Forde Abbey House & Gardens
Medieval monastery and gardens with beautiful planting.
4.6
from 972 Google reviews
1 of 4
Love plants? So do we.
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About the garden
Opening times
The gardens will be open for snowdrop weekends in February Open daily from 1st Mar - 31st Oct, 2022 10.30am - 5.00pm
Useful details
Garden area
30 Acres
Dog walking
Yes - Dogs on leads.
Cafe or restaurant
Food and drink facilities include a cafe/restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.
Family
Yes - Children of all ages.
Bicycle storage
Yes - Yes - You can lock up your bike.
Wheelchair access
Very accessible (all paths flat and paved).
Shops
Yes - There is a gift shop and plant shop.
Weather forecast
Find the garden
Things to see
No features yet for this season
Google reviews
4.6
from 972 Google reviews
Jane Hiscock
a month ago
5
We visited on an extremely hot but breezy day. Very few people. The gardens were well kept as always. Beautiful borders. The kitchen garden packed with growth. Always exciting when the Fountain explodes into the sky. Perfect blue backdrop. Friendly staff. I thoroughly recommend visiting.
Paula Colbourne
2 months ago
5
Nice visit here with my friend, lots of space to wander around, some stunning gardens and very well set out, fascinating building as well, lovely to step back in time. The food was really lovely in the coffee shop, I had the leek and potato soup which tasted homemade (but wasn’t advertised as such)
David White
2 months ago
5
We only visited the gardens. Very peaceful midweek. Dog friendly everywhere, except the house itself, which doesn't allow pushchairs either. I presume wheelchairs and walkers are OK. One of our party got around the garden as far as the big pond (and back) with a 4-wheeled walking aid. The gardens are colourful and very well kept, although there were some very noisy chainsaws at lunchtime. There are extensive lawns but also very well planted gardens and borders. Several scenic lakes, each with their own character. The tearoom is good, limited choice of tasty paninis and sandwiches. Dogs allowed indoors, which is spacious. The Eele pottery, and gift shop, are well stocked, the plant centre is bigger than some garden centres, moderately priced with a wide variety variety of healthy plants. Parking is free and there's plenty of space.
siobain duckworth
4 months ago
4
The gardens are magnificent and a pleasure to spend time in, so I don't mind paying £12.50 towards their upkeep. Make that £15 if you visit the house, which I found a bit gloomy and the information sheets few and far between. There was also an exhibition of wedding dresses which I found detracted from the overall pleasure, they were everywhere and would I feel have been better relegated to one large room. Finally to the cafe. We all know the cost of living has rocketed but £7.50 for a sandwich with some lettuce and tomato garnish! and finally, not to use real butter, spoiled the pleasure of otherwise good ingredients. It was pretty gloomy there as well, a few well placed lights would have made the whole experience much pleasanter, and with a garden overflowing with flowers, some on the tables would have made all the difference.
Maggie Whitlock
11 months ago
5
We love these gardens so much we bought a season ticket. So much to see and forever changing with the seasons. There is a cafe but take a picnic and enjoy it sitting by the lake. The house has an interesting history and well worth a visit. But nothing compares with walking around those beautiful gardens. Closed from November until March but open for Snowdrop weekend in February.