Blow away the cobwebs and enjoy a refreshing walk in a frosty garden.
At the National Trust we’ve got plenty of great places to explore during the winter months, with some of our most spectacular landscapes looking their best at this time of year. Spend time with family or friends, see things from a new perspective and make your winter warmer afterwards seem all the more delicious.
Here’s our pick of the top ten gardens to enjoy the crisp winter weather in:
Anglesey Abbey, Garden and Lode Mill, Cambridgeshire
Measure up next to Corinthian columns in the Temple Lawn or walk the atmospheric Emperors’ Walk and spot the statuary spying on you. But don’t forget the winter garden, with some 150 species of plants it’s an oasis of colour and scent.
Top Tips
We’ve got some great tips on creating your own winter garden, including ideas from Anglesey Abbey, in our book ‘Gardening Secrets: from National Trust Head Gardeners,’ – available from most online bookstores.
Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire
There are over 3,000 acres of green open space to enjoy at Clumber. Why not wrap up warm and discover more on your bike (there’s over 20 miles of cycle routes). Or take things a bit easier with a stroll down the longest lime tree avenue in Europe.
(Cycle hire weekends only)
Dinefwr Park and Castle, Carmarthenshire
Get to know the superb 18th-century landscape on one of the five walks through the estate. Spot rare and historic White Park cattle in the medieval parkland and enjoy the majestic views.
Enjoy more time with us.
Set in the grounds of the ancient Dinefwr Park, Dinefwr’s holiday cottages enjoy stunning valley views and are within striking distance of Llandeilo. Choose between Home Farm Farmhouse with its white washed walls and exposed beams and the quirky Penparc cottage with its snecked masonry walls and hipped terracotta roof.
Home Farm Farmhouse sleeps 12; Penparc Cottage sleeps 8.
Find out more at www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk
Dunham Massey, Cheshire
Enjoy the seven acre winter garden – the largest of its kind in the UK. With over 700 different plant species and a further 1,600 shrubs, there’s plenty of colour and scent to enjoy in this unique garden.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Yorkshire
Explore the extensive ruins of the Cistercian abbey and discover the elegant temples, neo-classical statues, canals and moon shaped ponds of the Royal Water Garden. A World Heritage Site, the breathtaking views will capture your imagination in the wintertime.
Holiday Cottage
Stay just a mile from the ruins in the converted eighteenth century farm buildings at How Hill. Situated around a courtyard, the five cottages sleep between two to six people. Or for a bit more luxury stay within the Jacobean mansion, Fountains Hall and enjoy use of the summerhouse and walled garden after hours.
Cottages sleep between two and six; apartments sleep three people each.
Find out more at www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk
Killerton, Devon
Discover a green oasis just 8 miles from Exeter, making it the perfect pit-stop en route to and from Cornwall. Take a stroll and enjoy far-reaching views towards Dartmoor and Haldon Hill or discover the ice house and rustic summerhouse known as the ‘Bear’s Hut’.
Take a break.
Make a weekend of it in one of Killerton‘s thatched holiday cottages. Perfect for large
Groups, guests will enjoy the original open-beamed ceilings, inglenook fireplaces and latticed windows. There’s also the Forest Cottage tucked away in the woodland on the estate.
Cottages sleep between four and six people each.
Find out more at www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk
Mottisfont, Hampshire
Created in Spring 2010, the new winter garden sits in the grounds of the estate, inspired by the watery surroundings of the tranquil River Test. Over 5,000 new plants and shrubs and 60,000 bulbs have been planted on this third of a hectare site, which will provide colour and scent throughout the winter months. Highlights include a 3-dimensional outdoor plant sculpture for visitors to wander through, and the central feature of ground cover representing a river, breaking into rivulets as it flows around groups of closely-clipped box plants, shaped to resemble rocks in the stream.
Rowallane Garden, County Down
Feel inspired by this enchanting garden’s dazzling array of exotic species from the four corners of the globe. Discover the walled garden, the electric blue bandstand in the Pleasure Grounds and enjoy a tranquil walk around the famous Rock Garden Wood.
Stowe, Buckinghamshire
Experience the satisfying ‘crunch’ of walking on frosty grass in this unique landscape garden that includes wide open spaces, wooded valleys, and ornamental lakes. With spectacular views, hidden corners and over 40 temples and monuments, Stowe is the perfect spot for a winter’s walk.
Stourhead, Wiltshire
Discover the magnificent Stourhead estate set around a huge lake, scattered with classical and gothic buildings. Visit the circular temple dedicated to Apollo, find peace and quiet in a mystical grotto or explore the woods and gardens on foot.
(House opening hours limited)
Get away from it all.
Right beside the entrance to the world-famous gardens is 89 Church Lawn. With walks from the door and a roaring fire in the sitting room this stone cottage is perfect for large families looking for a cosy country bolthole.
Sleeps seven.
Find out more at www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk
For more information on fantastic National Trust gardens, be sure to check out our new, free gardens iPhone App available for download in the iTunes store which lists all our garden properties, providing overviews, photographs and seasonal highlights.