Avlon Bed & Breakfast Carlow
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Historic Gardens in County Carlow: Two Very Different Garden Escapes

County Carlow has a slightly unfair advantage when it comes to gardens. There are historic estates, walled gardens, woodland walks and remarkable collections scattered across the county, far more than we could possibly fit into one blog post, or one weekend for that matter!

From Altamont Gardens and Delta Sensory Gardens to the many smaller gardens that make up the Carlow Garden Trail, there is plenty here for anyone who likes their sightseeing with a little horticulture. But if you are staying with us at Avlon House Bed and Breakfast in Carlow town, we think two places deserve particular attention: Duckett’s Grove and Huntington Castle and Gardens. They are both historic, both beautiful and both considerably more interesting than simply being places to stop and admire the flowers.

Just a short drive from Carlow town, Duckett’s Grove is where history gets wonderfully gothic. The great house itself is now a romantic ruin, its towers and turrets creating a dramatic stone backdrop to two beautifully restored walled gardens. In the Upper Walled Garden, look out for historic shrub roses and the celebrated Chinese and Japanese peonies, while the Lower Walled Garden, once the estate orchard, brings a more distinctly Irish flavour with historic varieties of Irish apples.

Local Insider Note: Visit early in the day for the best chance of quieter paths and beautiful light on the ruins. For somewhere to sit and take it all in, head towards the Lower Walled Garden, find a quiet bench and look back towards the great stone towers. It is an excellent spot for doing absolutely nothing or taking in a bit of people watching.

Then there is Huntington Castle and Gardens, which feels quite different. Huntington has the wonderfully eccentric feeling of somewhere that has simply kept going for centuries. The castle began life as a military outpost and the formal gardens were developed in the 17th century. The magnificent French Lime Avenue, planted in 1680, leads into the estate, while the extraordinary Yew Walk takes you beneath trees that are more than 500 years old. Beyond the formal gardens, the Wilderness Walk leads through woodland towards the River Derry, where the atmosphere changes again.

Local Insider Note: Go as close to opening time as you can for the quietest photographs, particularly along the Lime Avenue and Yew Walk. Find a quiet place along the woodland route and stop for a while. This is the Huntington experience that photographs never quite manage to capture.

So, if you are staying in Carlow town with us, don’t assume you need to travel miles to find something memorable to do. Duckett’s Grove gives you Gothic ruins, historic walled gardens, peonies and old Irish apple orchards; Huntington Castle gives you ancient yews, a 17th-century lime avenue and woodland running down to the river.

And that is only the beginning. There are plenty more gardens in County Carlow to discover – genuinely too many to squeeze into one article without turning it into a horticultural phone book. At Avlon House Bed & Breakfast we always tell our guests to pick one or two, take their time and leave room for a good lunch, a wander around Carlow town and perhaps another garden tomorrow.

Ducketts Grove
Borris House and Gardens
Borris House and Gardens
Ducketts Grove
Ducketts Grove
Ducketts Grove
Ducketts Grove
Ducketts Grove
Ducketts Grove
Ducketts Grove
Ducketts Grove
Borris House and Gardens
Borris House and Gardens
Borris House and Gardens
Borris House and Gardens
Borris House and Gardens
Borris House and Gardens
Borris House and Gardens
Borris House and Gardens
Altamont Gardens and Plant Sales
Borris House and Gardens
Altamont Gardens and Plant Sales
Altamont Gardens and Plant Sales