uk gardens to visit

10 Best English Gardens to Visit

For many keen gardeners, a visit to an English garden is one of the highlights of any trip to the UK.  There are loads of beautiful gardens to visit in England and most of them offer something to see at any time of year. These ten could inspire you to get creative with your own garden (or window box or flower pot) back home.

Hidcote Manor

Hidcote Manor is an Arts & Crafts masterpiece hidden down a series of twisting country lanes in the Cotswolds. It was designed and developed by Maj. Lawrence Johnston, a wealthy, well educated and eccentric American who became a naturalised British subject and fought with the British Army in the Boer and First World Wars. Johnston sponsored and participated in plant hunting expeditions around the world to secure rare and exotic species for this extremely pretty garden.

RHS Garden Wisley

The Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden is where British gardeners go to be inspired. Its world famous collection of plants has been developing for more than 100 years and there is always something new to see, any time of year.

Spread out over 240 acres in Woking, Surrey, about an hour's drive from Central London, Wisley is open every day of the year and full of practical garden design ideas and cultivation techniques. Anyone interested in the latest and the best in gardening shouldn't miss it.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden

Sissinghurst Castle Garden is the most visited garden in England and one of the most romantic. Created by 1920s writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband Sir Harold Nicolson, it is divided into intimate garden "rooms" that offer different garden experiences all year round. The White Garden is world famous. Plan your visit in the afternoon when it is quieter. What you will see is a series of enclosed spaces or garden rooms each styled and planted in a different way but all giving an overwhelming impression of abundance and romanticism. Rare plants mingle with traditional English cottage garden flowers. With its hidden corners and long views, this garden offers sensual surprises at every turn.

Stowe Landscape Gardens

Stowe Landscape Gardens is huge and important. In fact, with its 750 acres and 40 listed historic monuments and temples, it is one of the most significant English landscape gardens. The greatest names in English landscape architecture and garden design created it in the 18th century. Begun in the 1710s by garden designer Charles Bridgeman, architect John Vanbrugh and garden designers William Kent and James Gibbs participated in shaping it. Between 1741 and 1751, the famous Lancelot "Capability" Brown was head gardener. Stow was a visitor attraction almost from its inception in the mid 18th century. It even inspired a poem by Alexander Pope.

Stowe is unusual in that it was designed to express its owner's political philosophy and beliefs. When Richard Temple, Viscount Cobham created the gardens, with the help of so many illustrious designers, garden design was all about shades of green, rather than flowers. Broad swathes of lawn, trees, shrubberies and stretches of peaceful water were laid out to take the visitor on paths to see specific and pointed viewpoints. 

Cobham was interested in leading visitors to choose the paths of Vice, Virtue or Liberty. So the Path of Vice - designed by a Mr. Love - is full of hidden and not so hidden meanings; classical temples decorated with images of seductions and excess. The Path of Virtue expresses heaven on earth, with statues of worthies and many bridges representing the virtuous struggle. Lastly, The Path of Liberty represents Lord Cobham's policial aspirations. It is, apparently, the longest and hardest of the garden walks. Temples along the way celebrate victory and might. 

In case Stowe, with its massive size and hidden meanings, seems too overwhelming, guides are on hand to help.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden together make up one of North Yorkshire's most rewarding visitor attractions. The Abbey, a nearly 900-year-old Cistercian monastery is not only Britain's largest monastic ruin, it was also Yorkshire's first UNESCO World Heritage site. What makes the adjoining Studley Royal Water Garden more remarkable is that it was the life's work of one man, John Aislabie. Aislabie was expelled from Parliament. Afterward, he spent his last 21 years creating the water garden.. His son later bought the monastery and joined it to the garden as a picturesque "folly".

Nymans Garden

Celebrity gardeners and theatrical tastes mark Nymans Garden in West Sussex, a place known for its rare plants and unusual touches. It was one of the first English gardens to be left to the National Trust in the 1950s and was created and sustained by three generations of the Messel family, including the famous theatrical designer and rival to Cecil Beaton,Oliver Messel. The design sensibility and talents displayed in this colorful garden, seem to run in the family. Messel's nephew was photographer Lord Snowdon, once the Queen's brother-in-law, and his grand nephew is furniture designer Viscount Linley, the late Princess Margaret's son.

Trelissick Garden, Cornwall

At this unusual National Trust managed garden in Feock, Cornwall, tender subtropical plants thrive in sheltered glades, cedars and cypress trees tower over immaculate lawns. If you thought hydrangea was an undistinguished, everyday garden standby, think again. Trelissick cultivates some of its rarest varieties. Located at the head of the Fal Estuary, the tiered garden takes full advantage of stunning views of Falmouth Harbor and the wide waterway known as the Carrick Road.

After a visit to the garden, stop to admire the work of Cornwall artists and craftspeople at Trelissick's galleries, or take the guided tour of the Copeland China Collection, the private collection of Trelissick House's owners who are associated with Spode China.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

 It may seem unusual to include Anne Hathaway's Cottage in a list of great British gardens, but if you've ever imagined the perfect English cottage garden, filled with a profusion of apparently carelessly arranged flowers and shrubs you've probably seen a postcard or a calendar photo of this lovely garden. And since the 2016 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, a visit to his widow's house in Shottery, a mile from the center of Stratford-upon-Avon, seems particularly appropriate. 

Besides all the colorful flowers, it has a willow arbor and living willow sculptures, conservation borders planted to attract butterflies and a garden planted with trees mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. A new feature, Miss Wilmott's Garden, was added in 2016, named after the woman who designed the gardens in the 19th century.

The Eden Project

To describe The Eden Project as paradise on earth is not much of an exaggeration. The gardens were created as a way to recycle some old china clay pits that were scars on the landscape. The solution was to fill them with two enormous, plant-filled "biomes", structures made of joined, clear geodesic domes. The rainforest biome is about 165 feet high and filled with tropical trees, giant banana plants, birds and insects native to that region of the world. Bring a bottle of water, because climbing up inside it is hot work.

The smaller biome, the Mediterranean biome has plants native to regions in a temperate zone from about 48 to 77 degrees, There are citrus groves, vineyards and more than 1,000 plants found in the Mediterranean region as well as South Africa, South West Australia, Central Chile, and California.

The grounds outside the biomes are also filled with wonderful plants and there's a lot more to see and do. Great for the whole family.

Alnwick Garden

 Alnwick Garden, not far from Alnwick Castle (pronounced "Annick") the movie stand-in for Hogwarts, is an example of what can be done in a relatively short time. While many of the gardens featured here took centuries to create, Alnwick began in the 1990s when the current Duchess of Northumberland (mistress of the castle), discovered the bones of an older garden, overgrown and almost erased on some of the Alnwick estate. 

The Duke and Duchess donated the land and a considerable fortune to establish the garden as an independent trust. Today the garden, less than 30 years old, has fountains and water features, open woodlands planted with wildflowers, an established rose garden, water features to play in and - best of all - a sinister poison garden, featuring some of the deadliest plants and herbs on earth. It's kept behind locked gates and can only be visited with a guide. This is a must if you are in the northeast of England.

And what about Allotments?

English people at all levels of society have long been keen gardeners. Not all wonderful gardens are attached to stately homes. Find out more about allotments where the ordinary working men and women of England's cities and towns can do a bit of gardening for themselves.

10 Great Reasons to Visit the United Kingdom

18 Top Things to Do for Easter Weekend in the United Kingdom

Sissinghurst Castle Garden - England's Most Romantic Country Garden

17 Best Romantic Things to Do in the United Kingdom

Every UNESCO World Heritage Site in the UK

Top Gardens of France

Top 18 Things to Do in the Midlands of England

The Best UNESCO Sites in Germany

13 Exceptional Homestays in India

Top UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia

Stay Cheaper By Staying Close to - Not in - London

10 Best Castles to Visit in England

The 12 Best Things to Do Along England's Jurassic Coast

10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Plan Your UK Trip

North Coast of France: The Ultimate Road Trip From Dieppe to Calais

Bois de Boulogne: The Complete Guide

What a prickle…

We're sorry – it looks like something's gone wrong

• Become a member
• Bridgewater
• Harlow Carr
• Partner Gardens
• What's on at RHS Partner Gardens & Nurseries
• Societies & groups event search
• Find a garden

RHS Gardens and Partner Gardens

Plan your visit, and discover more about the 5 RHS Gardens, and the 220 Partner Gardens nationwide and overseas

RHS Gardens

RHS Bridgewater

Greater Manchester

Latest from the gardens

Easter 2024 at the rhs gardens, rhs glow tickets on sale, spring delights at rhs gardens, spring garden weekend at rhs harlow carr, walkies at rhs gardens, may half term: family gardening festival, spring ornamental plant competition at rhs wisley.

Please note : we are asking all visitors, including members, to pre-book their visit to  RHS Garden Bridgewater .

RHS Partner Gardens

Celebrate spring flowers with us

Spring Flower Show

9 – 10 March 2024 RHS Garden Rosemoor

RHS Partner Garden of the Year winners 2023

Brahman Hills Garden, South Africa

Regional winner for overseas.

Hidden Valley Gardens, Cornwall

Overall winner and regional winner for south west and wales.

The Hidden Valley Gardens  have a wealth of unusual plants, displayed in a relaxed cottage-garden style. There are many colourful beds, a Mediterranean area, shady ferneries, spring garden, iris and primula garden, pond and bog area and plant collections adding extra colour and interest.

Wyken Hall, Suffolk

Regional winner for midlands and east anglia, more from the rhs, gardening with the rhs, science at the rhs, join the rhs and save 25% on membership, get involved.

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.

Step Inside 12 of England’s Most Beautiful Gardens

Alex Schechter, Travel + Leisure

This story originally appeared on  Travel + Leisure .

There’s something nerdy (and kind of adorable) about England’s centuries-old fascination with—and subsequent mastery of—gardening. “It’s certainly true to say that we love plants,” admits Mike Calnan, the Head of Gardens at the  National Trust , which maintains over 300 historically significant houses and gardens throughout England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 

Biddulph Grange Garden, Staffordshire‬

This  unique garden  was the brainchild of wealthy British landowner—and avid traveler—James Bateman, who attempted to recreate some of the faraway landscapes he visited in the 19th-century. Today, you can still pass through a series of exotic displays, like an Egyptian tomb-inspired passage guarded by a pair of sphinx. In the intimate China Garden, a red pagoda looms over the pond with carved wooden bridges, bamboo, and the oldest surviving golden larch in Britain (a type of conifer tree, brought from China in the 1850s).‬‬

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, North Yorkshire‬

How does a green patch of land get promoted from humble garden to coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site? By also being home to spectacular monastic ruins, a medieval deer park, and views across neighboring River Skell. This  Georgian-era water garden  amazes visitors with its beautiful serene lakes, neo-classical temples, and stone statuary.‬‬

Hidcote Manor Garden, Gloucestershire‬

Step back in time at this  17th-century manor house , where doorways reveal a succession of intricate and distinctive mini gardens. The effect is a bit like walking through the maze in Alice in Wonderland—meandering stone paths, bright pockets of flowers, deep green lawns, a glasshouse, and an orchard all call out for exploration. You never know quite what you’ll stumble on next—and that’s part of its allure.‬‬

Sizergh, Cumbria‬

Located on the edge of England’s pastoral Lake District, this  medieval fortified home  opens onto 1,600 acres that are perfect for road tripping families: there’s a 1.5-mile long “Wild Trail” with obstacles, rope swings, and hidden animal sculptures. Along with the surrounding orchards and formal Dutch gardens, the castle is best known for its limestone rock garden, a moss-covered paradise fed by trickling streams and pools, containing over 200 species of conifer and fern.

Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire‬

Wimpole  is the height of English country pomp and splendor, a turreted red brick mansion surrounded by meticulously cultivated grounds, with rolling farmland, sweeping gravel walkways and vibrant flowerbeds. Beyond the farm itself (where youngsters can get acquainted with baby pigs, and even try milking a cow), the 12-acres burst to life each summer with floral displays—think tulips, daisies and foxtail lilies—in the thousands. There’s also a separate 18th-century walled garden that supplies veggies to the on-site restaurant.‬‬

Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall‬

This  once-abandoned garden  was restored in the 1990s after decades of overgrowth and is now one of the premiere botanical destinations in England. The 200-acre plot is filled with enchanting grottoes, jungle walks (which feature tropical plants not normally associated with this part of the world, like banana and palm trees), a collection of lakes, and a farm full of cows, sheep, ducks, and geese.

Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire‬

Thousands of visitors show up annually to  this historic estate , but it’s big enough—over 3,800 acres, to be exact—that its wooded trails and grassy meadows never really feel crowded. Near the entrance, a majestic avenue of lime trees claims to be the longest in all of Europe, and at the park’s center, a winding lake that spans four miles is a prime spot for picnics and bird watching. A four-acre walled garden, bursting with California poppies, a large greenhouse, and a variety of fruits and vegetables (many of which are used at the adjacent café) is another highlight.‬‬

Leeds Castle, Kent‬

This 1,000-year-old  Norman castle  (and former palace of Henry VIII) includes the Culpepper Garden, where the original occupants grew squash and tomatoes back in the 1600s. There’s also the Wood Garden, where daffodils and narcissi bloom along the river.

Sheffield Park, East Sussex‬

If you’re en route to Brighton from London, consider a stop at this peaceful,  18th-century estate garden . The exotic and rare trees make it a top pick for families, who spend entire afternoons wandering the Ringwood Toll, which offers sights of burly Giant Sequoias, Great Oaks, and other (less giant) branches for climbing. Painters and photographers, plan on visiting in late summer and fall when an explosion of color transforms the five foliage-rimmed lakes into great rings of fire.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent‬

This  acclaimed garden  is the legacy of 20th century poet Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicholson. Anchored by the dramatic tower of Sissinghurst Castle, the property consists of a series of small enclosures, the most popular being the White Garden, which contains bleeding hearts (a pink, heart-shaped flower), star jasmine, robust echinacea, and tulips (among others).

RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey‬

A flagship of England’s Royal Horticultural Society, this  world-renowned spot  maintains a staff of 90 groundskeepers to keep things looking fresh. Exploring its long, polished lawns and delicately planted flowerbeds is like a crash course in high-style English gardening. Take a walk through its dense wooded trails, listen to songbirds, and admire the garden’s architectural accents, which include a giant glass house the size of 10 tennis courts.‬

Stillingfleet Lodge Garden, York‬

Flanked by 18th-century farm buildings, this  private garden —though tiny—is one of the dreamiest in England. There’s a walled courtyard with a picket gate and stone archways, a meadow brimming with wildflowers, and a small pond featuring water lilies, marigolds and ferns. Tall beech trees hang over the grounds with gnarled branches. There’s an explanation for the all-natural, cottage-y look: Stillingfleet, unlike other grand estates throughout England, is carefully tended by the same family who’s lived here since the 1970s.‬‬

Other articles from  Travel + Leisure : 

• The Most Beautiful Botanical Gardens in the World
• World's Most Beautiful City Parks
• America's Most Beautiful Covered Bridges

Get the latest Travel & Culture stories in your inbox.

The 11 Most Beautiful English Gardens to Visit

The verdant haven in your dream awaits.

Every item on this page was chosen by a Veranda editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

“The love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies but grows to the enduring happiness that the love of gardening gives.”

Biddulph Grange Garden in Staffordshire

Upon first glance, the Biddulph Grange Garden may appear to be just another Victorian garden, but past the manicured shrubbery, there’s a whole world of wild foliage from across the planet waiting to be discovered. Accomplished horticulturist James Bateman spent more than 20 years collecting plants from Egypt, China, and countless other countries to create his own international landscape at the Staffordshire property. Even after his death and a change in ownership, the garden still acts as a passageway for guests to explore the native plantings of the world, just as Bateman had envisioned it.

Tresco Abbey Gardens in Tresco

At the heart of the Isles of Scilly, the Tresco Abbey Garden displays more than 20,000 different plants from sub-tropical climates across the world. Augustus Smith founded the botanical paradise in 1834 around the ruins of the island’s Benedictine Abbey. Remains of the former medieval monastery have become a central part of the garden with flowering vines winding around the storied arches and walls. Throughout the garden, the plants are laid out geographically, with the hotter, top terraces housing South African and Australian species, and the lower section sheltering vegetation from New Zealand and South America.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden in North Yorkshire

Deep within the North Yorkshire Valley, the winding Skell River leads to an open, verdant clearing with majestic monastic ruins and statues rising from tranquil mood ponds. During the 18th century, British politician John Aislabie and his son, William, crafted the channels and reservoirs of the Studley Royal Water Garden , which remain as one of the best surviving examples of a Georgian water garden.

Great Dixter House & Gardens in East Sussex

When late English gardener and garden writer Christopher Lloyd proclaimed, “gardening, like living, should be fun,” he had to have been envisioning the wild flower meadows and topiary gardens outside his window at Great Dixter House . His father, Nathaniel Lloyd, purchased the Tudor-style home in 1909 and laid out the plans for the spectacular verdant haven Christopher would cultivate years later. Designed in the Arts and Crafts style, the structure garden experiments with bold forms, riotous color, and combinations that Lloyd has been quoted to as high maintenance yet visually rewarding.

Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire

Bess of Hardwick, one of the most formidable women in Elizabethan English society, was never one to follow the status quo. The noble found comfort in exploring new ideas and styles, especially when it came to designing Hardwick Hall and its expansive gardens. And while the garden has largely changed since Bess’s design, each courtyard still houses quirky features such as fruitful orchards, formal hedges, and eccentric statues. The fragrant herb and vegetable garden supplies the campus's restaurant with fresh ingredients all year long.

Hidcote Manor Garden in Gloucestershire

Tucked away amongst the rolling hills of the Cotswolds lies a collection of themed garden rooms filled with rare plants and trees known as the Hidcote . In 1907, American horticulturalist Lawrence Johnston’s mother bought a 300-acre plot of land in the English countryside that would later become one of Johnston’s greatest works. Johnston spent nearly 40 years developing and cultivating a maze of kitchen gardens, fountains, and ponds at Hidcote Manor. His travels from across Africa to Asia inspired many of the corridors and plantings and add to the distinct nature of each space.

Levens Hall and Gardens in Kent

Known to house one of the world’s oldest topiary, the gardens at Levens Hall were laid out by Guillaume Beaumont, the gardener to King James II, in 1694. Beaumont’s original design has remained largely unchanged with a bountiful collection of sculpted box and yew trees, wildflower meadows, storied orchards, and more than 30,000 bedding plants still decorating the grounds.

Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall

It’s hard to believe that one of the most-celebrated botanical gardens in all of England was once abandoned for nearly 75 years. However, that’s exactly how the story of the Lost Gardens of Heligan goes. Since the late 1500s, the gardens and neighboring estate belonged to the wealthy Tremayne family, who aspired to have their own thriving green space. For centuries, the garden flourished with a dedicated staff until many of those gardeners were required to fight in World War I, leading to its despair. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the overgrown garden was rediscovered and transformed into the extravagant display of Italian and jungle garden it's known for today.

Sissinghurst Castle Gardens in Kent

Vita Sackville-West’s ability to create beautiful scenes of romance extends beyond her poems and into the emerald mazes at her home, Sissinghurst Castle . The poet and her husband, Harold Nicholson, fell in love with the castle and farm at first glance in 1930 and quickly began making plans to restore the property to its full glory. Together, they laid the foundation for one of England’s most famous gardens with its manicured rose section and the famous White Garden, which houses some of the couple’s favorite plants like white gladioli, white irises, white pompom dahlias, and white Japanese anemones.

Sizergh Castle Gardens in Cumbria

Stretching more than 1,600 acres in England’s pastoral Lake District, the towering Sizergh Castle provides a marvelous background to formal Dutch gardens, an expansive limestone rock garden, and scenic water pools. There’s also a 1.5-mile long wildlife trail that allows families to learn about native conifer and fern plants and the numerous animals roaming around the grounds.

Stillingfleet Lodge Garden in York

A once-abandoned farmhouse, this family-owned nursery in York offers a relaxing escape with its wildflower meadows, herbaceous borders, and tranquil ponds filled with water lilies. Managed for more than 40 years by owners Vanessa and John Cook, the small garden encourages wildlife while highlighting the beauty of the cottage and neighboring 18th-century farmhouses.

Sarah DiMarco (she/her) is the associate editor at VERANDA, covering all things design, architecture, art, gardens, jewelry, travel, wine and spirits. She also manages social media for the brand.

Are Geraniums Making a Comeback This Spring?

Everything You Need to Know About Ikebana

How Blackberry Farm's Mary Celeste Beall Hosts

Christopher Spitzmiller's Masterclass on Peonies

Tour Bunny Williams's Verdant Connecticut Garden

Look Inside Ballyfin's Refurbished Conservatory

The 7 Most Inspiring Tables from the Orchid Dinner

Landscaping Ideas That Make Your House Look Cheap

12 Best Outdoor Sectionals to Level Up Your Patio

16 Sophisticated Outdoor Furniture Picks

9 Expensive-Looking Landscaping Ideas

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Blooming lovely: 12 of the UK’s best gardens to visit in early spring

From an 18th-century orangery in Manchester to a sunken fern garden in the Highlands, here are 12 places to get your floral fix

I n the midst of winter with its low grey skies, the scents and colours of embryonic spring are a welcome morale booster. These gardens will offer spectacular views over the coming months, as banks of delicate snowdrops, and armies of budding daffs, bluebells and tulips return.

Castle Howard, North Yorkshire

Early purple crocuses line the drive before a huge wave of daffodils rolls down the lawn at Castle Howard, 15 miles north of York, from February until April (often peaking around Easter). From early spring, peacocks show off their new tail feathers, grape hyacinths bloom in the old rose garden and cowslips freckle the banks in Ray Wood. There are paths through the woodland under early blossom and bright green leaves. The woods explode into colour from late April, with bluebells and neon rhododendrons. Skelf Island adventure playground opened in 2019 and there are several cafes across the huge grounds, serving locally farmed produce such as the estate’s own sausages. From £9/£4.50 . Gardens and grounds open daily , castlehoward.co.uk

Borde Hill, West Sussex

With a self-guided spring trail through citrus-fragrant magnolia and flamboyant camellias, Borde Hill is a hidden gem. Five thousand February Gold narcissi have been newly planted for 2024 and there’s a cafe in the old Peacock House. Horticulturalist Colonel Stephenson Robert Clarke began to create the garden when he bought the estate in 1893. He paid plant hunters to find seeds for Chinese tulip trees and white-flowered lacebarks from New Zealand so that visitors are transported around the world as they walk through it. Fragrant Chinese honeysuckle, dawn arrowwoods and lots more are flowering in early spring. From a formal Italian garden, where pine and eucalyptus are reflected in the lily pond, paths lead through subtropical ferns and palm trees to the wilder rhododendron garden, with its Himalayan hybrids, some blooming from March. £12 adult/£8 child , free for Historic Houses members. Open daily from 10 February , bordehill.co.uk

RHS Hyde Hall, Essex

The 15,000 snowdrop bulbs that were planted in Hyde Hall’s winter garden in 2017 have spread and multiplied into delicate white carpets under glowing midwinter fire dogwood stems and varied evergreens, all looking great in February. Winding paths lead through a sensory smörgåsbord of textured bark, luminous birch trunks and fragrant shrubs. Crocuses and aconites fringe the Upper Pond with its hilltop views across Essex, with trees including early flowering cherries and magnolia in bloom from about March. £15.85/£7.95 , RHS members free . Open daily, rhs.org.uk

Pensthorpe, Norfolk

This 280-hectare (700-acre) wildlife-rich nature reserve in the Wensum Valley has a sculpture trail through the wetlands, wildflower meadows and bird hides. It’s also home to cranes, flamingos, huge playgrounds, an aviary full of avocets, and five themed gardens. The Millennium garden, designer Piet Oudolf’s first public UK project, planted it in 1999, is studded with winter seedheads and ornamental grasses such as purplish feather reeds and spiky sea holly, which are vibrant throughout spring too. A newer addition to the reserve, the Corten Infinity garden, includes banana palms and a huge rusted-steel centrepiece. The Wave Garden, designed by Chelsea Flower Show winner Julie Toll, features lake views and undulating yew hedges, snowflakes and scented white narcissi. Seasonal prices from £10.95/£9.95 . Open daily, pensthorpe.com

Eltham Palace, London

These English Heritage gardens in south-east London have wafts of wintersweet and the spiced vanilla scent of viburnum lasting into March. Banks of cream and crimson hellebores, sky-blue scilla and numerous early bulbs frame the striped walls of the palace – there is always something flowering, with a climax in late spring. You walk into the garden over one of London’s oldest functional bridges; Geoffrey Chaucer (of Canterbury Tales fame) supervised the building works. Inside the medieval palace is an art deco extravaganza with circular hall and gold mosaic bathroom. £14.50/£8.60 , free for English Heritage members . Open weekends , every day during February half-term , and then Wednesday-Sunday , englishheritage.org.uk

Seaton Deleval Hall, Northumberland

The gardens at this atmospheric National Trust property about 10 miles north of Newcastle were recently restored to frame the dramatic shell of architect John Vanbrugh’s final, finest house. The formal Italianate parterre has curving box hedges, manicured whitebeams, a fountain and stone urns. There are February snowdrops in the wilder woods, aconites in the borders, excellent coastal walks nearby and a direct bus from Newcastle. £10/£5 . Open Wednesday to Sunday , nationaltrust.org.uk

Winterbourne House, Birmingham

This is an Edwardian villa in Birmingham’s pretty Edgbaston suburb. Gertrude Jekyll’s books inspired Margaret Nettlefold to design the Arts and Crafts-style grounds with their walled garden, narcissus-bordered nut walk, bridge, stream and pergola, blooming from February into April. There are magnolias, rhododendrons and a sinuous new winter garden down some steps from the lawn, with honeysuckles, twisted hazels and early spring bulbs. £8/£6.90 . Open daily, winterbourne.org.uk

after newsletter promotion

Attadale Gardens, Wester Ross

Spring comes late in the Highlands. When these gardens open at Easter, daffodils, primroses and catkins are pale-gold harbingers of the bold candelabra primulas, irises, lilies and azaleas that will flower in the weeks that follow. Attadale won RHS Partner Garden of the Year for Scotland in 2023. The gardens are full of intriguing details: a spectacular tree fern in a sunken fern garden, bronze birds and animals, bridges, thickets of bamboo and, after the spring rains, seasonal waterfalls over mossy, creeper-covered cliffs. Tree-framed views from the garden include the jagged hills of Skye from a rocky outcrop up some stone steps at the end of the rhododendron walk, with some blooms from late March. Adult £10, under-16s free . Open daily from 28 March , attadalegardens.com

Dunham Massey, Greater Manchester

One of the UK’s biggest winter gardens is already brightening the darkest months at Dunham Massey, not far from Manchester. Scarlet and ochre stems of dogwood and willow flame above snowdrops and early narcissi. They are joined from about March by starry blue scilla and Glory-of-the-snow. Dunham Massey’s gardeners planted more than 40,000 extra spring bulbs last year. New daffodil varieties include bold early-flowering January Silvers and striking, vivid-yellow Jetfires. Light pours into the 18th-century orangery and fallow deer, wandering through medieval parkland, start to shed their antlers. £8.50/£4.25 , free for NT members . Gardens open daily , nationaltrust.org.uk

Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Heligan’s huge pink-and-cream magnolia flowers are among the blooms used to calculate the prompt arrival of the Cornish spring . February is already bursting with pastel camellias and lipstick-bright rhododendrons. There are yellow primroses and early daffs in the woodland under dangling catkins, delicate purple crocuses round the pond and blossom in the Peach House. £18.50/£8.50 . Open daily, heligan.com

Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd

The sloping gardens around this towering neo-Norman citadel are older than the castle itself. The watery bog garden and fuchsia pergola, the walled garden with its red and yellow tulips, rhododendron walk, and bluebell-blanketed hillsides under ornamental blossom make this an enchanting April destination. Before then, there are wafts of tequila-pungent witch hazel and glossy sweet box, tiny daffs and impressive views through bare trees to the long coast and the white-capped mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia). £15/£7.50 . Gardens open at weekends and daily from February 12, castle reopens 1 March , nationaltrust.org.uk

Glenarm Castle, County Antrim

Winner of Historic Houses Garden of the Year for 2023, Glenarm Castle’s grounds build through waves of spring flowering to a tulip festival in early May with fritillaries nodding their chequered heads from April. In the 1820s, the Countess of Antrim created the four-acre walled garden, pineapple-producing glasshouse and huge circular yew hedge. There are coastal views and a woodland walk, where red squirrels hide above rhododendrons and camellias before the white flowers of wild garlic flood the forest floor. £10/£8.50 , HHA and RHS members free . Open daily from 17 March , glenarmcastle.com

• United Kingdom holidays

Most viewed

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories

We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.

9 Heavenly British Gardens To Visit This Summer 

By Elizabeth Tyler

As summer rolls out its sunniest days, there is nowhere better to be than one of the UK’s horticultural gems. Centuries of rose tweaking, lily fancying and box clipping have conspired to create some of the most beautiful gardens in the world. An attempt to single out 90, let alone 9, is a struggle (Vita Sackville-West, please forgive us) but a definitive edit has been made: here, landscape designer Elizabeth Tyler’s guide to the most beautiful British gardens to visit this summer.

Read more: The Best Weekend Breaks In The UK

Houghton, Norfolk

With a house built by a former Prime Minister and an estate bordering Sandringham, Houghton was always destined to be magnificent. Thanks to the energy of its current custodians it has surpassed all expectations. The wider estate houses a choice collection of contemporary sculpture, with this year’s temporary exhibition of works by Tony Cragg sitting serenely within the landscape until September. Designed by another creative pair, the Bannermans, the 5-acre walled garden has an entirely different feel, with overflowing borders, riotous colour and the country’s most impressive fruit cage.

Hidcote, Gloucestershire

This archetype of the Arts and Crafts garden style was created by its amateur owner, Lawrence Johnston, in the 1900s and is one of the best examples in the UK today. Clipped evergreen hedges divide up the garden, each space overflowing with scent and colour at this time of year. Highlights include the White garden (a contemporary of Vita Sackville-West’s famous Sissinghurst innovation) and the Bathing Pool garden, a room of clipped yew enclosing a magnificent raised pool. Hidcote is just down the road from another Cotswold gem, Kiftsgate , built by three generations of female gardeners – and well worth a visit while you’re in the area.

Great Dixter, Kent

With an almost cult-like following in the gardening world, Great Dixter leads the vanguard of inspired gardening techniques and design. The garden’s current incarnation was formed by Christopher Lloyd, its multi-talented owner in the latter 20th century. He took the structure – started by his mother with help from Lutyens – and turned it in to something quite astonishing. Its peerless reputation continues under the care of Fergus Garrett, the phenomenal head gardener, and the many students who pass through its doors. With an increasing ecological emphasis and a laissez-faire approach to the duller “rules” of gardening, there is always something new to see.

Trebah, Cornwall

The climate of Cornwall (and parts of Devon) is formally classified as sub-tropical. This means it can play host to garden plants the likes of which the rest of the country can only dream of. At Trebah , a garden nestled in a coastal river valley, tropical stalwarts stand alongside classics of the English country garden in a heady mix that runs all the way down to the sea. The so-called “Hydrangea Valley” lies beneath a vast swathe of Gunnera, whose leaves get so big they create pre-historic style canopies.

Bodnant, North Wales

One of many potential Welsh entries, this deft lesson in landscaping is nestled in the Conwy Bay. Richly planted Italianate terraces near the house were formed in the Arts and Crafts style in the early 1900s and feature the finest example of a Laburnum Arch anywhere in the country. Each of the main terraces affords a jaw-dropping view, and nestled beneath the terraced slope is a series of dells and nooks planted with hydrangeas and rhododendra – including rare species brought back from plant hunting expeditions – which encase the visitor in clouds of green and seasonal colour all the way down to the river.

Forde Abbey, Somerset

A honey-bright Cistercian monastery set in the rolling hills of Somerset needs little embellishment, but the gardens which cluster around Forde Abbey are quite the distraction. Under the tutelage of Joshua Sparkes – the recently appointed head gardener – out go the lawns and borders of old and in come wildflower meadows, acres of bulbs and beautiful planted areas. Myriad roses and scrambling wisteria add to the very English air that abounds. Worth a visit now, and again in five years’ time to see the fruits of some expert labour.

Scampston Hall, North Yorkshire

Despite being set within an 18th-century structure and Capability Brown-landscaped park, this is actually one of the most recently formed gardens we urge you to visit. In the late 1990s, the then-owners enlisted the help of Dutch phenomenon Piet Oudolf – whose triumphs include New York’s High Line – to transform Scampston’s derelict walled garden . Oudolf completely re-envisaged the space, creating his trademark “perennial meadows” and seas of grasses within different “rooms”. A simplicity of form unites the garden and brings a thoroughly modern feel to a richly contextualised setting.

Beth Chatto’s Garden, Essex

As horticulture moves slowly towards adopting more sustainable methods, we realise that some were there well before the rest of us – nowhere more so than in a former car park in Essex. The famous gravel garden at Beth Chatto’s Garden is never irrigated, and yet flourishes in one of the driest parts of the UK. The eponymous creator started work here in 1960, creating various different spaces, including the Scree garden and the Water garden. Her legacy as a garden builder and plants woman continues despite her death in 2018, aged 95. She was involved with the garden until her last breath.

By Michelle Ruiz

By Elise Taylor

16 secret English country gardens to visit

Laskett Garden

Herefordshire

Discover a hidden oasis designed by Sir Roy Strong, former director of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum, and his late wife Julia Trevelyan Oman. As you wander through glades decorated with bear statues, dazzling displays of tulips and towering hedgerows, you'll see that the couple have left their creative mark on every inch of this place.

The Garden House

If you’re looking for an archetypical English country garden then this is the place. Located close to Dartmoor National Park, while away the hours in the Cottage Garden and soak up the heady scents of magnolias and rhododendrons in the Bulb Meadow. Don’t leave without seeing the Jubilee Arboretum with its glistening lake, cascading waters and bridges.

Brodsworth Hall & Gardens

Stroll through gardens restored to their former Victorian glory with romantic statue walks and wild rose dell. Hide away from the world in the summerhouse, with views of the formal gardens, alternatively, you can find a spot in the fern dell grotto and relax in a gorgeous green space. The Brodsworth Hall gardens have seasonal blooms as well, meaning whatever time of year you visit, there will always be a new sight to enjoy.

Westonbury Mill Water Gardens

A garden filled with follies and hand-built by its loving curator, the Westonbury Mill Water Gardens are a Herefordshire haven. From the mill powering water through the mouth of a grumpy gargoyle, to a sparkling dome made from glass bottles, there’s a variety of things to explore.

Adlington Hall & Gardens

Alongside a house dating back to 1581, you can explore a garden from the 18th century, thought to have been designed by Charles Legh in the style of Capability Brown. Float through the rose garden with its beautiful scents, and roses climbing pillars and rope swags, or enter a world of dancing water in the formal Flower Parterre.

Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens

Beth Chatto took a boggy, overgrown scrap of land, and transformed it into an inspirational informal garden in 1960. Now open to the public, it’s a delight of different garden styles. Relax in the woodland garden with its ferns and daffodils, or explore the lake of the water garden, containing lily pads and various reeds. There’s even a shop with comprehensive collections for you to take home and plant yourself.

With Mottisfont’s walled rose garden collection of old-fashioned roses blooming just once a year, you might feel like June is the only time to go, but beyond the fantastically fragrant roses, there’s so much more to discover. The spring that encouraged settlement at Mottisfont hundreds of years ago is now the heart of a fresh green walk, and the National Collection of plane trees provide shade on sunny days.

Waterperry Gardens

Oxfordshire

Once the home to the School of Horticulture for Ladies, Waterperry Gardens is now eight acres of landscaped ornamental gardens waiting to be explored. Wander alongside classical borders and the Long Colour Border, then fnd a sculpture of The Tempest’s Miranda at the Waterlily Canal. When you’re done exploring, you can step into the Art in Action gallery to admire locally crafted goods and original works.

Leighton Hall

Sprawling over 1150 acres, the Leighton Hall Gardens are walled and overflowing with blooms. Designed after a cottage style, but on a much larger scale, the gardens include an herbaceous border, plenty of roses, and 18th century woods. Children can hunt for the hidden tree faces, or take on the caterpillar maze. For adults, there’s the stunning Millennium Angel to admire, and a network of footpaths to stroll.

Burton Agnes Hall

East Yorkshire

Burton Agnes Hall not only has a beautiful woodland walk, on which you can find giant caterpillars and other creepy-crawly sculptures, but also a walled garden containing over 3000 different plants. Based on the original Elizabethan garden that was there so many years before, it combines old and new styles to create a gorgeous place of rest.

Highgrove House

Gloucestershire

The gardens at Highgrove offer a personalised two hour tour, or you can wander as a group with your guide through Royal Gardens to see the Kitchen Garden, The Sundial Garden, and The Stumpery. At the end of the tour you can retire to the Orchard Restaurant for delicious fine dining. There’s the option to buy a few blooms to take home too!

Levens Hall

There really are few experiences that can match seeing the world-renowned topiary at Levens Hall, home of the oldest topiary in the world. Beyond the intricately carved hedges, you’ll find foxgloves and roses, and a fragrant herb garden where the bed plantings change regularly. There are even double herbaceous borders to enjoy alongside a beautiful lawn.

There is an award-winning garden on the estate of a house recently used in the film Far From the Maddening Crowd. Look out across the croquet lawn, groomed to perfection, and see the remains of a 17th-century parterre. The Italianate Garden has grottos and fountains, whilst the 1960s orangery beautifully frames a topiary laced lawn and a selection of borders. Mapperton is an oasis of structured calm.

Belsay Hall

Northumberland

Explore the lovingly crafted gardens of Belsay Hall. The stone for the house was carved from a nearby quarry on the estate, and owner Sir Charles, inspired by the Picturesque movement, was inspired to turn this into a romantic quarry garden. The microclimate at Belsay allows tender plants to grow far beyond their normal northern limit. There’s also a rose garden, Crag Wood Walk, and a winter garden on the 40 acre estate.

Holker Hall

Holker Hall has 25 acres of immaculate gardens, and 200 acres of ‘natural’ parkland. Make your way through the rhododendrons in the spring, or stand at the base of the Holker Great Lime; one of The Tree Council’s 50 Great British Trees that stands at 72 feet tall. Children will love making their way through the Holker Labyrinth. And for the discerning expert, there are some incredibly rare plants that call Holker home, including a collection of Styracacae.

Fenton House

Tucked away in a quiet section of Hampstead, Fenton House is a true hidden gem. Full of character and life, this 17th-century house and walled garden are unlike anything else in London. From the balcony, you can enjoy spectacular views across the city, while the garden is home to statues, a range of flowers, and an apple orchard!

Your guide to spring bank holiday events

Unmissable August bank holiday events in 2024

A muggle's guide to Harry Potter filming locations

Easter events in 2024

Free days out with the National Lottery

7 amazing accessible experiences in the North York Moors

We've something we want to share

Want to receive travel tips and ideas by email?

VisitEngland would like to invite you to take part in a short survey about our website, it should take no more than a couple of minutes.

Go to the survey

To add items to favourites …

… you need to be logged in.

If you already have an account, log in.

Or register a new account

Access your account

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

The best UK gardens to visit this summer

And number one is in London...

As many of us spend the summer exploring our fair isle, those looking to explore the vast and varied landscapes of the UK shouldn't overlook the manicured, designed gardens up and down the country.

As the sunshine spreads across the UK and the school holidays are in full swing, there are hundreds of public and private gardens that make for the perfect summer day out, but, with summer time running out, which are the ones most worth our time?

The Royal Botanical Gardens sit within West London and attract tourists both nationally and internationally. With over 370,000 searches each month it’s the UK’s most searched for garden.

The botanical gardens are made up of over 50,000 living plants which can be discovered in a variety of environments from the famous Arboretum to the Alpine rock garden or luscious borders.

Coming in second is RHS Wisley which attracts over 80,000 searches a month. The garden in Woking, Surrey, has with over 240 acres of plants and flowers. Make a beeline for the glasshouse, rock garden, Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden, the mixed borders and the newly-created Exotic Garden which are all firm favourites.

And claiming the bronze, Wrest Park is an English Heritage site in Bedfordshire. With over 34,000 searches a month it is the third most popular garden included in the study. The park offers visitors 90 acres to explore, with several types of landscape gardening including Italian and Dutch.

The full list of the 10 best UK gardens to visit this summer can be found below:

1.Kew Gardens - 370,430 searches

2.RHS Wisley - 80,630 searches

3. Wrest Park - 34,480 searches

4. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - 21,080 searches

5. Botanical Gardens, Sheffield - 13,870 searches

6. Heythrop Park - 12,390 searches

7. Hidcote Gardens - 10,510 searches

8. Sissinghurst Castle - 8,960 searches

9.Levens Hall - 8,360 searches

10. Buscot Park - 7,690 searches

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram .

The best garden chairs to buy now

The best outdoor plant pots for your garden

15 garden sofas to buy now

14 solar garden lights for a whimsical aesthetic

The best outdoor furniture sets to shop now

Your ultimate guide to the kentia palm

The best garden decor to add style and charm

Your guide to the Swiss cheese plant

Here's your expert orchid care guide

The best colours to paint your garden fence

10 aromatic outdoor candles to burn this spring

• Become a Member
• Events this month
• Garden design
• International
• Meet the gardeners
• Garden advice
• Small gardens
• Shady gardens
• Low maintenance
• Big gardens
• Sunny gardens
• Dry gardens
• Wet gardens
• House plants
• Outdoor living
• What to wear
• Competitions
• Newsletters

© Jason Ingram

12 great free gardens to visit this summer

You don't have to pay to get into see all beautiful gardens, many are free. Here's our list of the best free gardens in the UK

Stephanie Mahon

Sorrel Everton

Garden visits don’t have to cost the earth – in fact, there are many beautiful places up and down the UK that you can enjoy for free during the summer holidays, with top-notch, inspirational planting schemes. From the tiny Walled Garden at Mells, through to Sheffield's Grey to Green public space, there are plenty of green spaces to visit that are entirely free.

Looking for more gardens to visit?

You may also like

25 english gardens to visit.

• Best gardens to visit for culture
• Historic gardens to visit

The best free gardens to visit in the UK

The hepworth wakefield garden , west yorkshire.

The striking modernist gallery building is matched by a stand-out small garden. Designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and curated by cultural gardener Katy Merrington, the space is open to all. Planting gives colour from April to November, starting with tulips and narcissi, through to taller perennials, such as Echinacea pallida and tawny Stipa calamagrostis . Sculptures enhance the plants’ own sculptural qualities. Open 365 days a year, 24 hours. Gallery Walk, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WR1 5AW. Tel 01924 247360, hepworthwakefield.org

Here's more sculpture gardens to visit

Barbican Conservatory, City of London 

A secret oasis in the City of London, housed under more than 2,000 square metres of glass and steel roof and spread over several levels. It’s home to more than 1,500 species of plants, including bananas, palms and cacti, as well as koi-filled ponds, all of which soften the Brutalist complex. While in the area, there’s also Beech Gardens, designed by Nigel Dunnett , free and open 24 hours. Conservatory open on selected days every week from 12pm. Free tickets are released online, on Fridays at 10am for the following week; a limited number of day tickets are released online from 9.30am on open days. Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS. Tel 020 7870 2500, barbican.org.uk

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 

Renowned for its botanical research, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a prestigious institution with a history dating back to the 17th century, but many people don’t realise that this 70-acre garden is also free to visit. Enjoy wandering the different areas such as the Woodland Garden, Heath Garden, Rock Garden, Arboretum, Pond and Chinese Hillside, each with its own style and community of plants. The Glasshouses are presently closed as part of a restoration project to protect the garden’s Living Collection.

Summer open hours: daily, 10am-6pm. 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR. Tel 0131 552 7171. rbge.org.uk

Hauser & Wirth Somerset

This is gallerists Hauser & Wirth’s rural UK setting. Outside the converted farm buildings and additional gallery space, tens of thousands of plants have been masterfully orchestrated by plantsman Piet Oudolf. As its name, Oudolf Field, suggests, this is more of a planted landscape than garden with Piet creating a series of huge interlocking beds that stretch away from the gallery with robust, form-focused planting at scale. The gallery hosts a full programme of high-profile exhibitions, plus there’s a café, bar and restaurant.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm. Durslade Farm, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0NL. Tel 01749 814060, hauserwirth.com 

Here's more on the planting at the Oudolf Field

Mayfield Park, Manchester 

An ambitious, six-and-a-half-acre, urban project encompassing a sequence of spaces – open lawns, play areas, floodable meadows , riverside walks – inviting the user to ‘get closer to nature and experience the park differently’. Accessibility to the River Medlock has been reclaimed from decades of post-industrial neglect with flower-rich planting cleverly interwoven into the shared spaces. Don’t miss the children’s slides – including one that slides you across the river. 

Open daily, dawn until dusk. Baring Street, Manchester M1 2PY. mayfieldpark.com

Horniman Museum & Gardens, London

The Horniman Museum in south London and its extensive gardens are concerned with natural history and human culture. There’s been a fresh approach since head gardener Errol Reuben Fernandes took over, and newer areas such as the Grasslands Garden, which celebrates wild landscapes and was designed by James Hitchmough , now complement established spaces including the Sunken, Wildlife, Sound, Medicinal and Dye Gardens.

Summer opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 7.15am-8.30pm; Sundays and Bank Holidays, 8am-8.30pm. 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ. Tel 020 8699 1872, horniman.ac.uk 

Here's more museums with great gardens

Grey to Green, Sheffield 

This remarkably successful regeneration initiative has greened a formerly industrial corridor of inner-city Sheffield, with beautiful but low-maintenance, ecological, perennial planting schemes. Planting designer Nigel Dunnett and the project team created rain-garden-style beds to manage the rainwater runoff, planted many trees and introduced welcome ribbons of colour to the previously tarmac and concrete routes. There is also art to enjoy along the way. Castlegate, Sheffield S3 8LE. greytogreen.org.uk 

Read more about Grey To Green

Crossrail Place Roof Garden, London

Located on a rooftop in Canary Wharf, London, this little green surprise with its sweeping glass roof, designed by Foster Partners, features many tropical and exotic trees and plants from around the world, including Asia and the Americas, and offers views out across the waterfront and city skyline. Inspired by the history of the surrounding docks in international trade, there are different areas of planting themed to various parts of the world, including Morocco and New York.

Open daily until 9pm, or sunset in summer. Crossrail Place, London E14 5AB. canarywharf.com/open-spaces/crossrail-place-roof-garden/ 

Inner Temple, London

You’ll find this gem tucked within the historic courtyards of London’s legal quarters. With its own microclimate, the garden includes semi-exotic borders, mature trees, seasonal containers and an immaculate glasshouse . The lawn is dominated by huge plane trees, while the area beneath has been left to give a more meadowy effect. 

Usually open weekdays (excluding Bank Holidays), 12.30-3pm. Also look out for Open Days. Crown Office Row, Inner Temple, London EC4Y 7HL. Tel 020 7797 8243, innertemple.org.uk/estate-garden/

Peter Beales Rose Garden, Norfolk

As one of the top UK rose growers, Peter Beales has long been a destination for rose lovers. Alongside the nursery there’s a two-acre display garden showcasing unique, historic, rare and contemporary roses growing alongside other planting. The first rose was planted in 1983, while more recently, the gardens have been developed to include an area where roses are being grown for their benefits to pollinators and other wildlife. Plenty of expert advice available.

Open daily, 9am-5pm (Sundays and Bank Holidays 10am-4pm). London Road, Attleborough, Norwich, Norfolk NR17 1AY. Tel 01953 454707, classicroses.co.uk

Aston Pottery, Oxfordshire

A working pottery with shop and café, set in a charming Oxfordshire village, Aston Pottery also has a show-stopping garden made up of six large, inspirational border schemes , which give interest from spring right through to autumn. They include the Hornbeam Walk, Dahlia Garden, the Hot Bank, traditional Perennial Border, the Annual Border (peaking in September with over 5,000 plants), and a tropical border, many with bright, cheery colours and half-hardy and tender plants.

Open Monday to Saturday, 9.30am-5pm; Sunday, 10.30am-5pm. Kingsway Farm, Aston, Oxfordshire OX18 2BT. Tel 01993 852031, astonpottery.co.uk 

The Walled Garden at Mells, Somerset

Step through the door into the walled garden behind a pretty cottage in the Somerset village of Mells and you’ll find that its low-key, relaxed atmosphere is infectious. It couples shabby-chic cottage-garden-style planting – including lots of roses and honeysuckle – with a café serving fresh pizzas, a community, not-for-profit plant nursery, and a programme of horticultural, social and therapeutic workshops. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am-5pm (last pizza order at 4pm). 5 Rectory Cottages, Mells, Frome, Somerset BA11 3PN. Tel 01373 812597, thewalledgardenatmells.co.uk

Head to our Gardens to Visit page for lots more great gardens to get to

Share this article

Editor, Gardens Illustrated

Gardens Illustrated

25 gardens to visit with public transport, 10 of the best museum gardens to visit, 10 of the best gardens to visit for planting inspiration.

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy policy
• Cookies policy
• Manage preferences

Planning a trip to see UK gardens? Here’s how.

W hen Mayor Michelle Wu handed me the Golden Trowel Award for first place in the Large Yard Garden Category of the City of Boston’s 2022 Garden Contest , I was thrilled. But when, moments later, she drew my name from a jar containing the names of the first-place winners in the nine garden contest categories, and I won two round-trip tickets on JetBlue, I really hit the jackpot.

This good fortune produced a set of quandaries: Where, when, and how to travel? As an avid gardener, I had long wanted to visit English gardens, but choosing specific gardens and organizing an entire trip was daunting. I considered joining a tour but that felt too confining; I wanted to choose the gardens to visit and spend as long in each garden as I wanted. So, with suggestions from gardening friends and ideas from books, magazines, online resources, and tour companies, I planned my own tour. Here’s how you can, too.

One challenge was to decide when to take the trip. Reports of 2021′s record heat wave and the lack of air conditioning in some UK accommodations made me hesitant to travel in midsummer. Plus, I didn’t want to miss much of my own garden’s summer season. Also, I wanted to attend the Chelsea Flower Show in late May, so chose travel dates near to that event. Others might be influenced by flower bloom times; tulips and spring bulbs peak in late April to early May in England, but roses aren’t in full flower until June, and mid-summer is the height of many gardens, so travel timing might be influenced by these considerations.

The second big question was, which gardens to visit? As a devoted reader of English gardening magazines and consumer of British gardening social media, I had many gardens on my list: Wisley and Kew in the London area, Sissinghurst and Great Dixter in the southeast, Beth Chatto’s garden in Essex, Hidcote in the Cotswolds … but it became clear that even with two weeks to travel, I would have to narrow my choices if I didn’t want to spend precious time on transport and have to hurtle through Britain at warp speed in order to see gardens all over the country. With the priorities of seeing the gardens of Christopher Lloyd (Great Dixter) and Vita Sackville-West (Sissinghurst) driving me, I focused on the area south and southeast of London. But still, there were many, many gardens to see, and I didn’t know how to narrow down my choices. Knowing that I was particularly interested in gardens designed in the “English Cottage Garden” style, with mixed borders containing shrubs, perennials, and annuals, I used this preference to guide me as I studied the possibilities. I read books such as “Gardens of the National Trust” by Stephen Lacey, which includes tables detailing the characteristics of each garden (such as whether it has topiary, borders, or natural water), and reviewed the National Trust and Royal Horticultural Society websites. I examined itineraries of garden tour companies, including Carex Tours and Huron Tours. I asked gardening friends for recommendations and watched the BBC show “Gardener’s World” to learn where they’d visited. British garden magazines such as Gardens Illustrated or the RHS’s The Garden often highlight specific gardens, and I created lists from these articles.

After identifying possible gardens to visit, I began my education in English geography. I obtained a map of British gardens, and plotted out possibilities using this, a paper map of the United Kingdom, and Google Maps to identify locations and sticky notes to pinpoint them. Then, I asked Google Maps for routes and distance between the gardens, to determine the feasibility of visiting more than one each day. This helped me rule out some gardens that were too far afield to combine with visits to other locations. Ultimately, I created a Google map that depicted the location and routes to every destination. To ensure that we did not show up on a day when a certain property was closed, and to plan our meals and snacks, I also created a list of each garden’s hours and days of opening, as well as whether they had a café or dining facilities. (Almost all do.)

The next challenge was how to travel to each property. Given most gardens’ locations in rural areas, a rental car would be the easiest mode of transport. But, neither my spouse nor I wanted to drive on the left side of the narrow two-lane hedgerow-lined country roads we would be traveling. We were happy to take trains and buses, but given our remote destinations, it was apparent that it would not be particularly convenient to use public transport, though taxis are usually available at railway stations, even in smaller towns. So, with the help of the Rome2Rio website, which aids in trip planning with multiple modes of transport, I identified train routes and took trains between the larger towns (using the Tube in London), and then booked taxi drivers in advance to transport us from our hotels to the gardens. Although one can search for taxis online in each city or town, I contacted our hotels to ask if there were drivers they worked with whom we could hire, and this strategy ensured confidence in the drivers. Our drivers were prompt, reliable, and friendly, and served as unexpectedly wonderful tour guides. We learned history along with horticulture: one morning, as we were traveling from one location to another, our driver casually mentioned that the Battle of Hastings (1066) had occurred in the nearby fields.

To plan our transportation schedule, I had to determine how much time we would spend in each garden, and TripAdvisor reviews helped us learn what other visitors had done and recommended. Also, I added time for meals or snacks during our garden visits. Ultimately, I created a detailed trip agenda that included pickup times from our hotels and from the gardens, along with information about the driver for each trip.

After determining which gardens we would visit, I looked for accommodations in a central town so that we could stay several nights in one place and venture out to multiple destinations from there. TripAdvisor was one resource for learning about accommodations, but I also reviewed the itineraries of various garden tour companies to identify the hotels they used, reasoning that they had been vetted by professionals. I cross-checked these possibilities with traveler ratings on TripAdvisor to assure myself that the accommodations would be suitable.

Britain has two leading charities that maintain gardens: the National Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society. After deciding upon the gardens to visit, I then assessed the value of the organizational membership fees, compared to the entrance fees we would pay to visit each garden. Given my desire to attend the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and the ability to purchase a discounted ticket to visit the show on a member’s day with fewer people, I decided to join the RHS, which also allowed us to visit RHS Wisley without paying an additional fee.

Overall, the approach I describe here worked well. I failed to follow my own advice when choosing one garden, so when we arrived at Sheffield Park and realized that there were no mixed borders (though it was a lovely park, with beautiful trees, rhododendrons, azaleas, and lakes), we quickly walked the perimeter and called our driver back to take us to another garden on our list.

Though it is hard to choose, the highlight of our trip was probably our visit and stay at Gravetye Manor, in Sussex. This former manor house was the home of William Robinson, who authored the book “The Wild Garden” (1870) and is arguably the father of the English cottage garden style. I hadn’t realized my own debt to this author and garden designer, who advocated for a planting style that rebelled against the popular Victorian approach that used tropical (nonhardy) bedding plants, placed out into gardens when the weather warmed and removed when fall arrived. Robinson instead encouraged the use of permanent plantings of any hardy plants (native or from other countries) that would “flourish without further care or cost,” and he employed an informal and dense planting style that sought to minimize the amount of bare soil. Robinson’s former home, now a Relais and Chateaux hotel property with a Michelin-star restaurant, offered us and other hotel guests an opportunity to take a formal tour, then to sit and relax in the midst of the garden, enjoying tea and then cocktails on the lawn among the gorgeous mixed borders. Later, we dined in the glass-walled restaurant overlooking that same garden, enjoying meals made from their own garden produce.

Would I do this again? Planning this trip required an enormous amount of time, but I learned a lot about England, its geography, the various types of gardens, and other tourist attractions throughout the country, and this approach could be used to plan garden (or other) tours anywhere. We had sufficient time in each garden, and were able to wander at our leisure, though we did not have formal tours anywhere except Gravetye Manor. However, the gardeners working in each of the properties were available and seemed happy to answer our questions — even Troy Scott Smith, the head gardener at Sissinghurst, kindly engaged in a casual chat about a specific rose I inquired about. The absence of a formal tour guide might have even encouraged us to interact with other visitors more than we would have otherwise, and this led to some lovely conversations with other guests.

My spouse, who tends our home vegetable patch, was apprehensive about a travel itinerary focused solely on garden visits. But his interest in photography and appreciation of the pastoral beauty of the English countryside, and the gardens as a means to enjoy it, eased this concern.

In the end, we were able to visit RHS Wisley, Kew Gardens, Nymans, Leonardslee, and of course, Gravetye, Great Dixter, and Sissinghurst — all wonderful. My next challenge? Planning a visit to another region of England.

The best gardens for tulip lovers to visit in 2024 including Glebe House and Hampton Court Palace

Lose yourself in a rainbow of colours at one of this year's tulip festivals

• 06:00, 31 MAR 2024

Want the best food, film, music, arts and culture news sent straight to your inbox?

We have more newsletters

Tulip season is in full swing, with everything from dainty types to elegant lily-flowered varieties and frilly parrot show-offs on display. So, put your sunglasses on and find some inspiration in these gardens, where tulips are the showstoppers.

Arundel Castle, West Sussex

Held every April, the castle's tulip festival is reputed to be one of the top tulip displays in Europe, set against the dramatic backdrop of the castle gardens. This year's event features more than 100,000 tulips of all shapes, colours and sizes and showcases more than 120 different named tulips planted by award-winning head gardener Martin Duncan and his team. There's an array of captivating varieties, including 'Foxy Foxtrot', 'Purple Passionale', 'White Triumphator', 'Angelique', 'Madame Lefeber', 'Curley Sue' and 'Flaming Spring Green'.

Keukenhof, Holland

There will be an anniversary exhibition this year as Keukenhof, one of the world's most famous bulb gardens, celebrates its 75th jubilee. Home to a staggering seven million spring-flowering bulbs including tulips and daffodils, over 79 acres, visitors can also admire the accompanying art sculptures and waterways. The season lasts until May 12, after which the bulbs are dug up enabling the cycle of autumn planting, spring flowering and summer harvesting to start anew. New designs are created every year.

Newby Hall & Gardens, near Ripon, North Yorkshire

The garden team at Newby Hall, famed for its eye-catching 172m-long double herbaceous border, has planted over 8,500 tulips this year for extra flower power. Visitors can enjoy the late spring blooms in Sylvia's garden, the rose garden and the white garden. The location is often used in film and screen productions such as Peaky Blinders, Victoria, and Gentleman Jack, and boasts 14 stunning garden 'rooms', two heritage orchards and 30 acres of woodland, as well as its stunning double border.

Hampton Court Palace Tulip Festival, East Molesey, Surrey

The royal palace will burst into colour with over 100,000 bulbs for its annual tulip festival (April 15 to May 6), one of the UK's largest displays of planted tulips, as the bright blooms burst from every corner of the formal gardens and historic cobbled courtyards. Hampton Court Palace has a long association with the elegant tulip, as former resident Queen Mary II was a keen horticulturist and collected exotic plants.

New this year, thousands of tulips will spill from a Victorian horse cart in the heart of the palace courtyards, giving the appearance of a Dutch flower seller's cart in this dramatic Tudor space. Dazzling displays will feature across the gardens, including 'floating' bowls in the Great Fountain. Over 10,000 bright bulbs will make for the perfect photo opportunity in Fountain Court, at the heart of Queen Mary II's baroque palace.

Glebe House, Abergavenny, Gwent

This one-and-a-half acre private garden in the beautiful Usk valley will open for two days in April (Apr 27 and 28) for the National Garden Scheme (NGS - pre-booking essential) which raises money for caring and nursing charities. Visitors can admire borders bursting with spring colour, including vibrant tulips, narcissi and camassias. The orchard is also densely underplanted with a succession of bulbs. (Other dates available by arrangement.)

Burnby Hall Gardens Tulip Festival, Pocklington, York

The popular annual tulip festival (Apr 27 to May 11) sees a cascade of colours throughout these historical gardens, with more than 18,000 tulips (130 varieties) formally displayed in tubs and flower beds across the site. Other highlights of these extensive gardens include the Upper and Lower Lakes, home to more than 100 types of hardy waterlily and home to thousands of carp, roach and rudd. There are also several formal gardens around the lakes and a new, more contemporary walled garden created in 2022.

Morton Hall Gardens Tulip Festival, Redditch, Worcestershire

From May 4 to 6, visitors can browse more than 100 tulip varieties in pots, borders and three cut flower marquees, with the ticket sales supporting costume-making at the RSC. Bloms Bulbs, winner of 70 Chelsea Gold medals, supply the bulbs and will be on site with expert advice on your favourite choices. You'll see how the team use tulips in their own style, creating a tapestry in the borders with carefully chosen colours and patterns.

Broughton Grange, Oxfordshire

Chelsea designer Tom Stuart-Smith designed the centrepiece large terraced walled garden in this attractive Oxfordshire setting, with the gardens blending into the countryside and beautiful displays of bulbs including tulips, followed by gorgeous herbaceous planting which blooms later in summer. Visit on April 28 for NGS.

Ulting Wick, Maldon, Essex

Listed black barns provide the backdrop for vibrant and exuberant planting in eight acres of garden. Tulips and other bulbs create flowing innovative spring planting, and there are also herbaceous borders, a pond, woodland and mature weeping willows to peruse, as well as a kitchen garden, a drought tolerant perennial and mini annual wildflower meadows. Visit on April 28 for NGS.

Dunsborough Park, Ripley, Surrey

This magnificent 100-acre estate, which dates back to the dissolution of the monasteries, comprises a series of historical gardens brought to life through vistas and garden architecture, laid out in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It features a mass of vibrant tulips in spring, garden rooms, lush herbaceous borders, standard wisteria, 70ft ginkgo hedge, potager and a 300-year-old mulberry tree. Open April 14 for NGS; also open April 19 to 21 and 25 to 27.

Tulip mania at Dyrham Park, nr Bath, South Gloucestershire

Tulips have long graced the garden of Dyrham Park and provide a spring highlight, usually rearing their heads in April and staying visible for a few weeks into May. This year, you'll be able to see 16,000 of them on a visit from April 15 to May 6.

As well as a magnificent display along the long Avenue leading to the house entrance, tulips will be out in the borders around Sphynx Court and dotted jewel-like through the pear orchard. The newly created parterre (set to be finished in May), which links the house to the garden, will be home to a brand-new variety of tulip inspired by Dyrham Park. Blue Diamond have donated 1,000 tulip bulbs, which will be grown in pots, and have introduced tulip 'Dyrham Park'.

• Most Recent

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos

Food & Drink

• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.

The prettiest UK towns and villages to visit this spring and summer

Stray from the beaten track and well-known cities to discover these postcard-perfect corners of england, scotland, wales and northern ireland, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts

Get simon calder’s travel email, thanks for signing up to the simon calder’s travel email.

Golden sand beaches , rolling countryside and charming towns and cities are abundant in the UK, providing plenty of opportunities for holidays and day trips.

For anyone who wants to discover somewhere new to take in the sights this summer, the quieter wonders of lesser-known inland and coastal locations are well worth exploring.

Pastel houses, ancient castles and cobbled streets dot fairytale towns and picturesque villages in the UK, with hidden gems delighting in England , Northern Ireland , Scotland and Wales – after all, who doesn’t want to upgrade their afternoon tea view?

From streets filled with bookshops to small-town home-from-homes in national parks and quaint island shores for water sports enthusiasts, there are plenty of eye-catching towns and villages slightly off the usual UK tourist path.

With options for charming strolls past traditional thatched houses and awe-inspiring architecture so plentiful,  The Independent has pulled together a list of 12 of the UK’s prettiest towns and villages to visit this summer.

• Independent Traveller guide to best hotels and short breaks
• Best UK hotels 2022
• Best hotels in Paris for 2023

Read more on UK travel :

• The 10 most beautiful places you’ll be surprised are in the UK
• Best beach stays in the UK and Ireland for a peaceful break
• Lake District guide: Where to eat, drink, walk and stay

Castle Combe, Cotswolds

The picturesque Cotswolds village of Castle Combe is the image of a quintessential English town, with quaint streets, stone houses and lush greenery – perfect for scenic walks – all staples of a stay. Surrounded by the Cotswolds Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty, the bridged village is home to stunning 13th-century churches, traditional pubs and intimate bed and breakfasts. and the tranquil environment is a popular setting for blockbusters including Stardust and War Horse – it’s no wonder the charming area is regualrly voted the most beautiful in the UK.

Where to stay

The Old Museum offers unrivalled charm, character and home comforts. The rustic holiday home features one double bedroom, comfortable seating areas and a fully equipped kitchenette. The area is perfect for hiking, and guests benefit from amenities in the idyllic local village just a short stroll away.

Book now on Airbnb

Portmeirion, Gwynedd

Portmeirion, a charming Italian-style village in Gwynedd, is an ideal spot for a relaxed weekend in North Wales. The coastal village was created by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis in 1925 – with the project completed around 50 years later – as an example of architecture’s ability to enhance natural beauty rather than destroy it. The pastel buildings, piazza and Gwyllt Japanese gardens will take you from rural Wales to Italy, Japan and back without ever having to leave the UK.

Portmeirion Village & Castell Deudraeth sits on a private peninsula overlooking the Dywryd Estuary. The hotel has an award-winning brasserie, acres of woodland and is close to Eryri/Snowdonia National Park. A spa, on-site bar, quirky room decor and a complimentary breakfast welcome visitors to the unique Welsh locale.

Rooms available from {{#price}} {{price}} per night {{/price}} {{^price}} Check availability for dates and prices {{/price}}

Rates provided by Booking.com

Hotel Amenities

Health & wellbeing, port isaac, cornwall.

Narrow winding streets and whitewashed cottages line the 14th-century fishing harbour of Port Isaac. The quaint Cornish haven, which acts as the setting for the popular TV series  Doc Martin,  is the perfect place for fishing, boat trips and coastal walks in the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Heritage Coastline. The surroundings of gentle hills and rugged  Cornish  cliffs complement the neatly packed streets, themselves lined with charming boutiques, sweet shops and traditional bars and restaurants.

Port Gaverne, a 17th-century hotel and restaurant, features cosy rooms with nautical decor just a five-minute walk from Port Isaac. The coastal accents and traditional old bar cultivate a quirky character – fitting for the ancient fishing village.

Tobermory, Isle of Mull

The Isle of Mull’s capital, Tobermory, is fringed by dense woodland. Experience the CBeebies childhood classic  Balamory  in real life here – the rainbow houses were based on Tobermory’s colourful waterfront – and with rows of vibrant townhouses, it’s clear to see why they stood out. Boat trips from Tobermory give you the opportunity to get up close to the Scottish isle’s natural beauty, as well as see a range of extraordinary wildlife, including puffins, whales, eagles and otters.

Western Isles Hotel boasts a relaxed atmosphere, great local cuisine and sea views across Tobermory Harbour. Spacious doubles and family suites are fitted with comfortable beds and walk-in showers, and breakfast is included in the price of your stay.

Portrush, County Antrim

Portrush, a small seaside town in County Antrim, is home to idyllic white sand beaches and pastel houses, all set on a mile-long peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. The once-humble fishing village is the perfect base to explore Giant’s Causeway and the Causeway Coastal Route making it a popular spot for holidaymakers in peak season – especially since the dramatic medieval ruins at Dunluce Castle were used as a filming location in  Game of Thrones . 

Just 800m from Whiterocks Beach, Elephant Rock Hotel exudes quirky character and Irish charm. Buffet breakfasts are included in your stay, while a terrace, in-house bar and lounge await guests staying in the stylish sea-view rooms.

Cockington, Devon

The chocolate-box village of Cockington sits beside popular Torquay on the so-called “English Riviera”. Old thatched cottages, rural countryside and Cockington Court manor house conjure an atmosphere of traditional English charm – best enjoyed with a Devon cream tea at The Drum Inn . Take a walk back in time, past the romantic water mill, Norman churches and cricket green, away from the hustle of city life.

Orestone Manor  is a charming country house that features sea-view suites, private hot tubs and inviting Georgian decor. Neighbouring a secluded sandy beach, Orestone is a 15-minute drive from the centre of Cockington. 

Lavenham, Suffolk

One of the best preserved medieval villages in England, Lavenham in the Suffolk countryside is formed of timbered cottages, 15th-century churches and magical woodlands. The market square is lined with Tudor architecture, listed buildings and independent local shops that once traded wool (and now sell quilted jackets). Famous for its role as Godric’s Hollow in  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 , the charming backdrop of cosy tea rooms, a traditional English guildhall and crooked houses are not to be missed on a picturesque UK staycation.

Rectory Manor offers world-class service and elegant rooms in Great Waldingfield. The manor features an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and spacious rooms with garden views for a taste of luxury in the English countryside.

Hay-on-Wye, Powys

This one is for all bookworms, bibliophiles and collectors. World-renowned as the “town of books”, the market village of Hay-on-Wye – on the border between England and Wales – not only boasts more than 20 bookshops, but also enchanting streets, galleries and Hay Castle. This literature hotspot and cultural hub has second-hand and antiquarian bookshops that open year-round, and its location on the River Wye means that you’re only a short stroll away from secluded reading spots hidden in the hills and woods of Brecknockshire.

If exposed wooden beams, stone fireplaces and a rich history are your accommodation desires, then The Old Black Lion Inn is just the place for you. A neighbour to the Lion Gate – an original access point to the walled Hay-on-Wye – and walks in the Bannau Brycheiniog, traditional rooms are the ideal space to cosy up with a good book.

Portree, Isle of Skye

The Isle of Skye’s capital, Portree, sits in a sheltered bay surrounded by rolling hills, walking routes and a beautiful loch dotted with boats. A former fishing town, Portree’s rustic harbour is lined with rows of rainbow stone cottages on the waterfront and is a popular base from which to explore the island’s fairy pools, dramatic rock formations and spectacular scenery. Head to Colour House Viewpoint, next to the Royal Hotel, at sunset for the best views across the bay.

A few steps from Portree Bay, Cuillin Hills Hotel boasts spectacular views, an award-winning restaurant, The View, and stylish decor in modern rooms. The calm atmosphere and various whiskies on offer make Cuillin Hills the perfect home-from-home stay on the Isle of Skye.

Enniskillen, County Fermanagh

The largest town in County Fermanagh has also been named the UK’s friendliest . Enniskillen’s welcoming waterfront setting is a particular attraction, with impressive history to be found in the 15th-century Enniskillen Castle as well as the Marble Arch Caves, which were formed over 340 million years ago and are part of an unmissable natural landscape of rivers, woodlands and waterfalls – all just a short journey from the centre of this Northern Irish jewel. In the town centre, the Enniskillen Buttermarket hosts local jewellers and cafes with Irish produce, and the idyllic area around Lough Erne’s two connected lakes is perfect for a long hike, relaxed stroll, or simple day spent getting away from it all.

Belle Isle Castle and Cottages offers guests a fully equipped kitchen, terrace and car rental service six miles from Enniskillen Castle. There’s the option to stay in courtyard and detached three-bedroom cottages, some with loch views and log-burning stoves. 

Whitby, North Yorkshire

Whitby’s quirky streets, lively harbour and moorlands are full of captivating character and charm. Pristine sands, the North York Moors National Park and the gothic Whitby Abbey on the East Cliff create a dramatic Yorkshire landscape that begs to be discovered – the pretty seaside town was even a setting for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In summer, Whitby ’s 21 golden beaches are a hit with holidaymakers, with several offering the quintessential British seaside experience – think coloured huts, ice cream vendors and fish and chips galore, all completed by the presence of pesky seagulls . Take a refreshing dip in the sea or catch your breath after taking on the 199 Whitby Abbey steps, which were originally used as a test of Christian faith.

The Horngarth apartment in central Whitby features a clean, spacious king room with a comfortable bed. Just metres from Whitby’s gardens, museums and train station, this is the perfect place to stay for a couple wanting a weekend away.

Beddgelert, Snowdonia

Beddgelert, a village built of stone in the heart of Snowdonia , is a spot of classic Welsh beauty. Its proximity to Snowdon, the Welsh Highland Railway and rocky slopes create a back-in-time feel in the picturesque streets. Rumoured to be named after the hound Gelert, a beloved Welsh folktale about Prince Llywelyn’s faithful dog, the town feels just as magical as its namesake. Arched stone bridges zig-zag across the River Colwyn, which you can cross on charming walks to blooming gardens and the Sygun Copper Mine.

Ty Afon River House has 12 cosy bedrooms, complimentary continental breakfasts and leafy gardens. The secluded country house includes a terrace with panoramic views of the North Wales scenery, and Snowdonia’s famous hiking trails are just a short walk from Beddgelert town.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

UK spot named one of top cities making the world a better place

The 10 standout destinations working for a sustainable future

The Global Destination Sustainability Index for 2023 has landed, revealing the most sustainable cities around the world – with one in the UK making the top 10.

The annual index looks at 69 different factors – such as recycling rates, air pollution levels, quantity of cycling paths and the percentage of hotel rooms that are certified eco-friendly – to pick out the ones doing the most to make the world a better place.

Gothenburg, Oslo, Glasgow and Bordeaux are a few of the eco-friendly cities in the spotlight this year, especially with the BBC , all praised for commitments to tourism and lifestyle factors affecting residents.

Sweden’s Gothenburg scoops first place again this year – following it topping the index every year from 2016 to 2021. Sweden's second-largest city has some pretty impressive green credentials, with a huge 95% of the city's public transport running on renewable energy, including electric buses. Likewise, the city’s airport has committed to a scheme of cutting and offsetting carbon emissions, while around 90% of hotel rooms are environmentally certified. It’s hardly surprising, then, that it’s one of the EU's 100 cities that plan to be climate-neutral by 2030.

Second place goes to Oslo, in Norway, where sustainability initiatives can be seen through its 270 city bike stations, 5,000 electric vehicle charging points and electric scooters. It’s a green city in more ways than one too, as 60% is – quite literally – made up of forest, while another 9% accounts for green spaces and parks. Tourists visiting the city can also find resources such as the Green Guide to help make more eco choices.

Copenhagen, Helsinki and Bergen make up the rest of the top five for 2023 – followed by Aarhus in sixth position, and Aalborg in seventh.

Scotland’s Glasgow takes eighth position on this year's index – the highest ranking UK city – but this hardly comes as a surprise considering it's been placed within the top 10 every year since 2016. Just last year, the city put in a low-emissions zone, restricting which cars can enter the centre to help tackle air pollution. Similarly, electric vehicle charging stations have been built, "smart" LED streetlights installed, and there's been a push for cycling with new hire schemes and bike paths in place.

This destination may be best-known for its wine, but Bordeaux is making waves in the world of sustainability, too. As well as ranking in the top 10 on the Global Destination Sustainability Index (in 9th position), the French city is the third highest-ranked sustainable destination on TripAdvisor. Self-service V3 bikes, electric buses, trams and river shuttles can be found throughout the city. As for the wine, around three-quarters of Bordeaux's vineyards and one-third of its tourism companies have been eco-certified.

Top 10 cities in Global Destination Sustainability Index 2023:

.css-1shyvki:before{background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:contain;background-size:contain;content:'';height:0.819rem;margin-bottom:0;margin-right:-0.9375rem;width:3.125rem;}.loaded .css-1shyvki:before{background-image:url('/_assets/design-tokens/countryliving/static/images/arrow.svg');}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1shyvki:before{display:none;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1shyvki:before{display:inline-block;}} Sustainable Living .css-c08pe1:before{background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:contain;background-size:contain;content:'';height:0.819rem;width:3.125rem;}.loaded .css-c08pe1:before{background-image:url('/_assets/design-tokens/countryliving/static/images/arrow.svg');}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-c08pe1:before{margin:0.7rem auto 0.9375rem;display:block;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-c08pe1:before{margin:0 -0.9375rem 0 0;display:inline-block;-webkit-transform:scaleX(-1);-moz-transform:scaleX(-1);-ms-transform:scaleX(-1);transform:scaleX(-1);-webkit-background-position:75% 0;background-position:75% 0;}}

7 principles of slow fashion and brands to know

The best plastic-free Easter eggs for 2024

The best eco-friendly linen bedding sets

How to embrace slow gardening in 2024

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2024: How to take part

25 ways to have a green, eco-friendly Christmas

12 best eco-friendly Christmas crackers

8 brands championing Green Friday 2023

23 eco-friendly stocking fillers

11 of the best eco-friendly Christmas wreaths

3 tips for supporting small businesses

The most beautiful under-the-radar tulip fields in the world

By Rebecca Cope

The Hermanshoff garden in the Rhine Valley in Germany

Like wooden clogs, Edam cheese and windmills, tulips are synonymous with the Netherlands.  Each year, the small European nation exports 2.5 billion tulips of over 8,000 varieties, with the value standing at 250 million euros. Tulipmania first swept the Netherlands in the 17th century, after they were brought here from Turkey (they are actually native to the Himalayas), with tulip bulbs worth more than gold. Though they aren’t so costly today, there’s no denying that they are still viewed as one of the most beautiful flowers , announcing the arrival of spring with a burst of colour. While a pilgrimage to Keukenhof is at the top of any anthophile’s to-do list, there are other places to see tulips that are just as beautiful. Here are 10 that are slightly off the tourist trail.

Badminton House, Somerset, UK

The gardens at Badminton House

The Duchess of Beaufort is particularly proud of her tulips, which are on display every April when the gardens open for the day to visitors (this year it will be on 21st April). She has cultivated various varieties, from the white Marilyns, with their pink seams, to lilac Ballades with their pure white edges, arranged in formal box hedges, walled garden cutting beds and terracotta pots.

Lolland Island, Denmark

Denmark’s fourth-largest island is home to its largest and most popular tulip fields. Due to the cooler climate in Scandinavia, the tulips here bloom later than in the Netherlands, so are ideal if you’ve missed April’s classic season.

Provence, France

While Provence is better known for its lavender, it also grows tulips, though it’s so under-the-radar that actually a lot of locals aren’t even aware of it. Dutch farmers outsource their bulb production to the region, so that no sooner are they blooming than they are beheaded so that the plants can concentrate on healthy bulb production. This means you have to be very specific with when you visit – one day they can be seen in their full majesty, the next, they’re completely gone.

Konya, Turkey

Tulips might be associated with the Netherlands, but they are actually native to Anatolia, or modern-day Turkey. This tulip field located 50 kilometres from the city centre of Konya has become a social media sensation in recent years, with tourists travelling far and wide to see its rainbow-hued blooms. The best time of day to visit is reportedly sunset, when the flowers are at their best.

Ottawa, Canada

By Eleanor Cording-Booth

By Serena Fokschaner

By Hatta Byng

Should you find yourself in Ottawa in May, then a visit to Commissioners Park is a non-negotiable, as it is here that you will find the annual tulip festival, which is free to all. The festival originated in 1945, when the Dutch government began sending a gift of tulip bulbs to Canada in recognition of two things: firstly, that the Dutch royal family had taken refuge here during World War II (Princess Margriet was even born here) and secondly that Canadian troops had played a key role in liberating the Netherlands.

Morges Castle, Switzerland

150,000 tulips, hyacinths and daffodils come together to make the annual Fête de la Tulipe on Lake Geneva one of the most stunning floral displays in Europe . Situated behind the chateau on the lake side, we can’t think of a more romantic backdrop, and it’s no surprise that it’s been dubbed a ‘mini Keukenhof’.

Srinagar, India

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar hosts the largest tulip festival in Asia, when thousands line up to see its 1.6 million blooms. First opened in 2017 as part of a tourism drive, it’s taken care of by a team of 105 gardeners, and saw a record-breaking 375,000 tourists visiting in 2023.

Kirna Manor Park, Estonia

In Estonia, Kirna Manor Park is renowned for its mythical healing qualities, but it’s also popular for its tulips, which spring up in May and fill the park with colour. Special photography areas have been set up amidst the flower beds, as well as benches, so that you can relax while you soak up their beauty.

Grevenbroich, Germany

Much like its western neighbour, Germany also has countless tulip fields, though it’s the Lower Rhine region that has the very best. Head to Tulpenhof Francken to see them for free, though make sure you get the address right - Google Maps updates it yearly in April as the fields have no fixed location and often move.

Meerdonk, Belgium

A really off-the-beaten track option, the border town of Meerdonk has a handful of beautiful tulip fields, though in order to protect the farmers, the exact locations are often not shared. If you do visit, then remember not to pick any – after all, this is akin to theft. If you’re itching to take some home, then head to Brussels, where they are available to buy at Ferme du Chant des Cailles.

More great travel stories from House & Garden

The 50 best restaurants in London right now

House & Garden's ultimate Greek island guide

The most underrated city breaks in Europe  

Glorious Scottish castles to rent for holidays

The most stylish hotels under £200 in the UK

10 cottages in the UK for a cosy weekend away

The best afternoon tea in London

A foodie guide to the Cotswolds

Lesser-known country gardens to visit all year round

The 13 best country house hotels across the UK

Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from House & Garden

By Advolly Richmond

By Antonia Bentel

By Noel Kingsbury

By Arta Ghanbari