Usk Open Gardens June 22, 2012

The gardens of the town of Usk will be opened to visitors on the weekend of the 23rd & 24th of June 2012, to raise money for local charities and good causes. This is the events 18th year and the organisers are hoping for a bumper weekend. Usk is a small picturesque town just over the Welsh border in Monmouthshire, which has achieved phenomenal success in recent years with its Open Gardens Weekend.

From very small beginnings, the weekend, always held at the end of June, now attracts well over 3,000 visitors, more than the population of the whole town, who view 20 or more gardens. The town also has a reputation for winning Wales in
Bloom for over 20 years, and on this particular week-end everything comes together, the pots, tubs and baskets,

wherever you turn throughout the town, are at their best and the atmosphere is akin to the flower festivals one encounters in some continental towns. One of the most beautiful gardens is that which surrounds the medieval castle ruins.

There are numerous places to eat and drink, with fare ranging from traditional pub grub to locally caught trout and salmon, or authentic Italian cuisine, all within striking distance of the town square, which itself looks like something from the children's Trumpton series. Visitors can also browse in a number of antique and craft outlets which line themain street, and the Victorian courthouse and Rural Life Museum will also throw their doors open to the public.
Visitors may like to stay for the whole weekend because there is too much to see and do in just one day. Underlying all of this is a true sense
of Welsh hospitality and a desire on everyone's part for visitors to enjoy their unique town nestling on the banks o fthe River Usk. We are not aware that there is any other place
in Britain where an event of this nature has become a whole town experience. In addition, over £160,000 has been raised to date for local charities and good causes.
There is also a Gardener's Market, with lots of plants and other gardening products to buy and take home, all at very reasonable prices

The gardens are open from 10 am until 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday: admission is £7.50. (Children 14 and under are free). There is ample free parking. When you arrive in the town, you can park in either of the car parks, or the coach park if you are in one. All of these are very well sign posted.
You can buy your ticket (called a Garden Passport) from one of the stalls in the car park, or in Twyn Square. This allows you admission into all the gardens and contains a map which shows their location. All of the gardens are clearly sign posted and are within easy walking distance, but there is a regular free minibus service to take you to those gardens which are a little further a field, on the edges of the town.

Official Website: http://uskopengardens.com/index.htm