With the lovely weather we briefly had in March, we decided to make the most of it and visit a National Trust property nearby, located in the English Riviera of South Devon. After flicking through the NT book we have, we chose to visit Greenway House and Gardens, as it’s very dog friendly!
13 Likes, 0 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Views of Greenway House overlooking the River Dart."
Located in Kingswear, South Devon, overlooking the River Dart, Greenway is the perfect location for a stroll around the gardens, taking in the views of the boats going past on the river, especially on a sunny spring day. It’s important to add, if you’re travelling by car, make sure you book a car parking space before you arrive as spaces are limited and must be pre booked. You can ring up on the day, the details are on the NT website.
18 Likes, 1 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Stable courtyard of Greenway Estate."
Once we arrived, we were greeted by National Trust staff with a map of a suggested walk around the gardens and estate, that would help us see as much as possible of what Greenway had to offer. Before we set off on our walk, we decided to stop for a bite to eat at the courtyard cafe. Here there was plenty of seating, which was all outside, and plenty of choice on the menu. We ended up choosing the Savoury cream tea, tempted by the generous portions of locally made cheese, sweet chutney and cheese scones. I definitely recommend trying it!
19 Likes, 1 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Happy doggo in the sunshine ☀️"
The grounds are very dog friendly, including the cafe area and gift shops. Our dog, Amber was greeted by all staff, and treated to a doggy biscuit in the gift shop, she definitely wants to come back again! The only place that dogs aren’t allowed is in the Greenway house itself. I waited outside of the house with the dog, relaxing for a bit in one of the deck chairs on the lawn, overlooking the river, whilst Jo took a look around the house. Greenway house is best known for being the holiday home of famous writer Agatha Christie and her family. As Agatha was an avid collector, the house is filled with archeology and treasured finds from the family’s travels, and gives off a relaxing and homely atmosphere, reminding visitors why the family chose this as their summer holiday home.
17 Likes, 2 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Blue skies over Greenway gardens."
Past the stable cafe and gift shop is a path leading to the walled gardens. Here there is quite a lot to explore, including the peach house, vinery and local school allotment plot. Walking around the walled gardens, taking in all the different plants that grow here, it’s clear to see that Agatha appreciated the outdoors, and made the most of the South facing sunny areas in the grounds. There was also a lawn behind the walled gardens, which we found out was called ‘Clock Golf’, named after the game Agatha and her family enjoyed playing while staying here.
15 Likes, 2 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "One of the greenhouses on the Greenway Estate."
We decided to walk through the vinery, appreciating all the different plants being grown here. I’m not very green fingered, but did recognise the hydrangeas and roses. Luckily for people like me, most plants and trees are labelled around the vinery and grounds, so you can identify them if need be. There is also a plant stall located outside the gift shop in the courtyard, that sells a lot of the plants you see grown in the wall gardens.
27 Likes, 1 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Walking the paths around Greenway Gardens."
Once we left the walled gardens, we followed a path leading high up to the top garden. From here you can take in beautiful views of the River Dart, which is why Greenway is best visited on a clear, sunny day. As you follow the paths all the way down to the Boat house, you continue to get glimpses of the river, as well as Greenway house, along the way. There’s plenty of seating along these paths, reminding you to stop and take in your surroundings.
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Before we continued on the path through the top garden, we took an alternate path, to walk around the fernery. With the golden light seeping through the trees here, and the relaxing atmosphere the water fountain creates, it feels like a secret garden hidden away from the main grounds. Agatha was a big dog lover, (hence why the grounds are so dog friendly) and in the fernery, there is a pet cemetery, where all of her beloved dogs are buried.
14 Likes, 0 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Taking in the views of the River Dart."
We continued on the path through the top gardens, taking in the views of the river, spotting Dartmouth in the background. As we walked further down towards the boat house, we spotted more water features and ponds, one being more ornamental with a statue of the ‘Goddess of mercy and compassion’ in the centre of it. Another pond called ‘The bird pond’ hosts a sculpture known as the ‘Greenway bird’, created by artist, Bridget McCrum.
25 Likes, 1 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Views of the River Dart from the boathouse."
After you descend from the top garden, you arrive at the edge of the estate, by the River Dart, where you can enter the Boathouse. This was one of my favourite places on the estate. On the sunny, blue skied day we visited, it was really relaxing to sit by the edge of the water, watching the boats sail past whilst soaking up the sun. Agatha Christie gained a lot of inspiration from her holiday home at Greenway, including the boathouse, which was included in the Poirot mystery ‘Dead Man’s Folly’, as the scene of the crime!
44 Likes, 3 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Lots of peaceful areas of Greenway, to relax and take in the views."
After we left the Boathouse, we climbed some steps and entered the Battery. Built in 1970 as a sea defence, the cannons still remain here, on the otherwise peaceful terrace. The Battery was another location of Greenway to inspire Agatha to write one of her books. In ‘Five Little Pigs’ the battery is the location where a famous artist is poisoned whilst painting his last portrait. Just sitting here and taking in the peaceful surroundings, you can see why Agatha found Greenway to be an inspiring place to write.
31 Likes, 1 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Beautiful views overlooking the River Dart."
After you leave the Battery, you enter the famous Camellia Gardens, which, in the spring, is clear to see why Greenway is accredited by the ‘International Camellia Society’. The collections of Camellia in the gardens, includes many different varieties, that have been added to over the years, since around the 1830s, by each new owner that lived in the house. Due to the many varieties of Camellia that grow on the estate, Greenway hosted a Camellia festival this year to celebrate the success of being a ‘Camellia Garden of Excellence’, which I noticed was happening a few days after we visited in March. Even though I don’t know a lot about Camellia’s, I could appreciate how beautiful the different varieties were here, tucked away in a walled area of the grounds.
26 Likes, 2 Comments - Discovering Devon (@lorzjayne) on Instagram: "Views of Greenway House from the Boathouse paths."
After leaving the Camellia Gardens through the walled archway, we walked up a path back towards the stable block cafe and courtyard. From here we had lovely views of the River on our left, and the Greenway House on our right. The gift shop is worth a look round, with some reasonably priced items, as well as a plant stall and second hand book shop located next door. We spent most of the day exploring the grounds, but we would definitely visit again, especially in the summer, as so far, this is my favourite NT estate we have visited, mainly due to the amazing views of the river and the peaceful location.