Having worked quite a bit from Monday to Friday this past week, I had already decided not to do any locum jobs when I got some days off. Well, I did get my well-deserved rest on the next day, but like the birding enthusiast that I am, I planned a bird-watching activity to a new place this time. I was researching bird-watching places near Blackpool. I had already been to Leighton Moss a few weeks ago, hence homed in on this new place managed by the RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) known as the RSPB Reserve Burton Mere.
To reach this place by public transport is a nightmare. For me, it involved changing 5 times! I first caught a local bus from my hospital home to the Blackpool North (BPN) railway station. From here, I reached NESTON via four changes - from BPN to Preston by train, then from Preston to Liverpool Lime (again, by train), then from the latter to Berkenfield North by a rail replacement bus, then by Merseyside railway to Bidston, and finally by Merseyside local train to Neston. From Neston, I took a bus to its last stop - the Ness Gardens. As I said, a long journey indeed. But here lies the sweet recompense: I got to visit the Ness Botanical Gardens - a side dish that turned out to be so delightful!
Eventually, I would walk to the bird reserve and reach it only by half past one, but the botanical gardens were a pleasant discovery, quite by accident.
These gardens were originally created by Arthur Bulley in 1898, passed on to his family after his death, and got bequeathed to the University of Liverpool by his daughter Lois Agnes in 1942. Bulley was passionate about collecting and planting herbs and plants from all over the world. The gardens are home to more than 15000 types of plants, and also host 600 species of butterflies, birds, mammals, insects and so on. The gardens are spread over 60 acres of woodlands and meadows. Entrance tickets are between £ 3-5 per person.
The visitor year began this week with the abundant flowering of the various kinds of snowdrops, white flowers that droop downwards and spread horizontally during late-winter and early spring. Here are some photos from my memorable visit. Some cultivars of the snowdrops are not natural. However, they all look pretty.
Over the entire year, they have many new things happening, and one can visit their website to know more. Currently, they had a children's treasure hunt and a paid snowdrops viewing program going on.
I saw many other plants such as conifers, British lavender, different kinds of Rhododendrons, azaleas and more. I think the gardens are a bit incomplete. There was no education centre, so to say, no sections on xerophytes or succulents, and no mention of tropical trees or Bonsai.
Some more pictures follow:
After the visit, I came out into the reception area where I had a soup in their Garden Cafe. It had been a memorable visit. And totally unexpected ... as my original plan had been to go to watch birds at the RSPB Reserve Burton Mere ... but more about this in my next post. Thanks for reading.
To reach this place by public transport is a nightmare. For me, it involved changing 5 times! I first caught a local bus from my hospital home to the Blackpool North (BPN) railway station. From here, I reached NESTON via four changes - from BPN to Preston by train, then from Preston to Liverpool Lime (again, by train), then from the latter to Berkenfield North by a rail replacement bus, then by Merseyside railway to Bidston, and finally by Merseyside local train to Neston. From Neston, I took a bus to its last stop - the Ness Gardens. As I said, a long journey indeed. But here lies the sweet recompense: I got to visit the Ness Botanical Gardens - a side dish that turned out to be so delightful!
Eventually, I would walk to the bird reserve and reach it only by half past one, but the botanical gardens were a pleasant discovery, quite by accident.
These gardens were originally created by Arthur Bulley in 1898, passed on to his family after his death, and got bequeathed to the University of Liverpool by his daughter Lois Agnes in 1942. Bulley was passionate about collecting and planting herbs and plants from all over the world. The gardens are home to more than 15000 types of plants, and also host 600 species of butterflies, birds, mammals, insects and so on. The gardens are spread over 60 acres of woodlands and meadows. Entrance tickets are between £ 3-5 per person.
The visitor year began this week with the abundant flowering of the various kinds of snowdrops, white flowers that droop downwards and spread horizontally during late-winter and early spring. Here are some photos from my memorable visit. Some cultivars of the snowdrops are not natural. However, they all look pretty.
Over the entire year, they have many new things happening, and one can visit their website to know more. Currently, they had a children's treasure hunt and a paid snowdrops viewing program going on.
I saw many other plants such as conifers, British lavender, different kinds of Rhododendrons, azaleas and more. I think the gardens are a bit incomplete. There was no education centre, so to say, no sections on xerophytes or succulents, and no mention of tropical trees or Bonsai.
Some more pictures follow:
After the visit, I came out into the reception area where I had a soup in their Garden Cafe. It had been a memorable visit. And totally unexpected ... as my original plan had been to go to watch birds at the RSPB Reserve Burton Mere ... but more about this in my next post. Thanks for reading.
