I didn't know this place existed until I went through the latest edition of the RHS Handbook.
It's not far from The Fort Shopping Park, and you can see the top of Fort Dunlop from the Orchard.
The Hall is out of bounds if you visit (not sure why but it could be a wedding venue as they were showing people round). It's a very old garden that is slowly being reconstructed.
I arrived a little before it officially opened and a chap told me that he was hoping they could open but it depended on the volunteers turning up. Luckily, the enthusiastic bunch did arrive.
It was so quiet. The heavens opened at one point when I was going round. But as you can see, blue sky returned.
Beautiful tulips and other spring bulbs - interesting planting styles and the blossom was terrific. I caught a fleeting glimpse of two jays arriving and saw several very skittish orange-tip butterflies but they were only blurry dots on my photos.
I've chosen this shot of the orchard rather than the spectacular tulips because it gives a better flavour of the place. It is worth a visit - but check the opening times and keep your fingers crossed.
