Painswick Rococo Garden

Painswick Rococo Garden is a one-off: a fanciful 18th-century pleasure garden laid out in the 1740s for the owner of Painswick House and his guests, and now described as England's sole surviving complete rococo garden. It fills a hidden valley just outside the Cotswold village of Painswick, with views over the surrounding countryside, and it was restored from the 1980s using a 1748 painting of the garden as its guide.

The fun is in the follies. As you follow the paths around the valley you come across the Eagle House, the Pigeon House, the Red House, the Gothic Seat and the Ram House, along with the Exedra, a 20th-century recreation of a lost building, and a statue of Pan. Ponds and streams run down the slopes with small waterfalls, and there is woodland, flower and vegetable plots and a maze. The garden is best known for its snowdrops, especially Galanthus 'Atkinsii', which carpet the ground in early spring.

Gardeners will enjoy the Exedra Nursery on site, a traditional nursery growing many of its perennials in peat-free compost, and gardening workshops run through the year. The paths are steep and uneven, so the garden is not recommended for wheelchairs or mobility scooters, but the steepest slopes have handrails and there are 45 benches for resting. Dogs on short leads are welcome. The Coffee Wagon serves drinks, cakes and light lunches, with seating outdoors and in a tipi. During snowdrop season tickets must be booked in advance so numbers and parking can be managed.