Tucked away in a beautiful patch of woodland in Eskdale, you’ll find a small but perfectly formed Japanese garden. You’ll wander up a set of atmospheric moss covered stone steps and emerge from the native forest into a little patch of Asia. The hidden away nature gives it secret garden vibes, and you’re unlikely to share it with anyone else.
The absolute best time of year to visit is autumn, specifically October, when the maples are at their peak colour. It’s an enchanting sight and the little bridge surrounded by golden leaves makes for a picture perfect scene.
The garden is volunteer run, so you won’t find it especially manicured, but the slightly wild vibe made it all the more charming.
Here’s what to expect when visiting the Eskdale’s hidden Japanese garden.
The walk to the Japanese Garden
The stats
Distance: 700m return or 1 mile (1.6km) circuit
Elevation gain: 55m
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
You can choose to visit the garden along a short return route, or as part of a slightly longer circuit. We’d recommend the circuit for a bit of variety and also the chance to walk through some beautiful forest.
The walk to the garden involves climbing a couple of staircases, but neither are long or difficult - although they are uneven. The rest of the route is flat. The circuit is also quite flat, but it does have a couple of negligible undulations.
Starting the trail at Giggle Alley
The walk begins at what must be the best named street in the Lake District! You can’t fail to smile as you pass the sign for Giggle Alley.
From the car park (details below) you walk along the private road to the right of the Giggle Alley sign. It’s a quiet country lane and the ivy covered stone walls are very pretty.
After 60m you’ll see a gap in the wall on the left and a little handwritten sign on a stone, so you know you’re on the right track for the garden. Follow the stairs up into the woodland and turn left at the junction.
You’ll now be walking along a flat path through the gorgeous woodland.
Arriving at the garden
Roughly 190m from when you turned into the woodland, you’ll see another little handwritten sign and follow it, still within the pretty forest.
You’ll soon come to a set of moss covered uneven stone steps leading uphill. It’s a rustic stairway and definitely gives you those secret garden vibes.
Just 100m later you’ll enter the garden.
If you’re lucky enough to be visiting in autumn, your first sight is going to be the little bridge with the beautiful deciduous azalea tree on the right and a fabulous Japanese maple behind. This really sets the tone for exploring the rest of the garden.
Exploring the garden
There are several huge maples which turn an incredibly vibrant red, and really set the garden ablaze.
You can walk over the little bridge (which is slippery when wet) and circle around the garden to see them from every angle.
I loved looking back on the colourful foliage from the stepping stones over the water at the back of the garden. There is also an area to the right as you enter the garden, just before the bridge, which feels tucked away.
There is a fantastic giant maple here and a series of luminous green moss covered boulders which make for a unique scene.
We were a little too early to see the best colour from this tree as it was still relatively green, despite the fact the other trees were close to peak colour. I guess you can never catch them all perfectly!
My favourite view is from the mossy boulder area looking at the side profile of the bridge surrounded by the deciduous azalea trees, it’s about as picture perfect a scene as you could hope to find in a Japanese garden.
Continuing the walk through the woods
If you only want to see the garden, you’d now retrace your steps back the way you came.
If you want to do a slightly longer, but still easy walk, you can continue through the forest. Head out of the back of the garden and along the woodland path on the right.
You’ll pass a tiny little bamboo grove as you walk along the flat track through the forest.
It’s a very pretty woodland and there was plenty of fungi around following a good bout of wet weather. Happily the walk didn’t get too muddy.
Roughly 250m after leaving the garden you’ll see a little track off to the left, this leads to a distant fell view (it’s only a 30 second detour).
You’ll then continue on the main track, passing a pile of giant mossy boulders before heading downhill into a large expanse of woodland.
There were some lovely autumn vibes through here, more browns and subtle yellows than the vibrant colours of the garden, but still very picturesque.
The path will curve right and 1km into the walk (650m after leaving the garden) you’ll see a stony track. This leads out onto a quiet country lane and then back to the car park, which is 300m away.
You’re still walking beside the forest, so it’s a pleasant end to trail.
Getting to the Japanese Garden
The walk to the garden begins at Giggle Alley in Eskdale, postcode CA19 1UB. There is a free parking area right beside the trail which doesn’t have room for many cars, but it’s not a popular track, so that shouldn’t be an issue.
There’s a toilet at the car park.
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