by Dartington, Devon
The gardening team at this estate near Totnes take the first few months of the year seriously: hazel flowers, cobwebs and snowdrops are the precursors to daffodils and bluebells. Trails allow everyone to explore the 800 acres (Tramper mobility scooters can be arranged). There is also accommodation at various price levels, including hostel rooms and those in the original 14th century building. Dartington does things a little differently. While most gardens do light shows in winter, one is based in Dartington Alice in Wonderland, running from 8 March to 3 April. Food options range from pub grub to bagels baked on the estate.
double B&B from £129; dartington.org
Chippenham Park, Cambridgeshire
Few gardens in East Anglia come into spring as well as Chippenham Park near Newmarket, with 40 acres of gardens open until 29 March. Starting with snowdrops and aconites before blossoming into flakes and daffodils in a series of landscapes including lakes, canals and woodland walks, it all ends with an Easter egg hunt. The old pottery sheds are now nice accommodation, and there is a tea room when the gardens are open, with soups, cakes and – weather permitting – chilled rosé wine.
Single double rooms from £150; chippenhamparkgardens.info
Wallington, Northumberland
Over the past two years, hundreds of volunteers have shoveled snow at Wallington, including Northumbria Sandersii snowdrops with yellow rather than green markings. The National Trust estate near Morpeth now has around 900,000 snowdrops to enjoy as they carpet woodland, and later in spring the grounds will be transformed by crocuses and daffodils. In nearby Whalton, the Beresford Arms is a nice pub with rooms, which is also close to Loch Bolam Country Park.
double B&B from £110; theberesfordarmswhalton.co.uk; and nationaltrust.org.uk
Cambo Estate, Fife
Generations of the Erskine family have snowballed here, just outside St Andrews. The annual show lasts well into March, and some of the walking paths are suitable for people with reduced mobility. There is live music on certain evenings, as well as night walks and warming food. Include a visit when you walk the coastal path from St Andrews or Crawford – there are other spring flowers to be seen along the way. In the nearby village, the Inn at Kingsbarns has five bedrooms and, in the Scranhoose, a restaurant serving home-made food.
double B&B from £120; thennatkingsbarns.co.uk and cambogardens.org.uk
Lang Craigs, Dunbartonshire
Twelve miles from Glasgow in the Kilpatrick Hills, Lang Craigs offers light bulb appreciation for purists, with no cafes or shops for distraction (although there are a few benches where you can sit and bring out your Thermos of tea). There are four walking paths and snowdrops and bluebells (if you’re lucky enough to see them) are joined by otters, herons and woodpeckers and, as the evening settles in, a spotted owl. Just 30 minutes away from the urban gems of the Hotel du Vin in Glasgow’s West End.
single room doubles from £116; hotelduvin.com; and woodtrust.org.uk
Castle Ward, County Down
Along with the legions of Game of Thrones fans on their quest to find their Winter, bulb spots come to see how spring is making its way through the woodland and terraces and around this National Trust property. Part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, daffodils have colonized the area around the mansion, but stay a little further and there are almost five miles of bluebell trails to enjoy here. The Bay is a newly renovated gastropub on the mouth of Loch Cuan with nine comfortable rooms.
double B&B from £119, thecuan.com; and nationaltrust.org.uk
Caldbeck, Lake District
Every pretty village in the Lake District – especially those associated with Wordsworth – will have a healthy display of daffodils in spring, but Caldbeck, at the top of Cumbria near Hadrian’s Wall, never gets crowded and has a good supply of tea rooms and pubs. there, including Oddfellows. , run by the Whitesmith family, has 12 rooms and an all-day bar with local Jennings ale. All these will give you power for walks around the walls and to the ruins of a cotton mill at Howk and Watersmeet is a great place for bluebells, usually in March and April.
B&B doubles from £125; oddfellows-caldbeck.co.uk
Bodnant Garden, Conwy
The daffodils at this place – one of the most important National Trust gardens in Wales – are usually in full bloom before Dáithí’s Day on 1 March. They have been buried here for over 100 years; a process that continues today with both mature and dwarf varieties. Daffodil season here lasts from February to April, when bells and magnolia trees give their next spring breakthrough. Just across the river Conwy, the Groes Inn allows you to explore Bodnant and other nearby walks.
Double & B from £105, groesinn.com; and nationaltrust.org.uk
Chawton, Hampshire
Jane Austen did not write about daffodils, but she would have seen them at her home in Hampshire. Near the cottage where she lived and Chawton House where her brother and family were in situ are some of England’s greatest spring walks, including one that includes passages from Austen’s works . Chawton House has a tea room (which may have the author’s approval) and a new takeaway tea shed (which may not). The Anchor Inn in Lower Froyle, a 10-minute drive on the edge of the South Dunes, has board games, bloody Marys and timeless views of meadows and farmland.
double B&B £110, butcombe.com/the-anchor-inn-hampshire; and chawtonhouse.org
Kew Gardens, London
When the rest of the gardens at Kew lie dormant, snowdrops begin the rush to spring as they pour over the ground. Across Kew’s 300 acres, you’ll find them clustered around trees and lawns, with daffodils centered on the Great Broad Walk and Temple Aeolus, and bluebells growing across the woodland floor. Another bonus of Kew: there are plenty of conservatories and cafes to drop into when you need to warm up. Kew requires at least a day, preferably two, to fully appreciate it. The Orange Tree is a stately pub with rooms a short walk from the entrance to Kew.
double B&B from £139; orangetreerichmond.co.uk; and kew.org
