July Meeting – The Valley Gardens Walk
Our July meeting was a lovely evening stroll guided by Friends of Valley Gardens, a group of volunteers who work with North Yorkshire Council to restore, maintain and enhance Harrogate’s beautiful Valley Gardens for the benefit of residents and visitors
Old Magnesia Pump Room
We were met by Richard and Pam who were our guides from Friends of Valley Gardens. We were blessed with beautiful sunny evening and we had a great turnout.
We started our walk around the Valley Gardens and they explained the World Tree Trail which highlights the variety of trees that have been planted over the years. You can do it yourself by picking up a trail leaflet from the pump room.
We went past the gunnera plant and questions were asked about what they were due to the size. Pam was explaining how the gunnera needed to protect over the winter months from frost.
We stopped at bogs field where we learnt that 36 wells are within the gardens and no two are alike. In years gone by when people would visit Harrogate doctors would advise which well they should visit to help their ailment.
The Old Magnesia pump room is such a beautiful building and many of us never knew what was inside. Peter gave us a very informative talk about the origins of the well and Isabella Outhwaite & John Wilford who were the dispensary owners. Some water pumped and handed around. It had a strong smell of sulphur.
Gardens of the World
We then walked to the Japanese Gardens and got to admire the beautiful plants and find out how the managed the upkeep. We continued onto the New Zealand Gardens to see the plants and trees chosen for the area. Lots of benches around the gardens to sit back and enjoy the view.
We ended our walk where we set off. Such a lovely evening with great guides with lots of knowledge. Many people said we have walked through the Valley Gardens before but will look at it with much more appreciation the next time we visit. We are so lucky to have these beautiful gardens for us all to use and thankful that the Friends of Valley gardens for the commitment and upkeep.
We then headed to the Harrogate Inn for a drink a debrief of the evening.
Get Involved
You can find out more about Friends of Valley Gardens here VALLEY GARDENS Many members join FOVG just to show their support for the Valley Gardens but you may also have the opportunity to help by joining their Wednesday morning gardening group, volunteering for the Old Magnesia Well Pump Room (OMWPR) open days or assisting with guided tours.
August Meeting
Our August meeting is on Thursday 14th August and we’ll be hosting Dementia Forward.