Bicton Park Botanical Gardens.
This garden has over 60 acres to explore. It has lots of lawned areas,
as well as elegant water features, fragrant English borders and Formal gardens.
You can look through the 19th century Palm house, which is home to a big collection of exotic
and tropical specimens. This is one of the wonders of the last millennium and is housed under 18,000
pieces of glass, it is 20 years older than the Palm House at Kew.
Also take a look at the House of Shells, the romantic Hermitage, the Secret Garden, the lake, streams and woodlands.
Another attraction there is the Lost Treasures of the Countryside which is a big indoor hall packed with
old traction engines, vintage machinery, tools, tractors, domestic memorabilia and lots of
Victorian artefacts.
For a small extra charge you go on the train that takes you around the Pinetum, the gardens up to the Hermitage and back again.
For the kids there is a park, a miniature village, a large climbing camp and acres of informal gardens to play and do some exploring in.
There is also a new nature trail, the Bigfoot maze, mini golf, and a children's
football pitch.#
And if after all that the little ones want to play some more there is an indoor play area that has bouncy castles and ball pits etc but this is for the under 5's only.
There is a restaurant, gift shop and a garden centre to buy plants from.
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Where To
Leave the M5 at junction 30, follow the brown signs, travel east for about 7 miles to the village of Newton Poppleford. Turn right, heading south on the B3178. Bicton Park Botanical Gardens is about 2 miles on the right, just after Bicton Agricultural college.
Opening Times
Summer = 10am until 6pm, Winter
= 10am until 5pm. Closed on Christmas Day.
