Cae Hir Gardens

Garden

Explorer Tom

Cae Hir Gardens climbs a Ceredigion hillside near Cribyn and knows a straight line would be terribly dull. Lawns, borders and views keep arriving in new combinations as you climb, while the Cambrian Mountains provide scenery without asking for a planting fee. Even the steep bits seem to be showing off. This was Wil Akkermans's idea, begun after he left his work teaching French in the Netherlands and brought his family to Wales. His early design was sketched in biro on the back of paper bearing French from his teaching days. He changed the upper section as work developed, and Cae Hir opened to visitors in 1989. That is wonderfully human garden-making: a big vision, one scrap of paper and the good sense to change your mind. The five-acre site mixes informal planting with deliberate beds, rewarding a wander. Let the lower lawns draw you in, then notice how the hillside opens different views. There is a nursery for plants and a tearoom called Y Sied. If a particularly handsome flower seems to be posing, give it a moment; even plants deserve a little vanity after Welsh rain. Cae Hir is a public visitor garden with a seasonal opening period, so check its current dates before travelling. The operator says roughly half the garden is gently sloping and the rest is steep; sturdy shoes are sensible, and wheelchair access is limited by the terrain. You can visit the tearoom and nursery without paying garden admission when they are open. Linger: Wil's hillside has more than one good answer to the question of where to sit.