Barnsdale Gardens
Barnsdale Gardens
4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Voted the UK’s Best Garden to Visit 2018/19, Barnsdale Gardens is an essential visit whether you are a gardener or not. Famed as the home of the BBC Gardeners’ World TV programme it has been dubbed ‘a theme park for gardeners’ because of its uniquely designed collection of 38 individual, yet realistic, small gardens that guide you round this 8 acre site. We have a great variety of garden areas, ranging from traditional English cottage gardens, to wildlife, Japanese and French, as well as spaces for growing vegetables and fruit. Our focus is on environmental and ecological gardening, so we garden using organic and peat-free principles. There are numerous courses and events running throughout the year, as well as our Summer Sundays taking place during July and August. Then there's our fabulous Chelsea Flower Show, Gold Medal-winning plant nursery to tempt you, while our Tea Room, serving locally sourced and freshly prepared food, is there to feed and revitalise you.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.0
811 reviews
Excellent
400
Very good
221
Average
100
Poor
65
Terrible
25

ninettejohnson
Woodford, UK120 contributions
Feb 2023
Explored the different garden’s & although it’s winter I could imagine the whole place in Spring. Our conversations with different gardeners made it more enjoyable as we learned valuable information regarding maintenance & caring for specific plants.
The nursery has wide range of plants with advice of which side of the garden to plant.
It also has good toilet & café facilities.
Written February 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Susan D
1 contribution
Jan 2023 • Couples
The gardens were fascinating to visit even in the depths of winter. We then had afternoon tea in the tea rooms and the vegetarian and vegan versions were superb! So often you get unimaginative options, but the vegan afternoon tea had a variety of sandwiches, a lovely sweet selection and scone
Written January 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

MBKOKent
Maidstone, UK450 contributions
Nov 2022
We usually visit once a month to see how the gardens vary from season to season. As members we only paid a fee at the outset and all further visits are free. Discount on plated food in the cafe for members.
Written December 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Eric Bryant
2 contributions
Oct 2022
Visited at the end of October 2022. May have picked a not so good time of year but photos from around this time on other years look beautiful. Sadly the gardens looked very neglected and the trip wasnt worth the entrance fee. The afternoon tea we had was lovely and the cafe setting and staff were first rate but this is the only part of the outing I would recommend. Even the plants for sale in the nursery looked pretty dead.
Written November 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Jacqueline B
Bedford, UK351 contributions
Oct 2022
We were staying near Long Bennington in October and noticed months ago that they had a special 2 hour walk through the grounds with the owner Nick Hamilton, to include breakfast, so we booked it.

They were serving breakfast from 9.30 to 10.30 and it was delicious, we then all gathered outside. We were then guided through all the beautiful different gardens, explained why they were built by his late father, what was planted in them, and answered any questions we had. The gardens were featured in the TV programme "Gardener's World" to begin with. The tour was very interesting, informative and entertaining, well worth the cost. The autumn colours were stunning.
Written October 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Cheekycockney190757
Basildon, UK8,348 contributions
Jun 2022
Visited on Saturday 11th June 2022 Convoluted route to get here and the lack of signage on the way and the small car park/shop and cafe made us think there may not be much to see but as there were 38 show gardens it blew us away. The first and last stop was the tea room (also known as death by pine). No condiments still and when asked I was given 1 sachet of salt but it's only a minor gripe. After touring the gardens we returned to the tearoom and sat outside in the area adjacent/immersed in the garden which was much better. The gardens themselves are advertised as the largest set of show gardens in the country and it's not hard to believe as unlike many formal gardens these are set up as if at a major flower show like Chelsea but are permanent. The distinct nature of the gardens and diversity of planting/layout and structure blew us away. Worth many revisits.
Written October 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

KatieLiz58
Northamptonshire, UK16 contributions
Sep 2022
Came back for a second visit this year as the changing seasons alter your experience every time.
Still lots of colour and architectural interest in the gardens and an abundance of fruit like I've never seen before, Wow the apples and pears were so large the gardeners certainly have green fingers!
All the staff were nothing but courteous so a relaxing and inspiring afternoons visit.
Even bought my first Christmas present from the small but well stocked shop.
You don't have to be a professional to enjoy Barnsdale.
Written September 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Jocura
Gloucester, UK152 contributions
Sep 2022
This is a marvellous garden, one the best we've visited in the UK. And the lunch was good too. Highly recommended.
Written September 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Rosemary S
12 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
I visit the gardens regularly and absolutely love the changes throughout the seasons. There is always something new to see each time we come, and inspiring ideas for our own garden. The staff are really friendly and helpful, the tearoom is fab and the nursery is well-stocked - the best thing is we always come away smiling.
Written September 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

NorthStar160196
3 contributions
Sep 2022 • Family
Avoid a man called Nick who wears a badge 'I'm the Boss' - he might be the boss but he is very rude and agressive! Apparently he is Nick Hamilton, so, he is the Boss, but he needs to learn about customer relations or give the job to someone who does.
We innocently enquired about a statement in the Rutland Open Studios booklet - stating Free Entry to Barnsdale Gardens and were subjected to a 10 minute tirade about it not being free entry and shouldn't have been printed without his authority.
Fair enough! But it wasn't our fault and I don't think he should have reacted like he did!
RUDE!!
Written September 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Barnsdale Gardens (Oakham) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Barnsdale Gardens

Barnsdale Gardens is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM