We also had visited the Abbotsbury Sub Tropical Gardens which are only a short distance from the Swannery that Grandad visited, we of course had to miss that one out because of having little Annie with us, but as pooches are quite welcome in the gardens we went there instead. You have a fair idea of the place from Grandad’s post, so I will just put up some of my own images to give you all a flavour of our own visit.
It is well sign posted and has an ample free car park with plenty of shade and only a short walk across the road to the entrance. It is quite a big garden, but nothing you cant get around in a couple of hours of easy strolling and there are lots of seats dotted along the paths for you to take a rest. The one thing I did find though was that they did not give you a decent map to find your way around and the so called signage was pretty useless to say the least and although we went all round I am sure we must have missed some features along the way.
It seems to be built on either side of a small ravine which has a stream flowing through it, so you meander between set pathways that wind their way up and down the slopes and across the stream via small ornamental bridges.
Various features have been made by utilising the small stream, one such is a very realistic ‘Jurassic Valley’ with tree ferns, palms, banana plants and large water loving Gunnera plants that resemble huge Rhubarb leaves with spike covered stems and leaves as rough as a cats tongue.
Further down a rope bridge crosses over the 'swamp' and many squeals of delight and fear can be heard comming from the people crossing it as it sways side to side.
There are quite a few statues along the route and various other features such as small temple like structures surrounded by bright flowers and even a couple of original looking cannons.
some of the Buddha and Nymph statues had open palms as if receiving something and people had put coins into the cupped hands. The coins were from all over the world as attested to by Angie who insisted upon taking them out for a closer look, must be something to do with working for a bank.
At the far end of the garden is a seat and if you sit there with your camera you can get this beautifully framed shot of St Catherine’s Church through a gap purposely cut in the surrounding tree canopy, it is an end shot of the ‘face on’ picture that Grandad posted in his earlier write up and it is about ¾ of a mile away on a hill.
Descending from one side of the garden you will pass a couple of nice ornamental ponds full of large golden carp and Lily pads. A small machine located on a nearby tree dispenses fish food pellets for a few pennies to feed the fish which are very tame and circle around waiting for the food. So is a female Mallard duck which has also sussed out the free food and it is a scrabble between the duck and the fish as to who gets there first.
This duck immediately got Annie’s attention and quick as a flash she was up on the surrounding wall much to the amusement of a man and his wife who were feeding the fish. Angie was becoming nervous and kept holding her lead in case she fell in although I knew she would not as he is like a little mountain goat and quite sure footed, in any event I could always haul her out again by her lead, like a used teabag.
Near to the entrance/Exit is a shop, a garden sales and a small menagerie with a nice collection of noisy Kookaburras.
All in all it was a lovely day and we purchased a couple of bird boxes to take home with us as a momento.
....love the statues........everything really 
