Just outside Stockbridge in Hampshire is a small village called Leckford. There is an estate there called Longstock, and the retail group John Lewis owns some (or maybe all) of the land. They have the farm and run a shop there but, if you walk down the hill from the nursery area (or drive if the walk doesn’t appeal), you come to the Longstock Park Water Gardens. This is an ornamental garden area around some ponds.
You have to pay to enter this area while the other areas are free to access. It isn’t too expensive, though. Then you are free to stroll around the area around the ponds and on to the islands that are scattered throughout and connected by little bridges (although there are one or two dead ends that require you to reverse course).
The are also some areas that take you away from the ponds and behind the trees so plenty to explore. This takes you closer to the River Itchen that winds its way through this valley. There is a wide variety of plant life throughout the gardens. We were there, there were some blossoms on the trees and lots of other blooms flowering. I imagine that the colours change a bit throughout the season. The tree shapes are really cool too. Here is a selection of images that I took as we wandered around. If you in the area, I would recommend it as a visit for an hour or two.
