One of Britain's Great Gardens
Bodnant Garden is, by any measure, one of the great gardens of Britain. Eighty acres of hillside garden descend through formal terraces, woodland walks, stream gardens and water features to the banks of the River Conwy, with the Carneddau mountains filling the horizon beyond. The National Trust, which manages the garden, describes it as one of the finest in the country, and the description is not an exaggeration. For visitors to Llandudno who have any interest at all in gardens, plants, or simply beautiful landscapes, Bodnant is an essential half-day or full-day expedition.
The garden was created by the McLaren family, beginning in the late 19th century and continuing through successive generations with an accumulating ambition and botanical knowledge that has produced a collection of international significance. The formal terrace gardens near the house, descending in a series of broad terraces with views over the valley, are among the most formal and most impressive elements; the Dell below, where the stream runs through planted woodland, is wild in a different and equally compelling way. The combination of formal and naturalistic planting, each displaying its own kind of mastery, is what separates a great garden from a merely good one.
The Laburnum Arch
Bodnant Garden's most famous feature is the laburnum arch, which flowers in late May and early June each year in a tunnel of golden blossom that is one of the most spectacular sights in any garden in Britain. The arch stretches for 55 metres and when the laburnum is in full flower the cascade of yellow blooms creates an effect that photographs cannot fully capture. If you have any possibility of timing a Llandudno visit for late May, and can combine it with the Victorian Extravaganza that falls in the same month, you will have seen two of the most memorable things North Wales offers in a single trip.
Outside the laburnum season, the garden is rewarding at every time of year. Spring brings magnolias, camellias, and early bulbs in remarkable quantities. Summer fills the terraces with roses and the herbaceous borders with colour. Autumn turns the woodland planting through a spectrum of reds and golds that is particularly dramatic given the garden's hillside setting. Winter has its own pleasures in the structure of the garden, which is clear and impressive without leaf cover.
Getting There from Llandudno
Bodnant Garden is approximately ten miles south of Llandudno, reached by heading through Conwy on the A470 and following the signs for Tal-y-Cafn. The drive takes about 20 minutes and is attractive in itself, following the Conwy Valley south from the castle town. There is free parking at the garden for National Trust members and paying visitors alike. The garden is open year-round with varying seasonal hours; check the National Trust website for current opening times before visiting.
Entry charges apply for non-National Trust members; members enter free, which makes a Bodnant visit good value if you have or are planning to purchase Trust membership. The garden has a cafe and a plant nursery on site, selling varieties that are grown in the garden — a particularly good way to take something of the garden home if you have the means to transport plants. Allow at least two to three hours for a full visit to the garden, more if you want to explore the full extent of the Dell and the woodland sections.
Combining with Betws-y-Coed
Bodnant Garden and Betws-y-Coed make a natural pair for a full day in the Conwy Valley from Llandudno. The garden is about ten miles south of Llandudno; Betws-y-Coed is approximately 20 miles south. Combining them — garden in the morning, mountain village in the afternoon, or vice versa — fills a very satisfying day. The Conwy Valley road between the two is one of the most attractive in North Wales, the river visible on one side and the hills rising on the other, with the scale of the landscape increasing as you move south towards the mountains.
For those who want a purely garden day, Bodnant combines with a walk along the Conwy riverbank, which runs through the garden and beyond into pleasant agricultural countryside. The National Trust manages footpath access in the area around the garden; the estate and the surrounding countryside are worth exploring on foot as well as within the garden boundaries themselves.
Day trips