Club Outing – Delta Sensory Gardens and More

On Tuesday 24th September 4 members met at Delta Sensory Gardens in Carlow. The gardens are on a 2.5 acre plot in the middle of an industrial estate and are an oasis of calm. They are made up of 9 small garden spaces each with its own theme and layout eg. the sculpture garden, the rose garden, and the waterfall, they even have a sleeping giant whose body is covered by moss and grass so only his face and hands are visible. It is a very unusual place with lots of interesting features packed into a relatively small space.

Having spent a very enjoyable hour or so there we decided to find “The Lone Tree” which is a famous landscape feature in the area. When we arrived the farmer was baling hay which gave plenty of opportunity for photos. Unfortunately another farmer soon arrived and started spreading slurry so we decided it was time to go.
Our next stop was Ducketts Grove where we went in search of coffee and more photo opportunities.

The carpark was surrounded by wild poppies and oxeye daisies and the house is a very imposing sight. It was originally a Georgian mansion built in mid 1700s but was redesigned and extended in the early 1800s to resemble a Gothic castle, complete with towers and turrets. Unfortunately the interior was destroyed by fire in the 1930s but the exterior is still very impressive.

Sadly the coffee shop was closed so we headed home with a short stop at a service station for sustenance on the way.

Some images (click on an image to open in full-screen mode) from the outing can be seen below: