The pretty Courtyard Garden is relatively young. Planting is cottage-style and plants have been chosen to thrive in the sandy soil without resort to watering.

There are some stunning seasonal displays and the garden is alive with birds, butterflies, bumblebees and ladybirds during the day and moths and a colony of bats during the late evening.

From mid-March to mid-May a succession of more than 300 tulips, ranging from big, overblown varieties to elegant species, sit alongside narcissus and hyacinth. Summer brings an array of interesting alpine and herbaceous perennial plants not to be missed.

Sitting in the garden on a late summer's evening, listening to the birds and catching a glimpse of the owls and the bats is such a special treat. In winter, it takes on a whole new dimension particularly when sprinkled with frost and snow.

There are seating areas in the courtyard and for visitors to Swallowfields Country Cottage space in the rear cottage garden to enjoy trying out the joys of the gas BBQ.