The best places to spot snowdrops around the UK
These little blooms are the first sign of spring
It’s a bit bleak out there, if I’m honest, but there’s beauty to be found, even in February, as snowdrops, which thrive in pastures, woods and gardens around the nation, bloom until March. Here’s where to spot them:
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
This National Trust property has some of the finest snowdrop collections in the country, with over 500 varieties blooming and a lovely Winter Garden. nationaltrust.org.uk
Brodsworth Hall, South Yorkshire
This Victorian house and gardens was neglected until English Heritage took over in the 1990s and now its gardens are a blaze of colour, starting with 500,000 snowdrops which pop up across the wildflower lawns and woodlands. english-heritage.org.uk
Oxburgh Estate, Norfolk
Another National Trust site, Oxburgh also has a huge display of snowdrops each year in the Wilderness section, which is allowed to self-seed. It even runs Snowdrop tours. nationaltrust.org.uk
Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd
In Wales, the grounds of Penrhyn Castle are dotted with drifts of snowdrops until March when they make way for daffodils and bluebells. nationaltrust.org.uk
Cambo Country House & Estate, Fife
The Scottish Snowdrop Festival runs until March 12 and you can visit the Winter Garden and Cambo’s famous snowdrop collection of 200 varieties cultivated by Lady Erskine in the 1930s. camboestate.com
Acorn Bank, Cumbria
There are Snowdrop Weekends through February and March, where you can see a carpet of snowdrops in the woodland at Acorn Bank, Temple Sowerby. nationaltrust.org.uk
Audley End House and Gardens, Essex
The grand Capability Brown landscape at Audley End House and Gardens – one of the country’s grandest mansions - is lovely even in February, when snowdrops and even some early daffodils begin to bloom. english-heritage.org.uk
Belton Estate, Lincolnshire
At Belton, you can see 20,000 snowdrops forming a blanket of white, as well as drifts of snowdrops in the Pleasure Gardens. Take a self-guided trail and in half-term, there are snowdrop-inspired crafts, for kids. nationaltrust.org.uk
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Shaftesbury Snowdrop Festival runs until February 23 and you can see the 200,000 plants sown to create a series of beautiful walks, around this community, to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Don’t miss the evening lantern walk. How absolutely lovely. shaftesburysnowdrops.org