Spring and Autumn in the West Highlands

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Summary

Spring and autumn are wonderful times of the year to visit the West Highlands of Scotland. In spring there may still be patches of snow on the mountains but the trees are in fresh green leaf and plants such as rhododendrons bring the first welcome splashes of colour to the gardens. Come autumn and you may well see snow on the hills again but at lower levels the trees have taken on a golden hue while the gardens put on one last defiant display of colour before winter’s icy grip returns.

Ardkinglas Woodland Garden is the perfect example, with vibrant displays from Rhododendrons and other Asiatic shrubs in spring and a multi-hued show of colours from its great collection of trees in autumn. The seasonal story is repeated at Arduaine Gardens, whose collection of plants is rivalled only by the superb sea views, and at Glenarn, one of the best woodland gardens in Scotland, filled with trees and shrubs brought back from plant-hunting expeditions to Tibet and China. We also visit Kilmartin Glen, where lies a series of ancient and rather mysterious burial cairns and there is the option of a day trip to Mull with visits to colourful Tobermory and historic Duart Castle.