Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens

Plas Cadnant is a garden being brought back from the wild, and that is what makes it so rewarding. Hidden from view near Menai Bridge, between the town and Beaumaris, the gardens had been left to grow wild since the 1940s. Work began in 1996 to uncover and restore them, and large parts have since been transformed. The aim has been to recapture the picturesque style of the early 1800s, while a new garden is also being created on the historic site, so plant lovers will find plenty to interest them.

The garden falls into three clear parts. The walled garden, with a pool at its heart, is the most formal and is the setting for summer concerts and picnics. The valley garden, sometimes called the secret valley, follows a river with waterfalls, and was badly damaged by floods in December 2015, when an original 200-year-old wall and many rare plants were lost; repairs began the following month. Above, the upper woodland garden gives a wilder, shadier walk.

Gardeners will enjoy watching restoration in progress and seeing how planting is matched to each part of the site, from the shelter of the walls to the damp valley floor and the woodland above. There is a tea room and visitor centre, built when the gardens opened fully to the public in 2011, and parking is free. The garden opens on selected days through the season and closes for the winter, so check the calendar before setting off.