Winter in Surrey
Polesden Lacey
The formal gardens at Polesden Lacey take on a quiet charm in winter, with their stone walls and topiary. While the views from the south lawn are glorious in the winter light. There are plenty of walks to try on the wider estate.
Winkworth Arboretum
Laced with frost and dotted with unusual winter blooms, Winkworth Arboretum becomes a secret haven during the colder months. Wrap up warm and discover 149 acres of understated tranquility in this fascinating wintry woodland.
Hatchlands Park
Get your boots on, grab the kids or the dog, and head to Hatchlands for wonderful walking. Open every day of the year, we’ve got great waymarked walks for you to follow or just pick up a map and find your own path.
Claremont Landscape Garden
Shake off the winter gloom with an invigorating walk around Claremont's historic royal landscape. Say hello to the waterfowl braving the cold, admire the huge eighteenth-century grass amphitheatre and warm up with a slice of delicious cake and coffee. It's a lovely place for a romantic walk.
Spring gardens in Surrey
Claremont Landscape Garden
Spring offers the chance to stroll through corridors of rhododendrons, feed tiny goslings, and make the most of the longer days in this historic royal pleasure ground.
Polesden Lacey
This seasonal guide shows the best places to catch tulips, blossom, wisteria and bluebells in our gardens at Polesden Lacey and the wider estate.
Hatchlands Park
Little Wix Wood at Hatchland Park is one of the finest bluebell woods in Surrey. This quiet patch of ancient woodland was first recorded in the Chertsey Chronicles during the 13th century. Take the Wix Woods Walk, following the blue way-marker posts, to get there.
Winkworth Arboretum
On the Bluebell Walk, the woodland floor comes alive with breathtaking fields of purple in the springtime. These mostly native bulbs are one of Winkworth's most famous and beloved sights.
Summer in Surrey
Polesden Lacey
Polesden Lacey's glorious double herbaceous border is at its best in September. Take inspiration from the kitchen garden and the cutting garden where flowers are grown for vases in the house.
Claremont Landscape Garden
With its picturesque views and leafy lime walk, Claremont Landscape Garden is a breath of fresh air in summer. Enjoy the sparkling light on the lake and a special season of programming about Princess Charlotte, who lived here during the Regency era.
Winkworth Arboretum
Make the most of the warm days and find a route through the fascinating woodland of Winkworth. This unfinished hillside masterpiece boasts 121 acres of exotic shrubs, trees and flowering herbaceous plants.
Autumn in Surrey
Winkworth Arboretum
Winkworth is the National Trust’s only arboretum and it is famed for its autumn colour. During our busy autumn season (27 Sept to 21 Nov) advanced booking is needed to guarantee entry. The whole hillside at Winkworth Arboretum lights up in a kaleidoscope of colours in autumn. Acers, katsuas and maples are the stars of the show, while the liquidambar leaves turn crimson, orange and purple. The Dr Fox Autumn Amble is a winding walking route that takes in 10 colour bursts of the most technicoloured corners of the arboretum at this time of year.
Polesden Lacey
Polesden Lacey’s 1400 acre estate is home to 200 acres of ancient woodland, framing breath-taking views. The trees knit tunnels of yellows, browns and reds, casting an autumnal glow along the route. The views from the South Lawn at Polesden Lacey, are particularly stunning in autumn. While in the the orchard, just beyond the formal garden, branches are laden with apples. A little known part of Polesden is the pleasure ground. With its amazing views over Ranmore Common and secluded walks through the Upper Sunken Garden or Preserve Copse, it’s a perfect place to enjoy the variety of colour in autumn.
Hatchlands Park
With waymarked walks to suit all abilities, enjoy a leisurely stroll through the parkland at Hatchlands this autumn. Delight in the vibrant red of the native wild service trees and the glorious mass of gold and yellow foliage of the beech woodland. Hatchlands has many ancient and notable trees including the boundary oak and twisted sweet chestnut. Later in autumn, the majestic oaks in the parkland turn to shades of amber, cinnamon and burnt umber.
Claremont Landscape Garden
Autumn brings beautiful and varied colours to Claremont with spectacular views from all around the lake, from high on Stoney Hill and from Camellia Terrace. Look out for the 300-year-old sweet chestnuts and lime-lined avenues, which light up in yellow. Duck under the canopy of the lakeside tulip tree and you’ll find yourself in a world of bright, beautiful yellow foliage.
Six things to see on an autumn woodland walk
An autumn woodland glowing with colour and rich with the smell of damp earth is a wonderful place to be. National Trust Ranger Chloe Bradbrooke suggests six mini wonders of nature to look out for on an autumn woodland walk.
