Here is a roundup of the best National Trust gardens you can visit this spring, travelling by bus.

Spring is a wonderful time to visit Cumbria’s gardens and enjoy the daffodils, tulips and cherry blossom as nature comes back to life.

Exploring the sites has never been easier, travel to you favourite in an environmentally-friendly way, by Stagecoach bus.

Head gardeners at National Trust properties across the county have highlighted what to look out for in each garden and why spring is a great time to visit.

Take a trip to Acorn Bank, near Penrith on the 563 bus service.

This walled garden is renowned for its herbs, lily pond and fruit orchards, with 'spectacular' blossom in early May. Woodland walks reveal a hidden gypsum mine, watermill and wildlife including red squirrels, otters and rare birds. There’s also a café and secondhand bookshop. The site is open daily between 10:30 am and 5 pm, with admission costing £9 per adult and £4.50 per child, while National Trust members go free.


Heather Birkett, garden and outdoor manager, said: “Acorn Bank woodland forms a glorious backdrop to the house and formal gardens. In spring the woodland floor is swathed in daffodils, followed by carpets of wild garlic, wood anemone and patches of bluebells.

"Meanwhile, in the garden, more than 200 different heritage apples, pears, plums and quince are filling the walled garden and top orchard with bubble-bath pink blossom. Towering above them all, the enormous perry pear ‘Blakeney Red’ is covered in pure white blossom, holding promises for a fruitful autumn to come. Nature thrives in the gardens and woodlands at Acorn Bank, all year round, making a great experience for nature-lovers.”

The bus stops at Temple Sowerby, a one-mile footpath walk away from the site.

 

Hop off at Sizergh Castle, just south of Kendal, when travelling on the X6, 555 or 755 bus services.

A complex and varied ground, including a rock garden, stumpery and orchard, was developed over 800 years. Explore the Dutch garden, kitchen garden and herbaceous border, then check out the bookshop and café, before enjoying a free hot drink when you show your bus ticket. The site is open daily between 10am and 5pm, with admission costing £9 per adult and £4.50 per child, while National Trust members go free.


Bridget Cottam, a member of the gardening team at Sizergh, said: “During spring, Sizergh garden begins to wake up with soft translucent jewel-coloured leaves unfurling on the Japanese maples that clothe the banks of the rock garden. Spring bulbs open in the spring walk while fern croziers unfurl in the stumpery. By the end of April the orchard containing a collection of heritage apples and pears is in full blossom.”

Sizergh is a 20-minute walk from the Brettargh stop, but you can ask the driver for Sizergh.

 

Visit Wordsworth House and Garden in Cockermouth using the X4, X5 or 600 bus services.


This beautiful riverside garden gave William Wordworth lifelong inspiration. It is packed with 18th-century varieties of vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers, and sits alongside the River Derwent. The site is open from Saturday to Wednesday, 10am to 4:30, with admisson costing £9 per adult and £4.50 per child, while National Trust members go free.


Head gardener Amanda Thackeray said: “Spring here is the time for an abundance of blossom, especially those bursting from our many fruit trees. Starting in May, pale pink and white apple, cherry and damson flowers dance along the paths and against the garden walls. William’s favoured daffodils sway in the breeze from early April and brightly coloured tulips emerge. Our two rows of rare local apple, Greenup’s Pippins, take centre stage with wild primroses, alongside beautiful fluffy polygonum bistorta, or common bistort. Other stars in May are our peony rubra with their big round blooms. Make sure to check back in the summer when swathes of roses take centre stage”.

The bus stops on the Main Street in Cockermouth.

 

Take a look around Allan Bank, overlooking Grasmere, after taking the 555 or 599 bus service.

This informal Georgian villa with lawns and a craggy woodland trail, is complete with picturesque viewing points, an ornamental cascade and tunnel. Wild primroses nestle shyly amongst mossy tree roots, elegant bluebells dance across emerald-green glades, and the candy pink flowers of red campion spangle the woodland edge. With views out over the rolling countryside, it was a place of inspiration for Wordsworth, Coleridge and Canon Rawnsley.  The site is open daily from 10am to 5pm, with admission costing £9 per adult and £4.50 per child, while National Trust members go free.

Rebecca Costello, senior gardener at Allan Bank said: “Spring is a wonderful time to visit Allan Bank. We are creating a wild orchard in the old kitchen garden with varieties of apples suited to our damp Cumbrian climate, such as Keswick Codlin and Ladies Finger of Lancaster. Hazel, crab apples and blackcurrants will thrive in the shadier woodland edge, providing a feast for wildlife and a forage crop for people. Beneath the trees, spring bulbs and native wildflowers will be a valuable source of nectar and pollen for bees, moths and butterflies.”

The bus stops at Grasmere centre, after a 300 metre walk up the lane next to Emma’s Dell you will arrive at the villa.

 

Explore Stagshaw, near Ambleside, after riding the 555 or 599 bus services.


This informal woodland provides a haven of tranquillity with rambling paths, shrubs, trees and plants to discover. Skelghyll Woods is home to some of the tallest trees in England, with great views over Windermere from Jenkyn’s Crag. The site is open daily, from dawn till dusk and is completely free to visit.

Rebecca Costello, senior gardener, said: “Escape the hustle and bustle by alighting at Waterhead to visit Stagshaw woodland garden. A peaceful oasis of calm, it boasts displays of wild daffodils, bluebells and a fine collection of rhododendrons, magnolias and camellias – at their peak in springtime. Explore the winding paths to discover tucked away seats to relax and immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of nature. Discover the viewpoint with panoramic views across Windermere to the Langdale Pikes. Truly a garden for all seasons.”
The bus stops at Waterhead, a short walk away.

Concessions can travel free after 9.30am on weekdays and all day at weekends. For everyone else, fares are capped at £2 under a government scheme to encourage more people to leave the car at home and take the bus.

For timetable information, visit: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/cumbria-and-north-lancashire/explore-the-lakes-by-bus