Holehird Gardens

These Leonard Cheshire gardens are in a beautiful setting, above Windermere and with views of the distant hills. The walled garden planting is stunning with each bed laid out in different colour schemes.

A donation of £5 is requested as grounds are all maintained by volunteers which was very fair.

Allow an hour to walk around (you can also visit the local high woods or tarn below the gardens if you wish).

No cafe facilities available (but toilets are open).

Entry is via quite a steep narrow lane. Pull up to the electric gate in your car and it will open automatically).

We planned to visit Holehird Gardens on a Wednesday because, during the main season, a guided walk is provided by one of the volunteers. We were lucky to catch the final one of the season, with a delightful lady who took us around for about an hours and a quarter, telling us the history of the gardens and the Horticultural Society as well as pointing out plants, shrubs and trees of significant interest.

Autumn flowering plants were a delight to see on a warm, sunny day

Coffee and tea are available, but no food.
A donation is requested for visits - £5 per person appears to be an acceptable amount.

A fabulous hidden gem that is away from the crowds of the Lake District especially when visiting in the summer.

The gardens are very impressive, so full of colour and the plants are all labeled well for easy identification. It is so peaceful and tranquil, with many benches to sit and enjoy the views of Lake Windermere and the surrounding fells.

The volunteers have done an outstanding job and seem very dedicated and passionate in what they do. The suggested donation to enter is well worth it.

100% recommend stopping here, you won't be disappointed!

If there is a must see garden when you are in the Lake District, then this is it. No entrance fee as such though they ask for £5 per head as a donation. The gardens are maintained by volunteers of the Lakeland Horticultural Society, and the love and attention shown is self evident. I have been here Spring, Summer and Autumn and there is always plenty to see. This is very much a plantsman’s garden.

Delightful gardens, quiet and peaceful, maintained to a very high standard. In addition to the attractive walled garden with good alpines and herbaceous there are lovely gardens up a slope with astilbes, hostas and similar, all in very good condition. Good "plant stall" with good quality plants grown on site at reasonable prices

Have been encouraged to visit here by several friends and at last we have! The gardens are a credit to all the volunteers who keep these gardens immaculate. There are several national collections here, one of which is the stunning Astilbe collection. The paths lead you into differing seasons and collections, the vistas are stunning taking in lake land fells, mountains and the mighty Windermere!
The walled garden is an explosion of colours and variety of plants and flowers. It really must be seen to appreciate this delightful garden. It is free to enter but donations are very much appreciated and needed for the upkeep of the grounds.
I applaud the hard work and dedication of the team of volunteers. This place would not exist without their hard work. Thank you all.

Very well-maintained with plentiful labels to help you identify the plants. Allow plenty of time to wander round the many different parts, including the rock garden and National Collections. No pre-booking required, but masses of space so no worry about distancing.

What a lovely place to come, at all times of the year. The snowdrops and daffodils are delightful in the spring, along with the azaleas and rhododendrons, though the alpines and rockery plants aren’t dong much yet. Lovely to see the immaculately-tended glasshouse in the walled garden too. Later in the year it’d be the astilbes and meconopsis (national collections) I’d be looking forward too, and the hostess, and the walked garden, but I’d be happy to be here at any time. It’s clear the gardens are much loved - and lovingly and knowledgeably tended, and it’s impressive to see how it’s still developing and how new areas and beds are still being created. The hot drinks machine and the friendly volunteers were a bonus too, in a chilly spring morning. Very highly recommended - and it’s in a great spot too with views right across to many of the fells to the west.

I am not in love with gardens, and normally just follow my wife dutifully. But these were a cut above the rest. Pretty plants and flowers, against a backdrop of mountains and the lake. One of my best garden trips to date and my wife said she was in heaven. We had many chats with the volunteer staff who were friendly and informative. I am disabled and the staff pointed out the best routes. There were also so many benches to rest at. Not so large that you feel you can’t see it all, but varied enough to make sure you do see it all.

We took a homemade picnic and had a wonderful time eating it on one of the many well appointed benches. Proof indeed that you don’t need a cafe/restaurant to make a garden worth visiting (and that is high praise indeed coming from someone whose first words in a garden usually are “When can I have tea and cake?).

Lovely lovely must see destination!

It has been quite a while since I last visited Holehird Gardens and it was so lovely to see it again. The volunteers are AMAZING and the day I went must have been a volunteers work day as there were soooo many of them and all working extremely hard.

The gardens themselves are lovely and even though many things have now gone over there are still things to see. It is so peaceful too despite there being quite a lot of people around.

I was a little disappointed to see that the fountain no longer works and probably hasn't done so for some time. However it certainly doesn't detract from the visit.

I, with my husband, actually made it down to Holehird Tarn for the first time ever and there two swans happily swimming on it. Care is needed when visiting here because it can be very slippery and is quite rocky in places. You only catch glimpses of the tarn due to the vegetation but it is so beautiful.

I would like to see a small café here so you can get some simple things like coffee/tea and cake, however there are many places not too far away to go.

I would recommend a visit, especially I think during the Spring and Summer months when all the flowers are in full bloom - but there is always something to see. I would say about 2 hours would be enough for the visit but there are benches if you want to just sit and enjoy the peace and stay longer.