Benmore Botanic Garden — Attraction in Scotland

This is an absolutely fantastic & truly breathtakingly Picturesque garden in the heart of the Argyll Forest and certainly one of the best in Scotland. The size of the site is vast although some of it is closed off due to storm damage from Storm Eowyn from last winter but the walk is still spectacular and outstanding nonetheless and there are several areas of the garden you can see and these include Redwood Avenue, Golden Gates Aboretum, Walled Garden, Moss and Lichen Garden, Glen Massam Aboretum and the great thing about this place is there are planting from different areas around the World and these include Japanese Valley, Bhutanese Glade and Chilean Rainforest Glade and off all these different areas of plantings from around the world are simply first class, spectacular and breathtaking to see. The plantings are from different areas of the World give you feel of being in those countries and they adapt so well and blend in well with the Scottish Weather and Climate. In the lower areas of the Garden you can see some outstanding displays of Rhodenderons and Azaleas and these are some of the best of any garden in Scotland. There is a fairly easy going walk up to the top reaches of the Garden where the Bhutanese Glade and Chilean Rainforest Glade are situated and there are several huts in these areas which blend in well with the plants on display and you can sit and relax in the huts and take in and enjoy the spectacular picturesque views of the Mountains and Valley which are amazing and leave you feeling that you are abroad. The outstanding and best areas of the garden are The Redwood Avenue as the sight of the Redwoods nicely placed in order alongside each other is an truly wonderful imposing sight and a memorable one and also the Bhutanese and Chilean Rainforest Glades as there are wonderful views to enjoy of the local area and also the plants blend in well with the landscape and give you the feeling of being abroad. In the top reaches of the Garden there is the delightful and wonderful Victorian Fernery where you can see the different species of Fern plants and they are an awesome sight in their Glasshouse setting. From the Walled Garden there are awesome views to enjoy of Pucks Glen just up the valley. There is a cafe on site selling a nice range if food and drink at afforable prices and also a gift shop with a lovely range of souvenirs at reasonable prices. Overall this an awesome and truly terrific place to visit and makes for a wonderful and truly spectacularly memorable day out. Definitely well worth a visit whilst in the Argyll Forest area...

Member for 16 years! Over the years we have taken 3 dogs to gardens and fully supported the garden, shop and cafe. Today an officious garden team member decided to pick on partner, myself and dog which was walking to heel / fully and professionally trained and well behaved. We appreciate the importance of keeping dogs under control. This was within the walled garden area and not the wider gardens. The walled garden area is simply a large grassed area! This guy told us dogs spread plant disease digging holes. He wasn’t; this guy came flying through gate and embarrassed us in front of other guests. Beware dog owners jobs worth about! There was no disinfectant mat to cleanse feet in entering as there has been for years so disease prevention clearly not priority. Kids digging holes elsewhere in sight with sticks! Cancelled direct debit and membership. Disgusted. What is wrong with this world. The garden is hardly open after storms and ripping off public at this time it is not worth ticket price. Try harder Benmore what a waste of space on west coast let’s try harder to encourage tourism...

A must see. The scale of the surroundings and the beauty of the park just make it a must if you are in the area. We sneaked it in on the last day as a filler before the ferry home and I'm so glad we went. Wear a pair of good shoes and be ready for a few hills. My two boys had loads to explore and there were new sights and interesting finds everywhere. Blue pine cones! The café has middle of the row prices, hot and cold food though don't promise the kids ice cream here. Good selection of cakes though. The food is filling and very well presented. Plenty of choice. The main routes were accessible and not too hard even for my partially sighted wife. If you go for an explore take water, its a big place and it can take a good 30 minutes walk to get back to the cafe/ shop. Plenty of maps round the site so you can't get lost (it is that big). Certainly put this on your 'must visit' list. Good disabled parking and although the smaller trails would challenge a buggy/mobility scooter there are still plenty of...