Colby Woodland Garden fills a wooded valley near Amroth in Pembrokeshire that was an 18th-century coalfield before it became an eight-acre garden, the heart of a 900-acre estate of woods and farmland. Spring brings bluebells, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas, summer the hydrangeas and a four-acre flood meadow with a stream, stepping stones and a log bridge, and autumn the acers and sweet-gum. The walled garden holds formal planting, sculptures and a Victorian Gothic gazebo, now the subject of a restoration appeal, with the Bothy Tea-room and Loft Gallery of local crafts alongside. Children can build dens and play in the stream, and a footpath leads three quarters of a mile down to the sandy beach at Amroth, which reviewers single out. Dogs are welcome on leads but not in the walled garden. Entry is free with parking charges for non-members. One tip from visitors: if the car park is full, park in Amroth and walk up.
