Hidden away off a country road in the pretty village of West Marton, Skipton, is Gledstone Gardens, a tranquil retreat where you can easily while away a sunny afternoon.

Small but perfectly formed, this pretty garden centre stretches across an outdoor space that, in 1830, played host to the spectacular kitchen gardens of nearby Gledstone House. The gardens now overflow with an impressive array of plant species, so pleasing that bees make a pilgrimage across the surrounding countryside to feed on their sweet nectar.

I had never seen many of the beautiful and exotic flora before: the early arrival of sunset created by the ‘red hot pokers’ is a sight to behold. And the other thing not to be missed is the pick-your-own strawberries, grown in row upon row of ‘table top’ planters.

Armed with a basket, I plucked fruit from plants alive with the buzzing of hungry wasps determined to claim their spoils before me! I beat them to it though, and left with only a huge smile on my face and a bag full of locally-sourced produce that was twice the size of a supermarket punnet, and no more costly!

Images by Charlotte Varela