Peter Truman Photography

Over the weekend of 13th/14th June the Derbyshire village of Bonsall opened up nearly two dozen of its private gardens for charity. Bonsall is situated at the edge of the Peak District, close to Matlock and Cromford, and stretches from a junction with the A5012 Via Gellia road, up a long and sometimes steep hill to Upper Town which tops out at around 900 feet above sea level providing really excellent views back down into the Derwent Valley.

Bonsall has a long history of lead mining and there are many remains nearby of small workings, some of which remain a hazard but have also been exploited by caving enthusiasts! The soughs are tunnels used to drain water out of the mines and the hillside is riddled with them. Many are now blocked off but several appear in gardens to provide a stream or interesting sites for planting. Given the age of the village and its background, many houses are very close together and the gardens small. Access is often difficult up steps and narrow paths or ginnels. Others are a bit larger and well developed - but there was great variety and interest in the gardens we visited.

We spent quite a long time in the first few gardens along the Clatterway but did not visit the Cascades Gardens that are regularly open, thinking we would use the time to see other gardens up towards Upper Town and then back through the village. We had a great walk up to Upper Town and then met some friends we hadn't seen for some ten years; by the time we had caught up with all the news and gossip it was past 5pm and gardens had now closed! We will try again next year...