Painswick Rococo Garden

My humans are great at finding places to visit that are good for bears. Painswick Rococo Garden is one such place with lots of interesting areas and little buildings (follies) to explore. It has been there a very long time as was designed in the 1740s.

I had a good look at the map before we went into the garden.

The first thing that struck me in the garden was the number of snowdrops. I didn’t have time to count them all but I think there must have been thousands. I was very keen to find the follies. Follies have a tendency to be of good size for bears. The first one I found was quite big though – The Eagle House.I was jolly pleased to come across an adventure playground and stopped for while to play on the swing.There was a little wicker house near the swing that the Queen sits in when she visits.

I came across some really huge chestnuts…Nearby there was another folly. It took me a while to get up the steep steps to have a look inside.

After climbing up onto the seat I had a little rest and sat and watched the world go by for a little while.I am fond of honey bees, so was very pleased to find some hives, and signs warning people to leave the bees alone. The bees were all asleep in the hive for winter.

Further along the path a magificent fairy tale castle was perched right up on top of an old tree stump. I wondered whether tiny bears might live there, but further inspection revealed that it had been carved out of the tree, so was solid inside. This little hut was just the right size for me. It is known as ‘The Hermitage’ and is a replica of the one that would have been there over 250 years ago.I decided to spend a bit of time being thoughtful in The Hermitage.There is a stream running through the garden with lots of ferns and mossy stones. I very much enjoy exploring such places, but the ground was very soggy and slippy making it difficult for me to remain standing (I was designed to sit) so I didn’t spend long there.The plunge pool looked a bit cold and deep for bears. One of the nearby trees was wrapped in a blanket to protect it from frost.I had a little paddle in the water that was feeding the plunge pool – wellies are jolly useful sometimes!Here I am with another folly. It is rather splendid and makes me look very small.The maze is a more recent addition to the rococo garden. I studied it for a while before entering it as did not wish to get stuck in there! I peeped up over the hedge a few times and my humans managed to get a photo of me! Wet snow was starting to fall so I was very pleased indeed to come across this little house to shelter in.Before we left I had one last look at the beautiful snowdrops.I very much enjoyed visiting Painswick Rococo Garden – a good place for bears and their humans; I think young humans would probably like it too.