Things to See: Kew Gardens

With the glorious sunshine we’ve been having in London recently, it seemed the perfect time to visit one of London’s most popular attractions. And like with so many of London’s other well known sites, it is filled with its own glorious history, dating back to 1759. Known officially as Royal Botanical Garden’s Kew, but known by pretty much everyone as Kew Gardens, it covers an incredible  121 hectares and has 30,000 different kinds of plants.

One of the nice things about Kew Gardens is that there is no set route.  There is a map with all the sights on it, but you will most likely take a walk around before looking for specific points. The bright flowers were what first caught the eye of Madeleine and I.

The Canadian Geese really did make full use of the pond. The water was lovely, and looked great alongside all the plants and flowers.

We then went into the Waterlilly House, which is the most humid of all the greenhouses here. There are plenty of other heat-loving plants, but the Nymphaea is the most striking of all the flowers.

Continuing on our walk, we saw all kinds of delights on our way. The whole Gardens are so spacious. There are gorgeous trees everywhere and it is a perfect place to go for a scenic walk.

With such glorious weather, and with such a picturesque setting, it is no surprise to see plenty of families having a picnic on the grass under a tree. It would also have been easy to find a bench and have something. You could also try one of the four restaurants and cafes. Madeleine and I decided to try the Pavillion restaurant. There were plenty of hot dishes available, but with the hot weather, a coleslaw salad was the one that most appealed. Madeleine went for a hot dog that was part of an outside stand.

The Treetop Walkway opened over five years ago, and has been a revelation. You can either use the stairs to and from the 18m high plaftorm (59 feet), or get a lift up and down. Covering 200m (660 feet), It gives fantastic views. If you look carefully you can even see the Pagoda, one of its more famous landmarks.

After that light lunch, we continued our leisurely walk and among other things, we saw a tree covered with tea cosies as part of an initiative by the mental health charity Knitiffi, and an empty temple.

Kew Gardens is best known for its worldwide collection of trees, plants and flowers, but there are wonderful attractions everywhere.  There is so much to see, it is difficult to take everything in with one visit. Even more reason to come back 🙂