Batsford Arboretum & Garden Centre

About

Batsford Arboretum dates back to the late 1800’s when the 1st Lord Redesdale – Grandfather to the infamous Mitford sisters – created a wild garden influenced by his time spent working for the foreign office in China and Japan. Today, Batsford is home to a unique collection of some of the world's most beautiful and rare trees, shrubs and bamboos spread across 60 acres and is run by charitable trust, The Batsford Foundation.

Enjoy early colour from the snowdrops, spring-flowering bulbs and spectacular Japanese flowering cherries; escape the heat under the tree canopy in summer and prepare to be amazed by the outstanding autumn colour!

If visiting the arboretum inspires you, chances are you’ll find most of the plants available to buy at Batsford Garden Centre, a haven for garden and plant lovers! Enjoy a delicious breakfast, lunch or coffee at the Garden Terrace Café and catch some retail therapy at the Arboretum Gift Shop.

The Café, Garden Centre and Gift Shop are all wheelchair friendly and there is disabled parking available. Batsford offers less able visitors greater access to the Arboretum thanks to our all-terrain vehicle called the Tramper.

Visitors can hire one of our Tramper for a single two-hour slot only at 10.00am, 12.00pm or 2.00pm each day.We provide a short training session for Tramper users to ensure they’re comfortable using the Tramper before they set-off into the arboretum. 

Please note, the following requirements are essential for your safety when using a Tramper:

- The maximum weight to operate a Tramper is 25 stone (159kg).

- You should be able to read a vehicle number plate from a distance of 6 metres and have no significant visual impairment that would prevent you from reading safety signs, avoiding obstacles or other hazards

- You should have sufficient upper body strength, upper limb mobility and hand dexterity to grip both Tramper handlebar grips securely and operate the twist grip

Tramper hire costs £3 per session (plus arboretum entrance fee). Members of the Countryside Mobility scheme can hire our Tramper for free, just paying the normal concessionary entrance fee. To book the Tramper, please call us on 01386 701441.