Morvern
Argyll
PA80 5UZ
Why Should We Visit?
Ardtornish Estate covers 35,000 acres of the Morvern peninsula. The house sits at the head of a huge, U-shaped bay on the shores of Loch Aline and the wooded slopes surrounding, which include 500 acres of native trees, are home to a bunkhouse for walkers and a number of comfortable holiday cottages. A local hydro-electric system has recently been developed to supply the cottages, the house, which is often used as a wedding venue, and the wider estate with renewable energy.
Story Of The Garden
The gardens at Ardtornish extend to 28 acres, which were laid out during the Victorian era, when up to 12 gardeners were employed to care for them. At that time new plants were arriving from overseas and large areas of Ardtornish were planted with rhododendrons, azaleas and cinnabarinums. Today the gardens and the estate’s farms are maintained to the highest environmental standards and provide food for the house, visitors and the local community.
Highlights
In 2015 work began on the neglected kitchen garden. Weeds were cleared, drains replaced, walls, beds and paths restored and replanting begun. Now the kitchen garden is once more a productive space, producing an abundance of seasonal fruits, vegetables and flowers from its borders and polytunnels. As many as seven different varieties of potatoes are grown here, along with cabbage, kale, salads and broccoli. Flowers are grown in a 16-metre long cutting patch, with sweet peas, kanutia, cosmos, sunflower and Penstemons amongst the mix. The kitchen garden is open year-round and produce is sold in the estate shop.
Don’t Miss
A number of formal lawns around Ardtornish have recently been converted into wildflower meadows. In spring the first flowers begin to appear and the grass is allowed to keep growing until August, when