THE late spring has kept me inside for much of the year so far, but a quick burst of summer sunshine was the perfect excuse to get down to Westonbirt Arboretum, where the spring shrubs are finally bursting into life; coinciding nicely with the relaunch of the new restaurant, which is now being run by those lovely people from the Colcot Manor kitchens.

The National Arboretum is currently having a facelift; but don’t let the massive building works near the entrance put you off! This is the site of the car park for the new Welcome Centre, but carry on down the drive and you are once more enveloped by the calm and tranquillity of the ancient forest.

Plenty of runners take advantage of the flat paths around the site, as do groups of photographers who yearn to capture the beauty of the boughs and the wildlife therein.

The ‘long loop’ is a specially designed path taking in the best of the flowering shrubs, which at the moment include mighty magnolias, camellias and rhododendron.

The Westonbirt Restaurant has always been a great place for visitors to the arboretum to stop for a break, situated as it is near the visitors’ centre for the ancient forest. There are plenty of seats, both indoors and outside, so diners can choose whether they want to eat under cover – for those occasions when the weather is not so reliable – or ‘en plein air’.

There is a huge choice of sandwiches, baguettes and a soup of the day, as well as a vegetarian and daily special. On my visit, I had the burger, which was beautifully presented with a big tin mug of chips.

But the real treat for the day was the huge selection of cakes to be served and enjoyed either as a dessert or with afternoon tea of coffee – from carrot cake to scones with clotted cream and jam, the huge selection of fresh delicacies was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

Whether you choose to build up an appetite with a vigorous walk round the woods, or whether you go to the Arboretum and have to walk off the calories after a good lunch, it’s worth planning time at the restaurant as part of your visit.