THE WHOLE WORLD IS A GARDEN

These are some of the best in Scotland to visit this summer

- Miriam Methuen-Jones

What's on your summer bucket list? Wild swimming? Hiking up a munro or two? For something a little more relaxing, how about a picnic in a magnificent garden? The National Trust for Scotland doesn't just look after castles and stately homes; it maintains some of our loveliest and most historic gardens too. Membership starts at £4.85 a month, and grants you admission to every one.

If you've got a whole day to spare in Aberdeenshire, spend it at Crathes. The 16th-century Scottish Baronial castle, which was gifted to the Trust in 1952, is impressively turreted and has remarkable painted ceilings, as well as family portraits of the Burnett family who lived here for over 350 years. Outside, the wildlife-packed walking trails will fulfil your nature quota. The walled garden, complete with ancient yew hedges and sculptural topiary, was initially used to grow vegetables for the kitchen until Major-General Sir James Burnett and his wife Lady Sybil reimagined the space from the 1920s onwards. What now stands is an Arts and Crafts-style space with compartmentalised, ornamental displays. The colourful June border is popular enough to be the subject of several art prints, and there are swathes of colourful cottage garden flowers all summer long.