A Day Trip to Hestercombe Gardens

Are you and your family are thinking about a glamping holiday in Somerset?

We've got a few ideas of days out for you: one of which is Hestercombe.

We are incredibly lucky at Somerset Yurts, to be very close to a number of fabulous places to visit. The closest to us is Hestercombe Gardens, as its woodland comes right up next to our farm, and is viewable from the yurts - in fact you'll watch the sun set over Hestercombe Wood :)

There are 50 acres of woods, lakes, streams and gardens to explore - great for families with little adventurers, or a romantic walk for couples. There are always lots of events on, such as Butterfly walks, family trails, garden tours etc. (see the notice board in our barn for the seasonal timetable, or their website).

The gardens were originally created in the 18th century, and have been meticulously restored over the last 20 or so years, to their former glory. The formal gardens are widely acknowledged to be the greatest example of Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens. There are lots of educational elements, so you can learn about the masses of resident wildlife, discover how to identify native trees and plants, or explore the mill and see how the previous residents of Hestercombe made electricity, milled flour and crushed apples! Mmmm, cider anyone?

We had a lovely couple of hours there with our young boys, Will and Tommy - a spot of lunch in the lovely Stables Kitchen, which was very child friendly with plenty of highchairs, a kids menu, and colouring paper and pencils (a Godsend whilst waiting for the yummy food!) - they are also dog friendly. Free wifi was also a bonus for the adults!

After lunch, we headed out into the gardens, William armed with the map and a colour chart to see how many colours we could spot around the place. There were also wildlife checklists and a range of fab activities to help inspire the kids on their explorations!

Hestercombe is open all year round 10am to 6pm - last entry 5pm (4pm in Winter)

The Stables Kitchen is open 10am to 5.30pm (5pm in Winter)

Prices:

Adult: £14.50

Child under 4: free

Child (4-15) £7.25

Family Ticket (2 adults, up to 4 children): £21.60 and £36

Good to Know:

• Under 7's play area
• Free entry to Stables Kitchen and shop
• All ability access route through the gardens - buggy friendly!
• Picnic area
• Free Public WiFi (if you really do need to plug back into real life ;-) )
• Lovely garden shop for green-fingered people :)

If that looks like something you'd like to see, check our booking page for availability.