Hestercombe Gardens Trust Review

Very nice place to visit,lovely to walk around the grounds and view the ornate as well as the more open woodland walks, shame the large waterfall wasn't flowing but there was plenty of other photo opportunities.
Can't comment on the cafe because no matter where you go there all a rip off so we take our own food/drink !!

A famy oriented place with beautiful gardens ,cafe,shop and various events throughout the year..

Very good children's trail taking us on a lovely walk round the gardens.

Great walks, very historic and interesting house, and the shop, plant centre and restaurant are very good. Worth a visit any time of the year

Visiting Father Christmas in his grotto castle turret was magical. Covid compliant but still a delightful experience for children.

Lovely walk around the estate grounds and gardens only 2 weeks after reopening after the shutdown. A bit for them to do to get it back to its full glory post lockdown, so very much looking forward to another visit next summer.

Very expensive to get in and staff were not able to sell it effectively. This is despite the reputation of gardeners Gertrude Jekyll and Sir Edward Lutyens.

Lovely walk around the gardens, followed by a wonderful lunch in the restaurant.

just love this place and its walks quite steep some of them but plenty of places to sit on the way around if you need too and going in the winter the waterfalls were in action too ,last time we went was in the summer and they were all dried up so was good to see them this time great second hand book shop too food great but again a tad expensive several places to eat there though .

Lovely place to visit, we are going to take a picnic there in the summer with the grandchildren, they loved the open space, was perfect for them to explore.

Lovely day out, pleasant walk around gardens followed by afternoon tea.

Lovely brooks and streams for little ones to play in

We went here on a very wet day but still really enjoyed it. This place is all about the garden.

It is the place for visiting. I really enjoyed this.Thankyou.

The gardens are a magnificent design. We were continually surprised by the views as we wandered the paths! Really a worthwhile visit.
Lots of steps without handrails, so this visit is not for those who have difficulty walking.

Well worth a visit. Liked the juxtaposition between formal gardens / house and modern art installations

Spent a few hours here exploring the beautiful gardens. Had lunch in the cafe, food was very nice, and there were jugs of water for your table if you wanted one. There is a second hand book shop within the house that is crammed full of all kinds of books. The art exhibition upstairs was interesting.

Had to book but worth a visit. Ordered cream tea !!

Very picturesque and have good cakes and drinks in there cafe.

Lovely place! Beautiful for walks and for people that love flowers and nature great place for photography with a restaurant and coffee shop too.

Fab gardens. Great cafe and its all dog friendly too.

A lovely walk through the gardens followed by a very tasty lunch sitting outside at the restaurant.

Gorgeous grounds with long walks, lots of secluded areas to sit and relax. Waterfalls, trees, formal gardens, lakes, views.
Not cheap to get in, but the yearly pass makes it great value if you are able to visit a few times.

Good. Clean. Coffee and cake = OK but some prices are a little high although I am assuming that the money is going to help up keep the estate, which is well worth a very pleasant walk with most of it invaled accessible.

Lovely garden walks through amazing surroundings. Restaurant over priced for what food you get.

Such lovely views and we went in winter we want to go back in spring/summer to see what its likes with all the plants and flowers out. We loved the forest walk and all the hidden treasures up the hill.

I loved Hestercombe. I was on a coach holiday and it was lovely and peaceful just wandering about.Amazing scones in the tea room. One lady brought hers back to coach and asked why they had grass in them. It was finely chopped chive or a herb.

Love hestacombe . Just a walk or lunch . Or just going for coffee .. the plants they sell are great . Well worth becoming a member ..

Superb stop and well worth it. So much to see and take in. An inspiration!

Lovely place to spend several hours. Delightful grounds and staff!!

nice place to walk and for pictures but bought a banana milkshake and it wasn t very good, the milkshake was warm

Would not like to pay full price, went on a Travelzoo offer.

Great day out, lovely varied gardens well worth a visit.

Enjoyed the ice (plastic) skating, happy faces from staff, all goes is here.

Love this place. My family and I have e been here on numerous occasions and always enjoy it.

Beautiful walks and excellent formal gardens, despite the reduced staffing level. The picnic area on the lawn, cafe level, is well socially distanced, with lovely views.

To be honest, it was more like going to a country park than a garden. The formal gardens where pleasant. However, lunch in the cafe was top notch.

Extensive gardens, excellent walks around the grounds, food a bit too elaborate & therefore quite expensive.

The grounds are beautiful. The cafe quaint. Had a lovely stone baked pizza. The strawberry cake was delicious. The milkshakes however were a let down. I had a banana milkshake which was warm and somewhat tasteless. The rest of the trip was worthwhile though. A great place to visit.

Love coming here with the dog, even the cafe welcomes dogs!

They have got some great views over the neighboring land and landscaped gardens

Great place to walk, nice time for the family with nice gifts shop and cafe

Great place for a garden adventure, play area and picnic for the children which is free. Cafe/restaurant is a bit expensive, alright if you just want a hot/cold drink and a cake.

Lovely gardens. Very hilly. Prepare to get out of breath.

Great day out for all the family, stunning gardens, lovely restaurant and really interesting history.

Excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Lovely landscaped gardens. At the rear of the house is a valley with ornamental stream pools and a waterfall. Several paths take you past different themed overlooks sited to make the most of the views of the valley and Taunton vale itself.
Surrounding the house are beautiful set piece formal gardens designed in such a way as to visually stretch towards the vale beyond. The flower beds are well stocked and maintained making the whole effect delightful to the senses.
The cafe is priced on a par with higher end local coffee shops and serves a variety of snacks and cakes. It also boasts a restaurant and art gallery. Lastly it has a shop filled with curios, plants and gifts.

Family visit after lockdown ....enjoyed the layout and planting. Clearer signage would be helpful as new visitors trying to follow one way system.

A hidden gem! Sympathetically restored gardens with superb views across Somerset countryside. A great range of different events taking place throughout the year. Annual membership available. Dogs welcome, even in The Stables.
Their restaurant, situated in the main House, is excellent with special attention given to presentation & service. Polite, helpful staff, beautifully prepared, delicious food - a special place to go.

Nice walks with lovely views. We went to see santa Christmas eve and was lovely all lit up

Lovely afternoon out. Great selection of Christmas ideas

The gardens are tranquil and beautiful but the house is disappointing.

We are members at Hestercombe and visit all the time to walk the dog, let the kids run off energy and stuff ourselves with tea and cake. A most stunning garden and now with the added bonus of the House being opened as a gallery! It means that even if you are caught out in a shower you have something to see. There is always something happening and the staff are fabulous.

The gardens and cafe lovely .dont bother at all with the house

The grounds were well maintained and very interesting, a mixture of modern installations like the witches hut added a unique twist to the place. The ponds were big and calm with fish and ducks and a beautiful waterfall. The house itself was very empty with not much history inside or information.
Entry was very expensive for what was there but the grounds were very nice to walk around

Great user experience - and friendly, helpful staff in a location of outstanding beauty.

If you want to see gardens this is the
Worst example in the south west
And is also very expensive avoid

Wow what a gem of a place to visit, we went last Thursday on the last day of our holiday. It was one of the best gardens we have been to.Staff were lovely and place covid secure. Only one negative, lady in the gift shop needed some till More

Great couple off hours spent wandering the gardens. Always worth a visit.

The gardens make for a really pleasant afternoon, very well kept. That afternoon tea is also particularly nice.

A fabulous place to visit even on the drizzle! A great contrast between the landscaped upper gardens and the formal gardens next to the house.

very beautiful place with nice shop and separate cafe, dog friendly throughout which is great and some good vegan options although their vegan recipes need a little work.... they had a delicious chai cake but was too dry I've done vegan baking and never made a dry cake.

Very expensive should have been a voluntary donation and funded by council

This is a great place to wonder around, relax and unwind. The cafe has good food at a reasonable price.

Fabulous mix of informal and formal gardens PLUS great place to eat.

Beautiful gardens and walk around the grounds. Lovely food in the house restaurant.

Peaceful gardens to walk in, great kids activities in the holidays

Beautiful natural gardens that restore the soul. The formal gardens are still a mass of vivid colour-stunning. Friendly and helpful staff and a great one way system with hand sanitisers to cope with Covid. Really interesting and relaxing day. Thanks.

Fantastic garden, i think the lack of visitors due to covid has made this place not the very best this year. Still its worth a visit with lot of friendly people and staff around. Hope it will go back to its former glory soon

My visit to hestercombe Gardens was delightful. I live not far from here and can't believe I haven't been before. There is lots to do here. The walk of the gardens were spectacular a real splendor for the eyes and regenerating for the soul. You can't help but smile the whole way round. Make sure you have at least 3/4 hours spare when coming as you will want to get in every site. Sit in every hand made hut along the way and grab some amazing photos for your social media. I highly recommend that you check this place out if you haven't already.

My favourite garden, well kept and on going restoration of Bamflyte 16th century mini Stourhead. Just a wonderful atmosphere.

We live close to Hestercombe so it's ideal for a spur-of-the moment afternoon out. Nice cakes in the cafe too.

Beautiful gardens with small lakes and ponds. Friendly staff. Nice cafe and facilities. Free parking.

Excellent for weddings and for me to walk two small dogs. The gardens are beautifully kept. My Granddaughter s wedding arrangements as provided by Hestercombe were superb; venue, food, service and staff could not be faulted.

We attended one of the pre-Christmas piano diner evenings, the food was very good however the rating for the evening has to be only 3 stars due the the gentleman at the front of house.
We were ignored, placed on the wrong table, had to move ourselves, ignored some more and finally when we left brushed aside and ignored again.
Other members of staff were good and when we had complained about the above we had the drinks cost removed from the bill, thank you but I would really of liked to just have the great evening it should have been!