Nestled in the heart of Windsor Great Park, the Savill Garden truly is a hidden gem: a 35-acre expanse of breathtakingly beautiful gardens, tranquil lakes, and stunning woodland areas.
Commissioned by King George V, the garden was designed by Eric Savill during the 1930’s and was first opened to the public in 1951. It comprises just a tiny proportion of Windsor Great Park – which encompasses 4,800 acres – and is, in turn, part of all 15,800 acres of the Windsor Estate.
The Savill Garden is home to a vast array of flora and fauna, including bats, newts, frogs, fish, snakes, deer and wide varieties of bird species such as owls, herons and cuckoos.
43 species of fungi have been discovered that are completely unique to the Windsor Estate and the Queen’s Executioner Beetle - one of Britain’s rarest insect species - has only ever been found in Windsor Great Park.
Before the last traces of autumn ebbed away into winter, I was fortunate enough to go walking in the Savill Garden on a particularly bright and sunny (but freezing cold!) November morning.
The spectacular autumn colours: vermillion red, orange and gold, were only enhanced in vibrancy by the sunlight glowing through the leaves, and against the picturesque backdrop of a clear, azure-blue sky.
In a stroke of luck, I somehow managed to capture an (admittedly fuzzy) silhouette of a deer that was in a valley below me – another one was right beside it, hiding in the shadow of a tree, which is rather difficult to notice in the photographs above.
The Savill Garden is a wonderfully peaceful place to visit, especially if you are looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, be it only for a couple of hours. For keen cyclists, there are numerous bike trails encircling the garden, and dog walkers are also welcome there.
It was both a relaxing and refreshing experience and I would highly recommend visiting the garden to anyone who enjoys being outside in nature.
