Oct 29

Oct 29 The Savill Garden - a glorious hidden gem

Oh I do love the power of social media. When I posted about my visit to the Henry Moore Studios and Gardens on Instagram, and asked for suggestions for other Covid-friendly days out, one of my lovely followers suggested I should get myself to the Savill Garden in Windsor, which is currently looking especially spectacular in its Autumn finery.

So that’s exactly what I did. And boy was she ever right!

Walkway across one of the two lakes at the gloriously autumnal Savill Garden

This magical garden set in a small valley in the heart of Windsor Great Park was commissioned by George V and created in 1932 by Sir Eric Savill. Its beautifully landscaped 35 acres are divided into differently planted areas, which include woodlands, two lakes, an award winning temperate greenhouse and formal gardens, so whatever time of year you visit there’s always plenty to captivate you.

One of the woodland areas of the gardens

The formal garden with its boat bow shaped viewing platform

I could wax lyrical about the the myriad of different trees, plants and flowers you can enjoy as you stroll along the well-maintained paths which make the whole site wheelchair and buggy accessible (you can also dive off across the grassy areas and down untended paths - this is a place delightfully free of ‘Do Not….’ signs), but Heyday regulars will know that my lack of horticultural knowledge is matched only by the delight it gives me looking at what I’m incapable of identifying.

Just because I don’t know what it is, doesn’t mean I don’t love it!

I can tell you that this is clearly a place that’s close to the heart of Her Majesty the Queen. Over the years she has opened the Temperate House, the Golden Jubilee cottage garden and the Rose Garden and donated plants gifted to her after a visit there, for the planting of the New Zealand garden.

Inside the award-winning Queen Elizabeth Temperate House

And I can also report that the sinuously designed, wildflower-edged Visitors Centre houses an excellent shop, which also sells plants, and cafe (only doing table service with a reduced menu at the moment) and that there’s a large car park (free to Savill Garden visitors - you get your entry ticket stamped) from which you can also enjoy extensive walks in Windsor Great Park.

The wave like roof of the Visitor Centre, with it’s surrounding wild flower meadow

The Savill Garden is open all year round. Admission is by ticket only and these can only be bought on-line, so make sure you book before you go. They’re restricting admissions at the moment, but I booked for a Sunday only three days before and I didn’t have any problem getting tickets. There’s no timed entry, so once you have a ticket you can go any time on the day it’s valid and stay all day if you want (when the weather is good enough, you can picnic in the grounds). All the information you need is on the Visit Windsor website.

Thanks to the diversity of the planting and the gorgeous landscaping, this is a special spot that will reward and delight you whatever time of year you visit. But if you can catch it before all the autumn leaves fall, do!

Any other great day out recommendations? As you can see, I do follow them up!