It does not feel like Scotland here. At Logan Botanic gardens its more like Australia or South America. Thanks to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream, these gardens are home to an incredible collection of exotic plants. The gardens are located in south-west Scotland, around 14 miles from Portpatrick.
Getting there
Tiny, hilly roads
The narrow, hilly roads from Portpatrick
It’s also lovely. There were few vehicles and no people. A rabbit dashed in front of me. Flocks of small birds erupted from hedges. Some roads had a strip of grass growing down the middle, the classic sign of a road less travelled. The verges were thick with grass, wildflowers and thistles. I spotted a Belted Galloway, the breed of cattle famous in this region of Scotland.
Some of the roads have a strip of grass growing down the middle
Kirkmadrine stones
Sign for Kirkmadrine stones
After 10 miles I reached a chapel that’s home to some of Scotland’s oldest surviving Christian monuments. The carved stones at Kirkmadrine date from the 6th century. They are kept behind glass in the porch of the chapel. This preserves them from the weather and means this ‘museum’ is always open.
Kirkmadrine Chapel
The thing I found the most interesting was a large stone with three smooth indents. These had been rubbed away by people turning pebbles on the stone, as they prayed.
The stone that people had turned pebbles on when praying
I had the place to myself. It was a peaceful spot with cows lounging in the sun and views of the sea.
The view from Kirkmadrine Chapel
Coast road to Logan
It’s 6 miles from Kirkmadrine to Logan Botanic Garden. I took the A716 coast road, which skirted many tempting beaches.
One of the beaches seen from the A716
Logan Botanic Garden
Leaving Scotland behind
The gardens were started by the McDouall family in the 1870s. Agnes was a keen gardener and introduced plants from the warmer regions of the planet. The passion was passed through the family. In 1969 the garden was gifted to the nation and became part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Logan house with tropical plants
Are we in Scotland? Giant palm trees at Logan Botanic Garden
My favourite part of the gardens was the Gunnera Bog. You walk inside this canopy of weird plants with huge leaves and stalks with spiky bits. The Gunnera comes from South-east Brazil and the leaves can grow up 2.5m across. There’s nothing like this in Scotland and it was a unique experience to be among these magnificent plants.
Giant Gunnera in Logan’s Gunnera Bog
The Potting Shed cafe at Logan is a great spot to enjoy locally-sourced produce. I loved my Mull of Galloway crab salad.
Mull of Galloway crab salad
From Logan Botanic Garden its 10 miles to the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse, one of the main attractions in this area. I’ll cover this in my next blog.