Tresco's Abbey Gardens

Another unreasonable rising time – 6:30 am, because we had to congregate at 8 am to begin our trip to the famed  gardens.

We were taken by tender to the landing stage – the sky was heavy with rain as we skimmed the waves  - but the gods were on our side as the clouds gave way to a glorious sunny day.  

The gardens are breath-taking; filled with plant species from all parts of the world. We were escorted round by one of the gardeners – she came for a day and stayed.

                        

It rains a lot on Tresco. There are many seats dotted around the gardens covered in various lichens.

They’re very proud of their red squirrels – imported about 20 years ago the 20 odd have swelled to over 200. Along with pheasants, blackbirds and starlings the place is alive with wild life. 

It's a magical place. There is, however, so much to see, so much variety, so many fine vistas that after a time I found everything became bleached out. It was as if my senses were overloaded and they had to shut down otherwise I would have exploded...

...We've now arrived in Bantry on the south west coast of Ireland. It's a grey day.