Picture yourself in a wood with your children. You climb into a tree house full of sweets, wander into a 15m-high bean to learn about how it will grow into a giant beanstalk before venturing further to meet the mysterious willow creature who lives in a house made of branches, twigs and leaves.
Whether it is Hans Christian Andersen or English fable, there are fairytale adventures on offer at the Floriade Horticultural Expo in the Netherlands. It is one of many flower and horticultural festivals sprouting up all over Europe in the coming months and easily accessible by ferry travel, so why not garland your summer with a visit to one?
Floriade, this year in the city of Venlo, southeast Netherlands, is one not to miss, as it is the world’s biggest horticultural expo and it happens only once every ten years. The six-month event, which starts on April 5, features five themed zones connected by woodland on a 66-hectare site, which includes Europe’s biggest indoor flower exhibition housed in a stylish new glass pavilion. The ticket price — €30 (£25) for a day for adults and €15 for children — includes a cable car ride.
A family can travel to the expo with their car on a DFDS ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam or a Stena Line ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. The expo is well signposted from the ferry terminals for a two-hour drive to Venlo’s park and ride.
If the thought of Brussels conjures up images of dull technocrats, think again because in mid-August the politicians will be usurped by a mesmerising display of flower power in the city’s main square. The Brussels Flower Carpet (August 14-19) is a patchwork of more than a million begonias set in intricate floral patterns in the 15thcentury Grand-Place, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
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When the children tire of the flowers and the history, you can reward them with a trip to Walibi, an amusement park with five rollercoasters in Wavre, close to Brussels. And on the way back to the ferry, you could drop into Choco-Story, a museum in Bruges that promises plenty of melt-in-the-mouth moments. Take a P&O ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge; the drive to Brussels takes 90 minutes.
Flowers are on the move at the Guernsey North Show (August 22-23) in Saumarez Park: beautiful public gardens created by the diplomat James de Saumarez in the late 19th century, and famous for their giant camellias and magnolias and tree species from all over the world. In times gone by, visitors judged the best floats made from flowers before a big flower fight ensued. These days the floral floats are kept intact for a night-time parade with fireworks.
And where better to be greenfingered than the Emerald Isle? Bloom in the Park (May 31-June 4), in Phoenix Park, Dublin, is Ireland’s largest gardening and food festival; children go free. Wander through inventive show gardens created by worldrenowned garden designers and act on your inspiration by gleaning free expert advice.
The Festival of Forgotten Fruits and Vegetables (September 21-23) is an event that you could dream about five times a day. The fair is set in the splendid Château of St-Jean de Beauregard, 15 miles south of Paris. The château was built in the time of the Ancien Régime and its beautiful gardens would not be out of place in the Palace of Versailles.
After taking a stroll, sample some of the rare vegetables that might have been prepared in the kitchen of the House of Bourbon. Take an LD Lines ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe or Portsmouth to Le Havre and the château is a 90-minute drive.
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Travel by ferry for the family holiday of your choice. And if you book during National Ferry Fortnight, which ends on March 31, discounts are available for ferry crossings with car to destinations that will say it with flowers.
discoverferries.com
floriade.com
bloominthepark.com
flowercarpet.be
guernseynorthshow.org.gg
domsaintjeanbeauregard.com