Our First Visit Together
After a month of dreaming, researching, and planning, stepping into the walled garden for the first time in December 2020 was a moment of pure enchantment. Despite the persistent rain on my journey from London, the sky cleared as I arrived, revealing the awe-inspiring beauty of the garden even in the winter. The skeletal trees and moss-covered stone walls created a captivating backdrop, while the scents and sounds of nature enveloped me. It was a glimpse into the timeless allure of this sacred space, fueling my excitement for the journey ahead and the transformation that awaited the Walled Garden and Gardener’s Bothy.
We immediately started planning and dreaming of all the things we could do in this space.
Not only was the Walled Garden and Bothy amazing, but the surrounding area of Wiltshire near Burderop Park was exciting to discover. To begin, only a 3 mile walk away is one of the “White Horses” of Wiltshire. You can reach it along The Ridgeway, an ancient trackway described as Britain’s oldest road. The section clearly identified as an ancient trackway extends from Wiltshire along the chalk ridge of the Berkshire Downs to the River Thames at the Goring Gap. The trail is 87miles long.
After leaving the “White Horse,” we travelled to what would be our local town, which I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect English town. Marlborough is a market town on the Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath. It is said to date back to 2400BC. Another claim to fame is that it is said to have the widest high street in England and I fell in love with all the unique little shops, especially the quirky pubs.
