‘Sha Raku En’ – ‘The Place of Pleasure and Delight’
This walk will be around the Japanese Garden at Cowden, which sits between Kinross and Dollar at the foot of the Ochil Hills. [See details below regarding entrance fees]
The garden was originally conceived and laid out as a private garden 1908 by Miss Isabella Christie of Cowden. It continued to be cared for by her family until the garden was substantially vandalised in 1963.
Under the management of a charity, the garden opened to the public in 2017 following a substantial multi-year restoration under the supervision of Professor Masao Fukuhara of the of Osaka University of Arts.
The garden is in main three parts – the Japanese Garden itself; the Christie Walk – a less formal woodland park; the Woodland Walk leading to a small weir near the site of the now demolished Cowden Castle. There is also an established avenue of lime trees and a more recently planted cherry tree avenue.
For more information on the garden please visit their website.
There is a small café offering hot & cold food and drinks with an outdoor seating area if the weather is suitable. Tables are available on a first come first served basis only.
The Japanese Garden and Christie Walk are all accessed along well-maintained paths however it should be noted that the bridge and stepping stones, which are not fenced, can be slippery in wet conditions. There are some steps and slopes, but these can be bypassed. The woodland walk is less maintained but still easily walked. Trainers or walking shoes are perfectly adequate in terms of footwear.
The circuit of the Japanese Garden and Christie Walk is a little under 1km but you are likely to want to retrace parts of the route or do multiple circuits. The woodland walk is about 1.5 km in total [out and back by the same route]
The garden offers varied opportunities for photography from wide views over the garden and pond to more intimate shots of the plants and other garden features [but please note that tripods are not permitted]
Entry Fees – There is an entry fee payable for access to the garden - £9.25 for an adult although concessions are available. To allow for management of numbers only a limited number of tickets are available each day and for a specific entry timeslot [there is no limitation on the duration of the visit once in the garden] and participants are strongly advised to make sure that these are purchased in advance to avoid not being able to gain access for the start time – or at all. Details will be provided once bookings close.
Restrictions – the use of tripods is not permitted in the garden in order to avoid inconvenience to other visitors and damage to the garden.