Gardens of Britain

British gardens are reputedly amongst some of the world’s most beautiful, and with the Great British Heritage Pass you can experience many of these stunning UK landscapes for yourself. From formal English gardens to wild Scottish gardens, Britain has something for every green fingered traveller.

Scottish Gardens

Begin your tour of Britain’s gardens at Drummond Castle Gardens in Scotland, one of the finest formal gardens in Europe.  It is an extraordinary parterre garden with elaborate formal designs, backed by woodland and overlooked by a fine castle. 

Head towards the west coast of Scotland to Crarae Garden, a Himalayan-style hillside garden with a diverse collection of trees and shrubs.  The garden was started by Grace, Lady Campbell in 1912 and includes a National Collection of Nothofagus, or southern beech, as well as superb examples of Acer, Sorbus, Eucryphia and Eucalyptus.

Arduaine Garden is an 18 acre garden perched on the windswept coast of Argyll in the Western Highlands of Scotland.  The garden includes rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, Blue Tibetan poppies, giant Himalayan lilies and Chatham Island forget-me-nots.  Arduaine takes you on a horticultural journey across the temperate world.

English and Welsh Gardens

Biddulph Grange Garden introduces you to England’s stunning gardens.  Biddulph Grange is an exciting and rare survival of a high Victorian garden, which includes tunnels and pathways leading the visitor on a miniature tour of the world.  There is an Egyptian court, elegant Italian terraces, and a unique oriental pagoda garden with its own Great Wall of China.  There is even an upside down tree! 

Next go west into North Wales to visit Bodnant Garden, situated across the river Conwy with stunning views of Snowdonia.  It has huge Italianate terraces and formal lawn on its upper level, and a wooded garden, stream, and wild garden below. 

In the south of Wales you’ll find Colby Woodland Garden, set in a tranquil and secluded valley.  It has one of the best collections of rhododendrons and azaleas in Wales, and there are open and wooded pathways through the valley to enjoy the scenery. 

Once you are finished in Wales, head into the Heart of England and visit Westbury Court Garden, the last formal Dutch water garden remaining in England, and reputedly home to England’s oldest evergreen oak. 

Go into Southern England and you’ll discover Stowe Landscape Gardens, a garden full of mystery and hidden meanings, and one of the first and foremost of the great English landscape gardens.  The garden has over 40 monuments, temples, and secret corners, as well as ornamental lakes and wooded valleys. 

Next head off to Bath and the Prior Park Landscape Garden, which includes fantastic views of the city, as well as an ornamental Palladian bridge, one of only four in the world. 

Stourhead awaits with its enchanting temples and monuments.  There are also mature woodlands with a collection of exotic trees, and tranquil lakes.  It is a site of breathtaking beauty throughout the year.

Head south west into Cornwall and Trebah Garden, considered to be the garden of dreams and rated among the 80 finest gardens in the world.  This sub-tropical paradise is home to a unique collection of rare and exotic plants, trees and shrubs winding down to a private and secluded beach on the Helford River. 

A tour of England’s gardens would not be complete without a visit to Sissinghurst Castle Garden, one of the world’s most celebrated gardens.  Designed by writer Vita Sackville-West, the garden is set within the grounds of an Elizabethan mansion, and visitors can enjoy lakeside and woodland walks all year.