Visiting Downhill Demesne: What you need to know

We’re really looking forward to welcoming you back. We’ve worked hard to reopen Downhill Demesne and we want to keep it open for you and everyone to enjoy. We'll need your help to do so.

How to book

Before setting out

We’re all in this together. If you’re showing any of the symptoms of coronavirus, or if you’ve been in contact with anyone that has the virus in the last 14 days, please don’t visit.

You can cancel your visit in advance by telephoning the box office on 0344 249 1895 The centre is open 9am - 5.30pm from Monday to Friday and 9am - 4pm on weekends and bank holidays. Unfortunately we cannot take or cancel bookings at the property. 

Arrival

Your booking offers access by car at the time shown on your ticket. We've set up a system to check your ticket and guide you through on arrival. Please have your ticket to hand to show to staff through the car window. Members will also need to show their membership card.

Arriving on time allows us to provide you and everyone with the safest possible experience. Sadly, if you’re more than 10 minutes late for your slot, then entry will be at the discretion of the property team.

Facilities 

The grounds and gardens are open for you to enjoy. Car parking and toilets with access is also available. You'll find bottles of hand sanitizer and sinks for hand washing. 

Sadly, we’re not able to open everything at once. We’re sorry but Hezlett house, cafe, shop and play area remains closed.

During your visit

To help keep everyone safe, please follow social distancing and government guidance when you visit.  We may need to make some changes to the usual routes to help keep you safe. Please look out for signs while you’re here which will explain any changes to how you can access different parts of the site. Our staff will also be on hand to guide you and answer questions. Please follow their instructions.

Our grounds and gardens are looking lovely, but we’ve had a severely reduced team at the property for many weeks so they may not be  as well-groomed as you might expect them to be. Please bear with us as we do what we can as soon as we can.

You are welcome to pack a picnic. Picnic tables are available appropriately spaced. Please respect other visitors and staff, by using bins and taking excess litter home with you.

We're currently not able to loan wheelchairs or mobility scooters. Benches are located around the site for visitors to rest as they walk.

Children must be supervised at all times.

Dogs are welcome but please keep them on a short lead at all times.

Enjoy!

Above all, enjoy your visit. We are delighted to welcome you back. We are so thankful for your support as we work through these unprecedented times and make this gradual transition a success, so we can get back to offering nature, beauty and history for everyone.

How to book

All visitors must book a ticket in advance, including members. Entry and parking is free for members, but please bring your membership card with you. Non-members will need to pay in advance.

• Please book one ticket per person, except for children aged 5 or under as they don’t need a ticket.
• You’ll need to choose a 30-minute arrival time for the day you want to visit.
• The timeslot is for your arrival time only 
• Tickets are for your use only and are not available for resale
• We'll send your booking confirmation by email. Please make sure you fill in your correct email address when you book to ensure you receive your confirmation email.

Every Friday we'll release new bookings for visits the following week. You can book up to 18 hours before a timeslot. 

Due to limited spaces, we’re asking that you only book once a week to allow others a chance to visit.

Help support key workers

To say thank you to our nation's key workers and all they have done for us, we're encouraging visitors to keep the first and last slots of each day free for key workers to use. While we are unable to 'reserve' these slots exclusively for key workers, we hope you will join us in thanking them by leaving these times free. If you or someone in your group are a key worker, please take the opportunity to book these early and late timeslots.