Bodnant Gardens Laburnum Arch

[aandncaravan]

The incredible spectacle at Bodnant Garden that draws in more than 50,000 visitors worldwide is about to come into full bloom.

We were there today and there are thousands of flower heads almost ready to open. I would guess that by next week end it will be an amazing sight for the following two weeks.

The rest of the garden was also a blaze of colour.

 

If you have never been to Bodnant, it was described today by my sister as the best garden in the UK and I agree.

However, you should be aware it is on multiple levels with quite steep paths down to the river and Mill, so not as wheel chair friendly as some.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bodnant-garden/features/discover-spring-delights

 

It really is spectacular and people come from all around the World to see it, we met a couple today who had come over from Oregon to see it, but because of the Spring bad wether/snow, the arch is a later than usual to flower.

My two little ones asked if they had Wolves where they lived and were delighted to hear tales of Racoons, Bears and Coyote's. Lovely couple,

See, someone from overseas has heard of Wales.

 

I see lots of Motorhomes parked up on the Craig y Don end of Llandudno Sea front, don't know if that is a 'legal' overnight stop, but certainly a lovely view.

 

If you are National Trust members another great place not far away is Penrhyn Castle which was built in the late 1800's solely to entertain. One of the richest men of his day Lord Penrhyn built it to entertain royalty.

It is like no other castle you will ever see. Don't miss out the Steam Engine museum by the cafe.

 

 

[Tracker]

Firstly Allan, it is so great to hear that you are out and about again and annoying the world!

We visited Bodnant last year and it is a beautiful location with stunning gardens, but you are so right it is one heck of a climb back up from the mill!

We went the long way round as although it was a lot further and it took me a long time with nany stops the gradient was less severe from further up the stream.

[aandncaravan]

Tracker, thank you. I am loads better.

The fitness I lost with all the time in hospital following the botched surgery and the Chemo treatment is slowly coming back. I didn't stop at all walking back up the hill to the Pin Mill on the canal Terrace which surprised me.

 

Sorry to hear you struggled so much.

 

 

What fun is there if you don't go around annoying people!!

 

[John52]

I went to Penrhyn and Bodnant last week.

The Laburnum Arch was only just starting to come out, but the rest of the garden was a riot of colour.

The land and property was donated, Workers are paid little or nothing, whilst the management are milking the National Trust dry. They have to publish their accounts to get tax free status but they don't tell you more than they have to - base salary of £193k but they are as cagey about their pensions and expenses as members of Parliament. *-)

Scottish National Trust managers aren't so greedy, so its cheaper to be a member of the National Trust for Scotland and use the card to get into English National Trust.

New Zealand National Trust is cheaper still, and you can use their card for English Heritage as well. :-D

But then as more people wise up to joining one of the other National Trusts, English National Trust loses members and keeps whacking its prices up further to compensate.

[StuartO]

John52 - 2018-05-22 3:46 PMI went to Penrhyn and Bodnant last week.The Laburnum Arch was only just starting to come out, but the rest of the garden was a riot of colour.The land and property was donated, Workers are paid little or nothing, whilst the management are milking the National Trust dry. They have to publish their accounts to get tax free status but they don't tell you more than they have to - base salary of £193k but they are as cagey about their pensions and expenses as members of Parliament. *-) Scottish National Trust managers aren't so greedy, so its cheaper to be a member of the National Trust for Scotland and use the card to get into English National Trust. New Zealand National Trust is cheaper still, and you can use their card for English Heritage as well. :-D But then as more people wise up to joining one of the other National Trusts, English National Trust loses members and keeps whacking its prices up further to compensate.

As I remember the House is still in private hands and it's only the gardens which are held by National Trust and open to the public - but they are a fabulous sight.

You highlight important concerns about the way the English National Trust is being run these days but I don't think it helps if you make rediculous assertions that all managers have a base salary of £193,000 and all non-managers are under paid and abused, which is clearly nonsense.  There may well be a self-serving oligarchy running the National Trust these days but please don't extraploate ad absurdum.

[John52]

StuartO - 2018-05-22 7:46 AM

John52 - 2018-05-22 3:46 PMI went to Penrhyn and Bodnant last week.The Laburnum Arch was only just starting to come out, but the rest of the garden was a riot of colour.The land and property was donated, Workers are paid little or nothing, whilst the management are milking the National Trust dry. They have to publish their accounts to get tax free status but they don't tell you more than they have to - base salary of £193k but they are as cagey about their pensions and expenses as members of Parliament. *-) Scottish National Trust managers aren't so greedy, so its cheaper to be a member of the National Trust for Scotland and use the card to get into English National Trust. New Zealand National Trust is cheaper still, and you can use their card for English Heritage as well. :-D But then as more people wise up to joining one of the other National Trusts, English National Trust loses members and keeps whacking its prices up further to compensate.

As I remember the House is still in private hands and it's only the gardens which are held by National Trust and open to the public - but they are a fabulous sight.

You highlight important concerns about the way the English National Trust is being run these days but I don't think it helps if you make rediculous assertions that all managers have a base salary of £193,000 and all non-managers are under paid and abused, which is clearly nonsense.  There may well be a self-serving oligarchy running the National Trust these days but please don't extraploate ad absurdum.

Download the accounts from the charity commission website and see for yourself.http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/DocumentList.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=205846&SubsidiaryNumber=0&DocType=AccountListsearch 'salary' to work through the obfuscation and propogandaI used the word 'salary' rather than 'salaries' to make it clear I was not referring to all managersand I don't think it helps when you make ridiculous assertions that I was.Many of the workers are volunteers who are not paid at all.But it isn't just the amount of money drawn off by the managers - on top of palatial accommodation in prime locations, pensions, expenses etc which they don't tell us about because they don't have to...National Trust would say they are 'protecting' the countryside.Wheras others point out that by blocking housebuilding they are exacerbating the housing crisis.Hardly a friend of the motorhomer either - since they ban overnighting on NT land(edited to add weblink)

[Tracker]

John52 - 2018-05-22 12:46 AM

I went to Penrhyn and Bodnant last week.

The Laburnum Arch was only just starting to come out, but the rest of the garden was a riot of colour.

 

What a truly unpleasant piece of work you are, even a non controversial thread about gardens has to be hijacked by your nastiness, and all the name of your well documented political bias.

We all know you will never grow up and change so maybe we should call you Peter Pan to reflect the fantasy world that you live in where everyone is out to get rich at your expense.

Perfect the UK may not be but it's freedoms and options are a darned sight better than some of the alternatives.

 

[John52]

Tracker - 2018-05-22 12:16 PM

 

John52 - 2018-05-22 12:46 AM

I went to Penrhyn and Bodnant last week.

The Laburnum Arch was only just starting to come out, but the rest of the garden was a riot of colour.

 

What a truly unpleasant piece of work you are, even a non controversial thread about gardens has to be hijacked by your nastiness, and all the name of your well documented political bias.

We all know you will never grow up and change so maybe we should call you Peter Pan to reflect the fantasy world that you live in where everyone is out to get rich at your expense.

Perfect the UK may not be but it's freedoms and options are a darned sight better than some of the alternatives.

 

A proper financial adviser would at least have something to say about the audited accounts in the link I posted

But you resort to your default mode of ad hominen.

Were you really just a salesman?

 

 

[Tracker]

John52 - 2018-05-22 2:56 PM

You completely ignore the issues raised when they don't suit your prejudice, and resort to your default mode of ad hominen.

 

You are right about one thing, the definition of ad hominem.

 

'directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining'.

 

If you feel so strongly about the NT why not open a new topic on it rather than disrupt this one?

 

I stand by my accusation that you are indeed a nasty minded person obsessed by selfish political doctrination and lacking in respect for anyone else.

[John52]

Tracker - 2018-05-22 3:07 PM

If you feel so strongly about the NT why not open a new topic on it rather than disrupt this one?

This thread is about the NT.

We've all agreed the gardens are lovely.

I would like to see more of the money go to the workers who make them so

Whats so nasty about that?

[John52]

Tracker - 2018-05-22 3:07 PM

I stand by my accusation that you are indeed a nasty minded person obsessed by selfish political doctrination and lacking in respect for anyone else.

 

In other words you resort to default mode of ad hominen again

Whats the point of posting if your only contribution is to throw insults at those you disagree with?

[Tracker]

Where have I said that I disagree with you regarding the NT?

I am no lover of the NT and their style of running the organisation but I do consider that this thread is not the place to introduce such comments.

If you want to discuss the NT start a new topic.

How hard can that be for you to understand?

[John52]

Tracker - 2018-05-22 3:25 PM

I do consider that this thread is not the place to introduce such comments.

 

 

Why not leave the moderating to the moderators?

 

[Tracker]

John52 - 2018-05-22 3:32 PM

Why not leave the moderating to the moderators?

 

There you go again, changing the subject when you can't think of anything constructive to say, no surprise and nothing new there then.

It has nothing to do with moderation but it does have a lot to do with courtessy to other users who have absolutely no interest in your obsession with taking any opportunity to muck up any topic by having a go at anyone who gets paid more than you.

[John52]

Tracker - 2018-05-22 3:43 PM

 

John52 - 2018-05-22 3:32 PM

Why not leave the moderating to the moderators?

 

There you go again, changing the subject when you can't think of anything constructive to say, no surprise and nothing new there then.

It has nothing to do with moderation but it does have a lot to do with courtessy to other users who have absolutely no interest in your obsession with taking any opportunity to muck up any topic by having a go at anyone who gets paid more than you.

 

I'm doing alright .

But I'm concerned about those who are paid much less than me.

(Because others are paid much more than me)

Which you seem unable to understand.

[Keithl]

Guys,

 

Please can you all stop the petty squabbling and let Allan's thread about the NT gardens get back on track.

 

I for one appreciate posts about places to visit and Bodnant Gardens is one NT property we have not yet visited so is now on our bucket list.

 

Thanks Allan for posting.

 

Keith.

[Tracker]

My apologies Keith, Bodnant is a lovely place to visit but do try to pick a dry spell as the hillside paths can be quite slippy when wet!

[blaven]

Love a good barney, me. So maybe now’s not the time to bring up the fact that the building of Penrhyn Castle was funded by brutal slavery in Jamaica, and the (almost) slavery of the North Wales slate quarryman. Feelings still run deep in Bethesda, the village on the A5 where most of them lived with their families in poverty, and which is adjacent to Penrhyn Quarry, then owned by Lord Penrhyn.

Just adding a bit of historical context.

[laimeduck]

blaven - 2018-05-22 6:30 PMLove a good barney, me. So maybe now’s not the time to bring up the fact that the building of Penrhyn Castle wasè funded by brutal slavery in Jamaica, and the (almost) slavery of the North Wales slate quarryman. Feelings still run deep in Bethesda, the village on the A5 where most of them lived with their families in poverty, and which is adjacent to Penrhyn Quarry, then owned by Lord Penrhyn.Just adding a bit of historical context.

I spent 6 months near Bethesda in 1969 while working g for the Nature Conservancy on Snowdon. I remember the artisan  Bakery there which I used to call into at 05.00 on my way up to Snowdon via the Miners track. The most wonderful meat pies and

 scones straight out of the oven! Happy days!

[Tracker]

Conserve wildlife - pickle a Welshman!

[colin]

Been quite a while since we've been to Bodnant, gf 'drags' me around every garden in the world, but that's the passion of a (early retired) head gardener.

 

Haven't done any volunteering this year, but assuming the RSPB/NT project is running next year we will probably put in at least two weeks

[blaven]

laimeduck - 2018-05-22 7:53 PM

 

blaven - 2018-05-22 6:30 PMLove a good barney, me. So maybe now’s not the time to bring up the fact that the building of Penrhyn Castle wasè funded by brutal slavery in Jamaica, and the (almost) slavery of the North Wales slate quarryman. Feelings still run deep in Bethesda, the village on the A5 where most of them lived with their families in poverty, and which is adjacent to Penrhyn Quarry, then owned by Lord Penrhyn.Just adding a bit of historical context.

I spent 6 months near Bethesda in 1969 while working g for the Nature Conservancy on Snowdon. I remember the artisan  Bakery there which I used to call into at 05.00 on my way up to Snowdon via the Miners track. The most wonderful meat pies and

 scones straight out of the oven! Happy days!

You’ll maybe remember Wendy’s caffe in Llanberis then? Was the bakery called Treflan?

[laimeduck]

blaven - 2018-05-22 9:25 PM

laimeduck - 2018-05-22 7:53 PM

blaven - 2018-05-22 6:30 PMLove a good barney, me. So maybe now’s not the time to bring up the fact that the building of Penrhyn Castle wasè funded by brutal slavery in Jamaica, and the (almost) slavery of the North Wales slate quarryman. Feelings still run deep in Bethesda, the village on the A5 where most of them lived with their families in poverty, and which is adjacent to Penrhyn Quarry, then owned by Lord Penrhyn.Just adding a bit of historical context.

I spent 6 months near Bethesda in 1969 while working g for the Nature Conservancy on Snowdon. I remember the artisan  Bakery there which I used to call into at 05.00 on my way up to Snowdon via the Miners track. The most wonderful meat pies and

 scones straight out of the oven! Happy days!

You’ll maybe remember Wendy’s caffe in Llanberis then? Was the bakery called Treflan?

 

Good Lord - my memory isn't that good! It was 49 years ago! Too many beers over the years.  I don't recall stopping off in Llanberis at a cafe? - My salary was £10 a week, so didn't really run to eating out. I actually lived in a tent for the 6 months, March to September! 

I did however, often used to go in the cafe at Pen-y-Pass on my return from the met station on top of Grib Goch which I had to read once a week, where I had a pint of hot sweet tea favoured by the rock climbers & serious walkers. 

[Keithl]

All,

 

I have moderated the last couple of posts in this thread to try and get the topic back on course for Allan.

 

Please can you keep political opinions on the running of the NT out of this thread and if you so desire start a new thread, preferably in Chatterbox.

 

Keith.

[John52]

Keithl - 2018-05-23 10:26 AM

 

All,

 

I have moderated the last couple of posts in this thread to try and get the topic back on course for Allan.

 

Please can you keep political opinions on the running of the NT out of this thread and if you so desire start a new thread, preferably in Chatterbox.

 

Keith.

OK

But lets show it as it is.

Penrhyn was paid for by slaves like the statues in the garden - blindfolded and hands tied

I took this photo last week. The hedges in the photo have been allowed to grow out of shape, so have been cut back. They estimate about 10 years before they look like hedges again. Unavoidable because the greenery only goes a couple of inches below the surface. Other parts of the garden are looking fabulous.