Hundreds of families have enjoyed a fun packed activities programme this summer and there’s still plenty more on at Castle Kennedy Gardens, right through to the end of the October Holidays.
This Saturday 5 September walkers, joggers and runners are invited to participate in Wigtownshire’s Run 4 Health sponsored event which helps raise funds for Marie Curie. The warm up begins at 10.30 with both the 5K timed race and 5K fun run starting at 11.00.
On Sunday 6 September our Garden Ranger will be showing families how to build a camp fire and visitors could be surprised to see expressions on our trees when we play with Mud Faces on Sunday 20 September, using the natural ingredients we find around us in the Gardens.
As Autumn beckons and the Gardens change face once again with the most beautiful fall of leaves, there’s opportunity to explore more with our Fallen Leaves and Other Mysterious Things event also taking place on Sunday 20 September.
Keen gardeners can enjoy some hints and tips about growing their own on Wednesday 23 September when our Head Gardener will be on hand to help visitors at a Plant Propagation event. The workshop ends in the Garden’s Tea Room where busy hands are then invited to sample a delicious slice of home-made cake and a hot drink.
Just ahead of the October Holidays begins The Wild Autumn Festival (9-26 October) with numerous events taking place throughout the region. Events taking place in the Gardens as part of this festival include Painting with Earth on Wednesday 14 October where families and transported back in time to become cavemen, using colours from the ground to create some modern day earth art. Then in the afternoon our Garden Ranger leads a hunt with a Minibeast Adventure, to discover the fascinating bug life here.
For older visitors Wednesday 14 October offers an Autumn Glory Guided Walk led by our Head Gardener to experience the formidable fall and the changing face of Castle Kennedy Gardens as we say goodbye to summer days.
Our last Pond Dipping event for this year will take place on Sunday 18 October as we cast our nets ,one more time, into the mysterious waters of the White and Black Lochs and, should it rain, it can only add to the fun of another great, muddy Mud Faces event in the afternoon, where we learn about using some great natural colours from the plants.
The final events during the Wild Autumn Festival involve natural materials and some valuable advice from our Garden Ranger who will help us build some great hideouts with the Tepee Shelters and Den Building events on Wednesday 21 October.
All Garden Ranger activities begin at Castle Kennedy Ruins with activity sessions running from 11:00am – 12:30pm & 2:00pm – 3.30pm included in the admission cost. The Plant Propagation workshop and Guided Walk runs from 2.00pm -3.30pm and cost £2 plus admission, offering participants a hot drink and delicious slice of homemade cake.
Activities should be booked in advance if possible. Outdoor clothing is recommended and children must be accompanied by an adult. Visitors are welcome to attend one or both Garden Ranger sessions on the same day.
For more information on the event and activities taking place at Castle Kennedy Gardens this Autumn please contact 01581 400 225 or 01776 702 024 or find us on facebook, twitter and google+ Garden entry and events can be booked on www.castlekennedygardens.com
