Help with Garden cleaning

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My Father passed away a couple of years ago and (... too much painful detail ...) I currently just moved in to his bungalow.

The garden is large and has been neglected. To the extent you can't even really gain access to it. Although there are lovely rose bushes and other things there, I think I just want to take it to the ground and start again. I have an electric saw for apple / plumb tree pruning etc.. but what do I use for all the nettles / weeds / crazy thick semi-trees that seem to have grown?

Can I just buy a stupidly powerful strimmer and take it to the ground? If so, which one? I don't want to spend hundreds.

I know this method means things will grow back but I simply cannot dig these things out right now and as the summer finally arrives I really would like a garden.

Thanks for any help.

Steve.

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Thank you for the advice so far. I don’t really plan on living here long term (or even short term really) I just want something respectable from a garden perspective.

There is a very large area of grass that will be unaffected it is just the vast number of weeds higher than the roof around the house that need to be dealt with and taking the erroneous branches from the trees. So it won’t be a wasteland.

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Mr Pointy said:

Whatever you do please spare a thought for any wildlife inhabiting the area & don't just wade in with a strimmer without trying to check what might be there. Hedgehogs are particularly vulnerable as they don't run away.

I will do that. I"m already feeling quite guilty as the birds hop around the nettles / brambles.