Upcoming family activities and events

 

Children's trails for 2025

Every school holiday, there will be a children's trail to discover at Hidcote. Explore the garden with your family, find trail points and spot the wildlife. This year, the trails will all be wildlife-themed.

No booking required. Normal admission applies. For full info and trail prices, head to the Events page.

 

Winter Wildlife Trail

15 - 23 February

This February Half Term there's lots of fun for families at Hidcote.

Pick up a trail sheet from Visitor Reception and explore the gardens to see if you can find each of the little houses dotted around the site. Use your detective skills to work out which animal lives in each house, and find out what they get up to during the cold winter months.

£1 per child. Normal admission applies. No need to book.

Planning your family visit

• Free entry for under 5s.
• Baby-changing facilities, located in the Gardener's Courtyard.
• Limited access for pushchairs, prams and wheelchairs, due to small and uneven pathways. Please ask for a copy of our map at Visitor Welcome which includes the accessible route which takes in a third of the garden.
• Please note that there is no play area or play facilities located at Hidcote and that in the winter the lawns are closed for key lawncare to take place. Children's scooters, balls and bikes are not allowed in the garden.
• The wider estate at Hidcote is an active sheep farm, with livestock in the fields and working farm dogs, please keep dogs on leads when walking through the fields and car park. 

Notice Nature

 

Underwater world

The pools are teeming with an abundance of underwater creatures that can be seen swimming around. Protected species like great crested newts and the more common frogs and toads enjoy the quiet pools for feeding, breeding and raising their young. It's great to look out for these amphibious species but please refrain from throwing stones and pennies into the water as it's damaging to their habitat.

 

Nature spotting

The orchards and Wilderness at Hidcote are great places to spot the wildlife at Hidcote. But signs of our local nature can find found around every corner!

Sit and watch the birds in the New Orchard as they feed on our birdfeeders or on the windfall apples.

Listen to the Red kites flying high above the garden in the Beech Allee.

In the spring and summer months watch the newts in the Lily Pond before they move on to dry land for the winter. If you are lucky you may even spot our resident grass snakes taking a swim.

Look out for badge footprints or signs of squirrels hiding their nuts.

 

Take a moment in our Silent Space

We have partnered with Silent Spaces to provide a dedicated silent space in the garden, this is located in the Italian Shelter - please note that this space is located off of the accessible visitor route and has steps leading to it. Other quieter areas of the garden to enjoy are the Wilderness, Beech Allee, the Nuttery Orchard and the Old Orchard.

 

Local Walks

We have a selection of local walks which take in the wider Hidcote farm estate, or local villages and viewpoints. These walks cover a mixture of terrain, abilities and length. Please ask at the Visitor Welcome for a copy, or for advice on which would be the best fit. All walks start from our car park, we advise parking in the top car park (to the left as you come up the drive).

 

Picnic in nature

Pack a picnic and enjoy the lunch al fresco at the designated picnic area which has wonderful views out over Gloucester and Oxfordshire. You can always find a quiet corner in the garden to relax and unwind. Why not bring a book or newspaper, and while away the afternoon?

Free Wi-Fi is available in Winthrop's Café. Give surfing the web a whirl while enjoying a cuppa and slice of home-made cake.