Walled Garden In The Heart Of Balloch Park, Loch Lomond

A quiet, tranquil place surrounded by the wonderful plants, well-hidden just about a one-mile walk from the Balloch Station, right at the heart of the Balloch Castle Country Park. A place for escapism at its finest!

A FEW FUN FACTS:

The Walled Garden is Category B Listed Building
The layout of the gardens has not changed in 200 years
It was designed as a kitchen garden to produce fruits, vegetables and flowers for the castle
The high walls and woodlands provided shelter for tender plants
Hand-crafted pebble mosaics artwork by Maggy Howarth is featured at the centre of the square-shaped garden.

A Walled Garden in Balloch Park is very well hidden amongst the woodland in the heart of the park, so it is easy to miss. I often come to this place and particularly enjoy it in Autumn when the colours of the trees burst with vibrancy and hue. As you approach the Walled Garden, you first greeted by a Secret Garden. It’s a small area in front of the entrance to the Walled Garden which perfectly hides it, but in Autumn it puts on a spectacular show. It was planted in the 20th century when the City of Glasgow bought the park. Today it makes for a dramatic entrance to the Walled Garden. Originally the Walled garden was called a kitchen garden because that’s what it was. Designed to grow vegetables and herbs for the castle. The high walls and woodland provided shelter for the tender plants. What I also find interesting, that in the past 200 years of its existence the layout of the gardens has not changed, although you won’t see any vegetables growing there today.

ART TO BE WALKED ON

As well as a thing of beauty, pebble mosaic is hand-made durable paving designed and crafted by the artist Maggy Howarth. Her work is featured as a paving stone placed right in the centre of the square-shaped garden.