MARCH 2023
I always love to break up long travel days with an interesting half-way stop. On our travels from Harwich, where we arrived in the UK to York, we decided to stop at Burghley House & Gardens. I always love to visit English country homes, but I am mostly interested in the gardens. I love English gardens and I always take the inspiration home where our own garden is a work-in-progress.
Practical information
I had heard that the gardens were large, so we decided to buy tickets for just the gardens (13,50 pounds for adults). If you also want to visit the interior of the house this will cost 20 pounds per adult. Burghley House & Gardens is a private home, so unfortunately you cannot enter for free with a National Trust membership. The parking area is enormous and free and campervan accessible. We visited in summer and didn’t find the gardens too busy. In the gardens there is a little Garden Café where they sell cakes and sandwiches, the terrace was lovely and the food affordable (pictures below). Burghley House has an Orangerie restaurant, which looked stunning. You can visit this restaurant without paying an entrance fee for the house, which seems like a good deal.
Burgley gardens
Burghley House is famous for its original landscaping and they have several garden areas. I must admit I did not love Burghley’s gardens, having seen ones that I much prefer. The views of the house were lovely though and the vibes were really good.
Garden of surprises: In this area you will find funny elements, such as a maze and an interactive fountain. This garden is focused on being original and though I was surprised at the elements, I also found it a bit incoherent. It seems focused on children instead of garden lovers. It is currently being redesigned for the 2023 season.
Sculpture garden: This was an area of the gardens that I did really like, the sculpture garden was huge, taking you through forest paths where you could discover sculptures. It also featured a wildflower patch and it was a lovely area to escape the heat.
Gardens behind the Garden Cafe: Behind the Café you will find a dahlia garden, which of course was my favorite part of the gardens. They featured many lovely sorts and this area felt most like an actual English garden, with a feature wall and herbaceous borders.
South Gardens: The South Gardens feature a rose garden with roses by David Austin, however they are only open on certain times in the year, so we did not get to visit those.
