An amble to the Belfast Botanical Gardens is the perfect thing for a bright, chilly Sunday morning. In one corner of the garden is the Palm House: a grand piece of Victorian endeavour, free to anyone who fancies stopping in and thawing off. From the battered brass doorhandle, to the cracked geometric floor tiles, you can’t help but be swept up in its history. Each room smells of a different green: damp and mulchy, sweet and dry, or hot and damp; all full of waxy green leaves, feathery ferns and unknown tropical flowers.

This is a small building. You can explore it all in ten minutes. The tidy size is part of its charm, with plenty crammed in to the small amount of soil. After you poke around its dusty shelves and greeny shadows, finish your wandering at the Ulster Museum a little way along the path. They do tasty soup and their workshops have tall windows overlooking the city. All good ways to warm up on a cold day.

Images by Bryony Rust