The quiet gardens of a busy village
Cromford Open Gardens 2014 was blessed by a lovely afternoon - sunny but cool enough for outdoor exploration.
Some 201 tickets were sold, a third up on last year, both to villagers and to visitors coming from across Derbyshire and the marches of the County including Sheffield, Nottingham, Cheshire and the Scottish Borders.
The most challenging steps on the route lead to Rachel's Staffordshire Row garden and it was remarkable how few people were put off by them.
It was good to have several new sites this year and it seemed that these were possibly more heavily-visited than the "regulars".
Many of the open-gardeners and friends walked the route on the following Thursday evening and found that just getting round the gardens in the core of the village, exploring and socialising, occupied well over two hours.
This may be why few visitors on the open afternoon seem to have made it as far as the last two gardens, including Willersley Castle, across the A6. We enjoyed the event and were gratified by the response; there's lots to discuss before next year..
Some 201 tickets were sold, a third up on last year, both to villagers and to visitors coming from across Derbyshire and the marches of the County including Sheffield, Nottingham, Cheshire and the Scottish Borders.
The most challenging steps on the route lead to Rachel's Staffordshire Row garden and it was remarkable how few people were put off by them.
It was good to have several new sites this year and it seemed that these were possibly more heavily-visited than the "regulars".
Many of the open-gardeners and friends walked the route on the following Thursday evening and found that just getting round the gardens in the core of the village, exploring and socialising, occupied well over two hours.
This may be why few visitors on the open afternoon seem to have made it as far as the last two gardens, including Willersley Castle, across the A6. We enjoyed the event and were gratified by the response; there's lots to discuss before next year..
