Garden design by man and nature

My day off each week is usually my climbing day, but last week I was feeling pretty bushed so I went garden visiting and bird watching. I guess this means I've officially lost it and am now slipping inexorably into my dottage. The bird watching did enable us to check out Bempton Head which has one route by a certain Mr Cave and Mr Fowler, and by the looks of the cliff it may never receive another. The garden was Scampston Hall, which is the work of one of the most influential garden designers around - Piet Oudolf. His style of drifts of grass and long lasting perennials has been influenced a lot by wild meadows and praries, so it was interesting to see all the fields of wild flowers on the way to and at Bempton Head.

A Grand Day Out

Family holidays have curtailed most rock action recently. However I did manage a nice visit to Whitestones Cliffe. I even made a prospective return on my own yesterday and after enjoying the orchids next to the car park headed to the RHS garden at Harlow Carr just outside Harrogate. The massed Alliums are amazing at the moment and there were several other astonishing plants - the Himalayan Poppies which are being trialed at the moment are other wordly.

Orchids next to the Whitestone carpark

Jon Winter on the superb Nightwatch (VS)