Stunning Gardens in North Devon

Castle Hill Filleigh Barnstaple

Situated less than 5 miles from the Hotel is Castle Hill, a magnificent Palladian house surrounded by an exceptional 50 acre garden. The Gardens include lavender edged herbaceous borders, a water sculpture and woodland walks with Daffodils, Bluebells, Camellias, Magnolias Azaleas, Eucryphias. To the east side of the house is the Millenium Garden designed by Xa Tollemache, a Chelsea Gold Medalist. The large herbaceous borders are edged with box and lavender and an illuminated "topiary" water sculpture was designed and built by Giles Rayner in 2002. From there the path takes you to the formal terraced lawns in front of the house where the eye is then drawn across a small country road by a tree-lined avenue towards the Triumphal Arch built as an eye-catcher.

Rosemoor RHS Garden Torrington

This enchanting 65 acre garden set in the beautiful Torridge Valley is open all year round, so whatever the season, Rosemoor is a unique place that people return to time and again for ideas, inspiration or simply to enjoy a relaxing day out.
Rich in variety, the Formal Garden demonstrates a wide range of plants and planting styles with plenty of ideas to inspire visitors for their own gardens. Other attractions include the Queen Mother's Rose Garden and the Shrub Rose Garden, Lady Anne's Original Garden, the Fruit and Vegetable Garden, the Arboretum, stunning Lake and Cottage Garden, as well as Woodland Walks. Careful planning ensures year-round interest and provides something for everyone to enjoy, whatever the season.

Arlington Court Barnstaple

Hidden in a wooded valley on the edge of Exmoor, the Arlington estate houses numerous extraordinary collections. The house is crowded with the treasures of the Chichester family, including a unique collection of model ships and an amazing assortment of shells. Rare and impressive 18th-century Beauvais Tapestries are displayed alongside the family's personal possessions. The 30 acres of grounds include the formal Victorian garden and a walled kitchen garden, which produces fruit, vegetables and flowers for the house and tea-room. The 2,700-acre estate is noted for its lichens and wildlife, and includes a heronry. A large colony of lesser horseshoe bats can be viewed live, roosting in the roof of the house, via the 'bat-cam' (May–Aug).

Knighthayes Court Tiverton

The house is a striking mix of medieval and Victorian Gothic. Beautiful landscaped gardens with formal terraces, topiary, lily pond, rare shrubs and trees, summer flowering borders, and attractive woodland walks lead through the grounds.

There is a Tea room/restaurant for you to relax in after a stroll around the gardens. Garden open Easter to Oct. House open April-Sept.

Chapel Wood Braunton

One of North Devon's best kept secrets, Chapel Wood, near Braunton, has a ruined chapel listed in the Doomsday Book and an ancient iron hill fort. This tiny, secretive woodland is a small reserve of mixed woodland and a fascinating place to visit.
The ruin of the chapel which gives the wood its name has a bench from which people can enjoy the peace and tranquility of the RSPB nature reserve. There are nature trails to follow around this charming and remote woodland. Without the distraction of traffic, alarms and other urban noise you can focus on the array of bird calls that fill the air as you wander round. If you choose a guided walk there will be an RSPB expert who can tell you what birds you are hearing.

Marwood Hill Gardens Barnstaple

A 20 acre garden with extensive collection of trees, shrubs, herbaceous and alpine plants first created in the early 50s by Dr James Smart VMH. Collected over a 50 year period, many of them are very rare. Three lakes, alive with ducks and multi-coloured carp, are linked by the largest Bog Garden in the west. Within the gardens there are many collections of plants. The large collection of Camellia numbers well over eight hundred different cultivars. These are grown in a large greenhouse as well as in various parts of the garden. Magnolias are a recent addition and there are over eighty, which are a striking feature in March and April. Betula, Eucryphia, Eucalyptus, Rhododendron, Hosta and Iris are strongly represented in the garden.

Heddon Hall Gardens, Parracombe. Located on the western edge of Exmoor National Park, Heddon Hall Gardens are now open on a regular basis and will appeal to every type of North Devon visitor. Jane Keatley has made the gardens very much a gardener's garden with rare species, ferns, shrubs and trees all thriving in their natural valley setting. The gardens are on the footpath network so could be 'walking stop' as much as a specific garden tour.

Docton Mill Gardens, Lymebridge Nr Hartland Situated in a stunning valley 1000m from the coast. The garden started in the 1930's but fell into disrepair until renovation started in the 1980's with extensive planting and the creation of a new Bog garden and borders and the planting of vast numbers of new trees. The start of the new Millenium saw the development of a new Magnolia garden with large herbacious borders, Woodland Garden and Greenhouse area.

Hartland Abbey & Gardens, Hartland The historic home of the Stucley family with its beautiful gardens and parkland setting leading to the sea. Gertrude Jekyll's winding paths lead through woodland gardens of rhodedendrons, azaleas, camellias and hydrangeas to the Bog Garden, the recently restored Victorian Fernery and 18thC Walled Gardens. The woodland walk, carpeted with bluebells in spring, leads to a spectacular Atlantic cove with views to Lundy Island.