Rode Hall, Cheshire: walking through snowdrops

I love snowdrops. I find their little white buds so adorable! Therefore, I was excited to head to Rode Hall in Cheshire to see their gardens, which are full of snowdrops in February.

After visiting, I thought I’d share my experiences with you. I’ll share a little about Rode Hall and take you through my visit. I hope it gives you some insight into what the snowdrop walk is like and some more knowledge on snowdrops, in hope it inspires you to look at these flowers a bit more.

Where is Rode Hall?

Rode Hall is a stately home in Scholar Green, in the east of Cheshire, UK.

A short introduction to Rode Hall

Rode Hall is an estate with old stately home. It was first purchased for the current owners, the Wilbraham family, in 1669, so the estate has been going on for quite some time.

The main residence is sometimes open to the public and looks intriguing, but Rode Hall’s gardens tend to be the main attraction. These gardens are extensive and include some formal areas, but what appeals to me more is their rustic woodland gardens, with tall trees and landscaped trails.

The gardens are a partner of the Royal Horticultural Society but, with this being a home, they are only open for select days in the summer and for special occasions. In spring, however, the gardens are open to showcase one flower in particular: snowdrops.

All about snowdrops

Snowdrops (galanthus) are, in my opinion, one of the best flowers. They are one of the first plants to flower in the year, popping up in January and February. For me, they are something to look out for during the dark months, signalling that spring is on its way.

Snowdrops aren’t actually native to the UK, which I find strange as they fit in so seamlessly into the British landscape. They’re thought to have been brought over from Central Europe as early as the sixteenth century.

Nowadays, you often see sprouting them up at the sides of roads or in meadow verges. But rarely do you see them in high numbers, or in many varieties in the wild. That’s why, in my opinion, the Rode Hall gardens are so fun; they have a lot of snowdrops, and in other varieties I’d not seen before too!

Arriving at Rode Hall

I headed to Rode Hall with my family for their snowdrop walk in February 2025. I’d been there a few times before – as it’s relatively close to where I live, I’ve been once as a child, then once at the weekend last year. We waited on the driveway to pay then headed into the very packed car park.

We headed around to the garden, past the barn area where they have their cafe and shop – the cafe was packed! Even on the walk to the entrance, there were plenty of snowdrops and crocuses, tiny purple flowers which cut through the surrounding greenery.

To get to the gardens, we walked past Rode Hall. This Edwardian residence is a very pretty centrepiece which complements the gardens and gives the area around it a subtle domestic feel, particularly when noticing things such as the trampoline and firepit by the side of the house. It was closed during the snowdrops walk, but that was fine: it wasn’t what I was visiting for, after all.

Exploring the kitchen gardens

To one side of the hall, there are the kitchen gardens. It’s easy to miss them, as the path to them heads around one side of the hall and is obscured from the rest of the gardens. After missing it on my last visit, I was excited to see them for myself.

Next to the kitchen gardens, there was a little avenue with snow drops either side. This section had clumps of different varieties of snowdrops with labels telling visitors exactly which each were. Telling them apart must be difficult, because most of the varieties look the same to the untrained eye. I could see some differences in the size and angle of the petals, but the gardeners must be very skilled to distinguish between them.

I got distracted trying to smell one particular variety – I don’t remember the name – which was labelled ‘almond scented’. The scent was very faint, but I did detect almonds, somewhat!

The kitchen garden itself was packed with people but was otherwise completely bare, with overturned soil waiting to be planted. As it’s massive I can imagine it’s a sight in summer, when the vegetables are ready and waiting to be picked.

Heading to Rode Pool

After exploring the kitchen gardens, we headed through a small section of formal gardens and down a path along the edge of the woodland, to take a look at Rode Pool. This large manmade lake was carved out in the early 1800s and features a central island. When we were watching it, the sun was out for once and gently reflected off the water.

At one point, a big heron swooped over, settling in the nearby trees. Despite the relative crowds, the lake felt peaceful – if you ignore the gaggle of geese quacking around the island!

Walking through the woodland

A large part of the gardens consists of woodland with meandering paths and stone steps. To me, woodland environments are the spiritual home of the snowdrop, and it’s here that they really shine. Time to put my newfound knowledge of snowdrop varieties to the test!

Wandering around, I saw a lot of rhododendron bushes and other bushes with flowers, which brought some colour to the woods.

However, snowdrops were the main feature, both on the woody floor and along the edges of the footpaths. Elsewhere, there were sections which contained abundant green growth, which will be where the bluebells come up. Rode Hall is equally known for its bluebells in spring and summer – this is another of the great British wildflowers which I love spotting in shady woodland later in the year.

In part of the garden, there was a trail which took us around sculptures: a new addition to the garden for this year. There were a range of goblins made from old household items, such as colanders, pots, pans, radios and forks; I was super impressed by how expressive they looked! There were also several unicorns, with their backs sparkling with CDs and can tops. They all added to the mysticism of the woods.

Stony steps

We walked through the woodland, passing by a very strange cave decorated with shells, and along stony steps which wound around and through the trees. We also passed the pet cemetery.

Afterwards, I saw on the map that Rode Hall has an ice house. Until then, I’d never seen an ice house, and I was intrigued to see one, so we headed up the path to see it. The icehouse was set underground and looked like a bunker (or dungeon…), but it was decorated prettily, with more snowdrops.

We thought about going to the cafe, but as it was only half an hour from closing time, we decided against it. Still, there was time to buy a couple of snowdrops. They were selling specific varieties for £5, but instead we opted for the £2.50 bunches – there’s nothing wrong with the common-garden galanthus nivalis, and we thought this would probably be safer when our garden hosts several squirrels (and cats).

Instead we headed to The Milk Shack at Halton Farms, a bit further north. Here, they have self-service machines where you can collect milk. Their creme egg milkshake was divine!

Conclusion

I enjoyed witnessing the many snowdrops at Rode Hall this February. It’s always a joy to see these white flowers, and the garden really did them justice.

Is there anything you want to know about the snowdrop walk at Rode Hall? Let me know in the comments!

Looking for other gardens nearby? I’ve also written an account of my visit to Biddulph Grange Garden in Staffordshire.

Practical details

• Rode Hall has a snowdrop walk every spring. In 2025 it ran from Feb 1 to Mar 1 and cost £7.50 per ticket.
• It is open every Wednesday throughout the 2025 summer season. It costs £8 per ticket for the gardens and £15 per ticket for the house and gardens (gardens free for RHS members).
• To get to Rode Hall, head to postcode ST7 3QP. It’s not near any train stations or bus stops, so it would be easiest to drive to get there.