Essential Information for Group Leaders
This information is designed to make your visit as safe and enjoyable as possible. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve this, please tell us!
Booking
It is imperative that coach parties book in advance of their visit. Please get in touch via the Contact Us page.
Arrival
Coaches are advised not to enter the property through the main entrance gate. There is a sign, ‘Coaches’, which directs the coach to a second drive with a wider entrance. Please follow these signs and drive right down to the main house where your driver will be shown where your coach should park.
Please ensure that on departure the coach follows the same route out and doesn’t attempt to use the front gate.
The Garden
The Group admission rates for 2023 are:
Adults £ 10.00
Children £3.00
The group rate is applied for groups of 20 or more when one payment is received on behalf of the whole group. If your group is less than 20 then the standard charge of £11.00 for adults is due.
We suggest that you allow one and a half hours for your visit. Extra time should be made for a visit to the tea-room and to browse the plant stands.
The garden is set on two different levels. The route between the upper garden and the lower garden contains several paths, which some visitors will find too steep to tackle. Sensible walking shoes are recommended. We suggest that visitors who have any doubts about visiting the lower garden walk to the terrace in the Four Square garden and look down to the lower garden where they can assess the descent for themselves.
There is an illustrated Guide book for sale (£5.00) at the entrance desk and in the shop which gives the history of the garden and a guide to each garden. A Plant list with all the shrubs and plants is also available (£4.00).
The Tea Room
Please contact us if you wish to make a booking for your group for either lunch or tea.
Toilets
The toilets are located in the courtyard behind the coach park. The entrance to the yard is through an archway and is clearly signed.
Plants for Sale
Plants grown in the garden and propagated in our own nursery are available to buy. The selection changes frequently and we are unable to despatch by post. Members of staff will give advice on any of the plants being offered. In addition we offer a range of seeds, all of which have been collected in the garden.
Shop
The small shop next to the plant sales area offers a range of garden related gifts.
Facilities for the Disabled
The gravelled surface in the car park can be difficult for wheelchair users and make access difficult. The garden does contain many changes of level but wheelchair users with some mobility will be able to access about a third of the garden. A map showing the easiest route is available free of charge at the entrance. We do not have any scooters or wheelchairs available for hire. The nearest adapted toilets are at Hidcote NT gardens half a mile away. A ramp is available for wheelchair access to the tearoom.
Group Leader
We offer complimentary entrance to Blue Badge guides and leaders of parties of 20 or more. On arrival, please collect the entrance tickets before unloading your group and distribute them to your visitors as they leave the coach. All they need do is show it at the garden entrance to gain entry. Tickets should be retained for multiple entry (Toilets are outside the actual garden!). There is a small map of the garden on the reverse of the entrance ticket.
A Safe and Enjoyable Visit
Inevitably there are dangers lurking in every garden. It is best to remind your visitors of some of them.
Some of the plants growing in the garden are poisonous and can produce rashes if touched or ingested. Taking cuttings is strictly not allowed.
The swimming pool and the new pond are both deep. There is a buoyancy ring next to both features but visitors are requested not to swim or paddle.
Some of the paths are uneven and can become slippery when wet or very dry. Sensible shoes are strongly recommended.
Additional Information
Picnics
Picnics are not allowed in the garden. There is a picnic table on the lawn next to the drive beyond the main car park.
Other places to visit
We are spoilt with interesting and unusual places to visit within easy striking distance. Hidcote Manor Gardens, Batsford Arboretum, Mill Dene and Bourton House are gardens reached easily from Kiftsgate. Other places of interest include Court Barn Museum in Chipping Campden, Compton Verney and Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.
Contact numbers
If you are running late, please leave a message on our answering machine 01386 438 777.
Satnav
Our postcode is GL55 6LN.