On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 16:21:59 +0000, Victoria Clare
wrote:

~"Peter Crosland" wrote in
:
~
~ Even if you argue Eden and Heligan just live off tourists, Rosemoor
~ is in Torrington, for heavens sake, surrounded by acres of mud and
~ sheep!
~
~ And what is wrong with being surrounded by mud and sheep? Far better
~ than by pavements covered in litter!
~
~I am myself surrounded by mud and sheep!
~
~My point was that there is nothing wrong with that for a successful garden,
~and people are prepared to travel to out of the way locations to see them
~when they are well promoted.
~
~I mentioned Rosemoor because it is quite a way from either of Devon's
~touristy coastlines, (at least 2 hours from the South coast, and over an
~hour from, say, Woolacombe or Lynmouth on the North coast.)
~
~Even the roads to it are pretty poor, particularly from the South, where
~the majority of the tourist trade congregates. Yet people seem to manage to
~get there somehow: even out of season I've never seen it completely
~deserted.

Rosemoor is indeed a pain to get to. I went in May, on the way back
from a Cornish wedding, and the navigation was quite complex to get
there from Bude! There are no main roads or anything, but as you said,
the car park was quite full...

I found Middleton easier to get to - but then I had planned my trip to
include it. Didn't manage Aberglasney though. I have every intention
of going back (and doing a castle hunt while I'm at it!) though
whether I'll be able to go to the Botanic garden again is anyone's
guess.

Personally, if I could change anything, I'd put more interesting stuff
in the glasshouse. It's mostly green scrubland type plants at the
moment and didn't really have any colourful flowers. Botanically the
current contents are interesting, visitorwise they aren't. They could
find a compromise. It's a bit like the temperate biome at Eden was
when I went (first week) - most of the people I went with preferred
the blowsy tropical biome because it was full of lush growth and
stunning flowers - and the butterflies.

The outside planting of Middleton is lovely, though.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!