What a treat to get some sunshine for our visit to Harlow Carr today. These beautiful gardens were able to show off their spectacular Autumn colours, and we could enjoy them at our total leisure! Jess was entertained throughout with an Autumn I Spy activity, so was on top form… meaning we all had a great day.
Website: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr
Parking: It was a busy day, but there was plenty of parking in the three free car parks. Alternatively, you can walk through the woods from Valley Gardens in Harrogate; map here 👉https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/pdf/harlow-carr/harlow-carr-map-of-walks.pdf
Pushchairs: There are surfaced paths around the gardens.
Facilities: Good facilities, although be warned the two Betty’s tea shops had long queues.
Things to see
The gardens are predictably gorgeous, with lots of different areas to explore. The kitchen garden is a great place to start, and it’s lots of fun guessing what everything is (to be fair me and hubby struggled at times!)
Another highlight is the woodland walk, not least because of the beautiful colours at this time of year. This part is not marked as wheelchair accessible on the map, but was fine for our pushchair. After the recent rain there was also plenty of opportunities to jump in the mud!
Around the lake and the Lakeside gardens are just stunning. Until 10th November, Harlow Carr are hosting Seventy Days of Sculpture, and the lakeside provides a focal point for some of the fantastic pieces on display.
The Streamside walk is lovely to take in and wonderfully calming!
Activities for children
On entry we picked up an Autumn I Spy leaflet which was fantastic for Jess, keeping her entertained the whole way round the gardens. We didn’t have a pen to tick off the things she saw, so we just used mud rubbed in the boxes (which was an activity in itself)!
The play areas are small, but enough to keep little ones entertained, with obstacles to climb, balance and swing on.
Dotted around the gardens there is plenty to keep interest and to look at!
If like us, you enjoy a good picnic, there are picnic benches around the two play areas, and covered benches at the Teaching Garden. I’d definitely recommend taking something with you if you go at a weekend. We had stuff for Jess, but had planned on enjoying Betty’s… but the queues looked pretty long and with James screaming we couldn’t face waiting!
So overall, a lovely day! Whilst entry isn’t cheap, if you plan on returning, annual membership works out a decent price, and with changing activities and events throughout the seasons, it would be a good investment.
