FINLAYSTONE Blog

THERE were a record number of visitors to the Estate in July, making it the busiest month since July 2005.

We are certain the weather helped make us a popular destination as we were bathed in sunshine for a good percentage of the month. Most visitors were relatively local – coming from the Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Glasgow areas.  Our events were a success and the summer holiday mid-week activities proved popular with children from the ages of four upwards.

The gardens are constantly displaying new colours and smells. Current stars of the show are the fountain beds and hydrangeas, scattered throughout the gardens. The herbaceous border is still looking lovely with plenty of interesting colours and the roses are putting on a beautiful second burst. The eucriphya will be coming into blossom any time now. We have to ask, though, that if you are visiting the gardens with your family, please supervise your children closely at all times – we have suffered a lot of recent damage to delicate plants as a result of children jumping over the small box hedges and running through borders. Please remember that the gardens are for quiet enjoyment and the woodlands are for play.

Our regular visitors will recognise that ‘Puffing Billy’, our play train, is beginning to look a little tired and rough around the edges. He is shortly to be sent into retirement and will be replaced by a new train which is currently being built. The new incarnation is taking shape nicely and we can’t wait to see how our young visitors will react when it is finally put out in the woodlands. We are asking for ideas as to what to call the new train, so if you have any, please let us know.

Our Facebook and Twitter pages are doing well with around 130 people now liking us.

The tea room is busy selling homemade meals and baking, using local produce where possible. A relatively new addition to the menu is a freshly made smoothie selection – a wonderful option for the summer months.

We are looking forward to some fun events coming up in the next few weeks. Our mini version of a Highland Games designed especially for children is on Sunday (21 August). There will be tug o’ war, haggis hurling, three-legged races and many more fun competitions for young visitors.

On the following Sunday, 28 August, we will be hosting another teddy bears’ picnic and dolls’ tea party. Bring a picnic or visit the tea room with Teddy or Dolly and take part in some games. There will also be puppet and magic shows. There is no additional charge for these events – our standard entry fees apply.

Finlaystone Estate