Garden trail blooms into colour from black and white beginnings

Back in 1994, when the founders of the West Cork Garden Trail tried to convince local businesses to display their simple information sheet, there wasn’t much interest.

“They didn’t think it would be much of an attraction to tourists because there was this notion that gardens weren’t something tourists would be interested in,” says former war correspondent Kurt Lyndorff.

Along with his artist wife Sheena Wood, Kurt is now one of the longest-serving members of the West Cork Garden Trail, joining a year after it was set up by Phemie and Malcolm Rose.