the biggest specimens in terms of height and girth in the country.

We walked around the arboretum area first where the 19 champion trees were easily identified with the map we were given on arrival. There was quite a bit of landscaping as well creating there were waterfalls and dells. 

and candelabra primroses and other bog plants beside water courses

Below is a photo of one of the huge champion trees, I can't identify it.

And here's another fabulous tree. If only I had written up the holiday blog when I returned instead of 10 months later.

The tree ferns in this sheltered area were magnificent

Below a general view of part of a hillside

There's a grotto house on the site near the croquet lawn and long border with beautiful inlaid shells in the walls and beautiful coloured glass windows

From the grotto, there's a long series of rose arches to the lawn 

It's usual to have bright pink or white flowers on this plant, but here there were white and pink flowerrs. I tried a bit of seed gathering but I don't know what happened to them

We visited in June and this area had been planted up with what looks like Helichrysum and would look better later in the season

Inside the hotel is beautifully organised, highlights for me were this dog sculpture

This is the view that greeted visitors as they entered the hotel was a large vase of flowers

We decided to have lunch on the croquet lawn after looking round the garden. It was delicious, served beautifully by two waitresses. 

If you haven't yet visited Hotel Endsleigh, I'd thoroughly recommend it and hope to return before long. The river Tamar flows along the edge of the grounds below the garden.