Saturday, August 24, 2024 VisitScotland highlights Forth Valley’s botanical gardens and forest paths as key to enriching the visitor economy through autumn. Nature connections are a top vacation driver, with 38% of respondents in the latest Scotland Visitor Survey citing it as a primary reason for holidaying. The survey, initiated by the national tourism agency, also found that 81% of visitors are drawn to Scotland for its vistas, while 30% enjoy the outdoor activities available.
The area’s landscaped gardens, featuring themed exhibits and conservation education, provide an idyllic setting for appreciating plant life and serenity. This makes the Forth Valley an appealing destination for those planning visits. Additionally, over half of the tourists reported that their Scottish sojourns significantly boosted their overall well-being (59%).
The allure of nature continues to be a significant draw for UK tourists visiting Scotland in the cooler months, with most planned activities centered around the outdoors, as per VisitScotland. Stirling Castle ranks among Scotland’s top ten paid attractions in 2023, drawing 517,299 visitors, as stated in The Scottish Visitor Attraction Monitor by the Moffat Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University. The castle’s Queen Anne Gardens boast historic botanical features including centuries-old twin beech trees.
In Falkirk, The Pineapple stands out for its historical cultivation of exotic produce within its extensive glasshouses, now a sanctuary for wildlife. Callendar Park offers a vast expanse of over 170 acres, featuring an Arboretum and ornamental gardens, and is noted in The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. The Japanese Garden in Cowden offers a touch of oriental landscaping around a scenic loch, and Dollar Glen is celebrated for its rich plant life and geological features, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
VisitScotland’s Regional Director Lynsey Eckford said: “We know many visitors are looking for those experiences to allow them to get closer to nature. Gardens and woodland trails can be enjoyed all year round as the colours change with the seasons. We’re using our marketing activity and working with the local tourism industry partners to influence potential visitors at those early planning stages.
Attracting visitors to Forth Valley’s gardens benefits the many hospitality businesses and shops near the attractions, supports local supply chains and conservation programmes, provides employment and grows the wider economy.” Stuart Maxwell, the National Trust for Scotland’s Regional Director for Edinburgh and East, said: “Scotland’s beautiful gardens are ideal places to connect with plants and nature and to enjoy the wellbeing benefits they bring. With places like the wonderful strangeness of the Pineapple, near Falkirk, there’s a rich diversity of gardens in the Forth Valley for people of all ages to enjoy and make memories.
We look forward to welcoming them.” Dougal Philip from the Discover Scottish Gardens Board of Directors remarks on the enduring popularity of garden visits, whether for casual outings or intense botanical exploration. “Gardens offer the perfect place to unwind your mind from the busyness of everyday life.
These spaces can do wonders for our mental health and well-being, whether it’s quiet space to reflect and rest, or a playground for all ages to explore and experience the beauty within Scotland’s gardens. Many gardens and their unique plant collections are world renown, playing vital roles in the conservation and protection of some of the world’s most precious plants.”.
