Altamont is one of Ireland’s loveliest gardens, largely due to the work of Corona North who continued the work of improving the garden started by her father.
Before we stepped foot in the main garden, we were dazzled by the Corona North border, which was stunning with a jumble of blue flowering perennials – geraniums, delphiums, nepeta as well as a lavish planting of purple roses and giant-size alliums.
Peacocks are a common site in this garden. We were again entertained by two showing us their beautiful multi-eyed feathers.
But the main gardens is especially beautiful because of its magnificent trees. We loved the lane of sturdy, old beech trees. In total, there are more than 1,500 different trees and shrubs in the garden.
We walked to the lake down the Broad Walk, At the water’s edge, we spotted baby moorhens walking on the lily pads. The lake is also home to a pair of swans as well as a number of mallards.
Walking in an anti-clockwise direction, we passed an old swamp cypress and delightful drifts of candelabra primula and we continued into a charming woodland of towering rhododendrons and dogwoods.
A grass path out of the woodland into the sheep pasture of Sunset Field lead us to the Temple of the Four Winds, a belvedere at the top of a hill from where we had a lovely view over the surrounding countryside and of the Wicklow and Blackstairs mountains.
Coming back towards the house and entrance, we passed through a superb pergola smothered with white wisteria. The route along the beech lane is called the Nuns Walk.
