Wollerton Old Hall Garden

The gardens at Wollerton pull you in straightaway - proper manicured beds, mature shrubs, and the kind of horticultural detail that makes you realise someone's spent decades getting this right. It's a four-acre private garden that opens its gates on Sundays and Fridays, and it's absolutely worth the trip if you're anywhere near Telford.

You're looking at traditional English borders done really well, kitchen gardens bursting with vegetables, and various garden rooms that flow into one another naturally. The plants are labelled, which is helpful, and there's real thought gone into the layout. It's not vast - you can walk round in an hour comfortably - but it's the quality that counts here, not the scale. Proper plantspeople will spend longer, photographing combinations and making notes.

Families with young kids might find it a bit quiet after 45 minutes unless they're keen gardeners themselves. Walkers en route around Shropshire will appreciate it as a civilised stop rather than a major detour. The garden's best between late spring and early autumn when everything's in flower, though winter structure has its appeal too.

Admission details aren't listed online, so ring ahead. Given you're caravan-based nearby - Hawk Lake is just 2.6 miles away - this works perfectly as a Sunday morning or Friday afternoon slot before heading back for an early tea. It's the sort of place you visit because you're genuinely interested in gardens, not because you feel you ought to.