Things to see and do at The Weir Garden

A mother and her two children excitedly observe from a window at the bird hut in the Weir Garden. — A family in the Bird Hide at The Weir Garden | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris

Discover the 10-acre site at The Weir Garden, split between the natural riverside garden and the productive walled garden and glasshouse. Here’s what to look out for when you visit, from views over the Wye Valley to an unusual walled garden, as well as the wildlife that visit and call The Weir Garden home.

Summer wildlife in the garden

From June onwards the garden is alive with all sorts of wildlife. With warmer weather and longer days, there's plenty to see and explore.

Butterflies and beasties

The garden is a haven for bees, butterflies and mini-beasts; we plant a large variety of wildlife-encouraging flowers as well as leaving large parts of the garden natural with all sorts of wildflowers and long grass. If the trees in the garden need a branch removing, we’ll leave the bark where it drops, as long as it is safe to do so, as a home for mini beasts.

Inside the walled garden the herbs and shrubs encourage hundreds of bees, we even have our own hives here and sometimes sell honey on site. This year the garden has hosted hundreds of tent caterpillars; an incredible sight which will stop you in your tracks.

Birdlife

All the insects in the garden encourage many bird varieties in summer. Surveys show we have over 70 species of birds visiting the garden. Over the summer, many of the birds will be feeding their young; you can see them in the garden collecting worms and bugs as well as seeds from the feeders. Birds of prey circle the wider fields and if you’re lucky, you may spot a buzzard, red kite or sparrowhawk hunting. On the river, look out for mallards, mute swans and goosanders daily and keep your eyes peeled for more unusual birds passing through.

Mammals

The Weir consists of many small winding pathways. As you wander around keep your eyes peeled for scurrying rabbits and mice. Don’t forget to look up in the trees for squirrels, you’ll quite often hear them before you see them. We’ve also had otters visit the boathouse over the years. These elusive creatures are rarely seen, but sometimes caught on camera very early in the morning.

With so much nature to spot, join us again and again as you look for something new to spot and enjoy creating new memories with loved ones over the long summer days.

Picnic spots

Choose between a riverside picnic with beautiful views, dappled shade, riverside views packed with wildlife and a natural play area, or head to the walled garden for a picnic spot surrounded by summer flowers.

Explore the garden's historic features

The riverside garden covers the area between the mansion house and the River Wye. The mansion is now a private nursing home, but the views from the top path take in the broad Wye Valley as it meanders across rural Herefordshire.

The boathouse

Built in 1920, the boathouse is hugely significant at The Weir, being one of only a few to remain alongside the Wye today. The boathouse is constructed from reinforced concrete and was cast in situ, with the retaining wall also built around the same time. Look out for otters that have been visiting the boathouse.

The rockery

Highly fashionable during the 1920s, rockeries were alternative and attractive features for the garden. Many exotic trees were planted around the small pools and the mossy rocks provide a cool, damp setting for nature watching.

Rustic hut

Built by Roger Parr in the 1950s, it was designed as a fisherman’s hut, a sheltered place to sit and enjoy the spectacular views in bad weather. The materials were locally sourced or from the estate and the hut was designed to blend in with the surroundings.

The floor is made up of river cobbles, white quartz and horses’ teeth. Look out for the teeth that were used to form a letter ‘P’ for Parr. The walls are made from rough elm timbers and the seat has been decorated with split birch to give it a truly rustic appearance.

A woman inside a small wooden and stone structure with cobbled floor, leaning down to look beneath a wooden bench — Visitor exploring the rustic hut | © National Trust Images / Paul Harris

See what's growing in the walled garden

The walled garden at The Weir was designed by Humphry Repton and is a short walk through the orchard, past the sheep field until you reach the red-brick wall with the wooden door.

Just outside the wall you’ll see the early Georgian cold frames, which have been fully restored, then step through the big wooden door into a secret garden.

Unlike a standard walled garden, this one has just three sides to make the most of the sunshine and to enjoy the views of the River Wye. You can buy the home-grown goods, straight from the garden.

The glasshouse

The crown of the restored walled garden is the 1920s glasshouse. Built in the 19th century by the same company that built Queen Victoria’s glasshouses, Foster & Pearson, it sadly fell into disrepair for over 50 years.

Thanks to our supporters, it was sympathetically restored, but now requires further conservation work so is closed for the time being. Work will continue until late autumn; why not take a look and see the work in action on your next visit? Records show the glasshouse was used all year round to grow mushrooms, asparagus and rhubarb, being forced over winter and the gardeners still plant in the same format today.

Inside the Foster and Pearson Greenhouse in the garden at The Weir, Herefordshire — Inside the Foster and Pearson Greenhouse at The Weir Garden | © National Trust Images/David Sellman

Take a stroll through the parkland

Enjoy a mile-long, circular walk around the parkland at The Weir Garden, exploring the rich history of the wider estate, discovering the huge variety of wildlife, and taking in the sweeping views over the Herefordshire countryside. The parkland walk starts near the welcome board in the car park.

Click here for more information about The Weir's parkland walk.

Go wildlife watching

Bird watching

Over 70 species of birds have been recorded at The Weir Garden, and the Bird Hide is the perfect place to sit and watch. We get woodpeckers visiting and nesting in springtime; great spotter, lesser spotted and green woodpeckers have all been recorded here over the past year.

A firm favourite with visitors is the kingfisher which can be spotted throughout spring, summer and autumn, darting up and down the Wye with a brilliant flash of blue. The garden is abundant with various finches throughout the year; look out for bullfinch, goldfinch, chaffinch and greenfinch.

Otters in the garden

Resident otters have chosen their spot at The Weir. Tiny footprints have been spotted along the riverbank and inside the boathouse. Shy creatures, they have only been spotted once or twice, but the footprints keep appearing, showing they’re still active.

Restoring priority habitats

Thanks to the support of National Highways, we are embarking on a new project to restore over 65 hectares of priority habitat at The Weir Garden. By restoring meadowland, wood pasture, broadleaf woodland, and traditional orchards, we'll create a mosaic of diverse habitats for wildlife.

If you're visiting ask the team about this new project.

Priority habitat restoration