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Parks and gardens
National parks, country parks and well-known parks and gardens near our destinations. Each entry links to the official page, which has current opening and access details.
National parks
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National park · near Bannau Brycheiniog
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park
Welsh national park, formerly known as the Brecon Beacons, that the authority says became an International Dark Sky Reserve in 2013.
Official page for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (opens in new tab)
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National park · near Aviemore
Cairngorms National Park
The UK's largest national park at 4,528 sq km, set up in 2003, with nine National Nature Reserves and 55 Munros. A fire byelaw applies from April to September.
Official page for Cairngorms National Park (opens in new tab)
The Scottish Highlands guide · Walks in the Scottish Highlands
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National park · near Eryri and Conwy
Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park
Wales' largest national park at 823 square miles, with nine mountain ranges and 74 miles of coastline, according to the authority.
Official page for Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park (opens in new tab)
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National park · near Windermere and Keswick
Lake District National Park
Protected national park and World Heritage Site with 16 large lakes and about 2,177 km of public footpaths, according to the authority.
The authority's site links to an Accessible for all page and Miles without Stiles routes. Source (opens in new tab)
Official page for Lake District National Park (opens in new tab)
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National park · near Glasgow
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
Scottish national park around Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, with walking, cycling, boating and loch cruises. The authority is based at Balloch.
Official page for Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park (opens in new tab)
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National park · near Pembrokeshire coast
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Coastal national park in West Wales, home to a 186-mile Coast Path, seven islands including Skomer and Ramsey, and the Preseli Hills.
Official page for Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (opens in new tab)
Country parks
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Country park · near Enniskillen and Lough Erne
Castle Archdale Country Park
About 520 hectares of mixed lowland forest on Lough Erne, reached through the country park, with waymarked walking and cycling trails from the parking lot by the castle ruins.
Official page for Castle Archdale Country Park (opens in new tab)
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Country park · near Newcastle
Castlewellan Forest Park
Forest park of 450 hectares north of the Mournes, with a lake for fishing and canoeing and an arboretum and walled garden open daily from 10am to sunset.
Official page for Castlewellan Forest Park (opens in new tab)
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Country park · near Swanage
Durlston Country Park
National Nature Reserve and part of the Jurassic Coast above Swanage, with Durlston Castle, coastal walks, seabirds and guided trails. Open daily.
The official site has an access-for-all page and accessibility guide; read it for details. Source (opens in new tab)
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Country park · near Newcastle
Tollymore Forest Park
Almost 630 hectares at the foot of the Mournes, with the Shimna River, old stone bridges, an arboretum from 1752 and four waymarked trails.
The nidirect page lists accessible facilities for disabled visitors. Source (opens in new tab)
Parks
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Park · near Bristol
Ashton Court Estate
Estate of about 850 acres of woodland and grassland, mostly free to enter, with three parking lots and National Cycle Route 33 passing through.
The council says there are two accessible restrooms, disabled bays in each parking lot, a cobbled courtyard, and limited wheelchair access to the formal gardens. Source (opens in new tab)
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Park · near Cardiff
Bute Park
Grade I listed park behind Cardiff Castle with an arboretum of over 3,000 catalogued trees, a visitor center, three cafes and a Champion Tree Trail.
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Park · near Edinburgh
Holyrood Park
Royal park dominated by Arthur's Seat, with crags, Dunsapie and Duddingston lochs and St Anthony's Chapel ruins. Free audio guide and BSL guide available.
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Park · near Cambridge
Jesus Green
Open parkland by the River Cam with avenues of plane and horse chestnut trees, public grass tennis courts, a play area, a skate park and a lido.
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Park · near Buxton
Pavilion Gardens
Landscaped Victorian gardens of 23 acres dating from 1871, with play areas, a miniature railway, a boating lake and a retail arcade.
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Park · near Liverpool
Princes Park
Grade II* listed park in Toxteth with a fishing lake, playground and 5k route. Entrances are on Princes Road, Windermere Terrace and Belvidere Road.
The council page says the Friends of Princes Park produced a map showing accessible paths. Source (opens in new tab)
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Park · near York
Rowntree Park
Council park with an ornamental lake, tennis courts, skate park and reading cafe. It opens at 8am daily except Christmas Day and can close when river levels are high.
The council says the park has mostly level paths with easy access, and AccessAble has guides for the park and cafe. Source (opens in new tab)
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Park · near Bath
Royal Victoria Park
Park opened by Queen Victoria in 1830 below the Royal Crescent, free and open at all times, with botanical gardens, play area, cafe and duck ponds.
The council describes the park as wheelchair accessible, with a large, slightly sloped green. Source (opens in new tab)
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Park · near Liverpool
Sefton Park
Grade I listed park of about 235 acres opened in 1872, with a boating lake, Palm House, cafes and entrances from Lark Lane and Aigburth Drive.
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Park · near Liverpool
Stanley Park
Grade II* listed park of 111 acres between the Liverpool and Everton grounds, with the Isla Gladstone Conservatory, rose gardens, lakes and a playground.
Gardens
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Garden · near Cambridge
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
University garden with living collections, a herbarium, seed bank and national plant collections. Tickets are booked online and opening hours are listed on the site.
Official page for Cambridge University Botanic Garden (opens in new tab)
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Garden · near St Austell, Cornwall
Eden Project
Charity-run gardens with two large Biomes (rainforest and Mediterranean) and outdoor gardens. Tickets, opening times and seasonal events are on the official site.
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Garden · near Windermere
Holehird Gardens
Ten-acre fellside garden above Windermere run by the Lakeland Horticultural Society, a registered charity, with views over the lake and the fells.
The site says the gardens have a new network of accessible paths on the fellside. Source (opens in new tab)
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Garden · near Worsley, Salford
RHS Garden Bridgewater
One of the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens. The official page gives the address (M28 2LJ), opening times and ticket types, and says booking online in advance saves money.
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Garden · near Harrogate, North Yorkshire
RHS Garden Harlow Carr
One of the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens. The official page gives the address (HG3 1QB), opening times and ticket types, and says booking online in advance saves money.
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Garden · near Chelmsford, Essex
RHS Garden Hyde Hall
One of the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens. The official page gives the address (CM3 8ET), opening times and ticket types, and says booking online in advance saves money.
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Garden · near Great Torrington, Devon
RHS Garden Rosemoor
One of the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens. The official page gives the address (EX38 8PH), opening times and ticket types, and says booking online in advance saves money.
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Garden · near Woking, Surrey
RHS Garden Wisley
One of the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens. The official page gives the address (GU23 6QB), opening times and ticket types, and says booking online in advance saves money.
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Garden · near Edinburgh
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Charity that runs four gardens, of which Edinburgh is one, alongside science and conservation work. The Palm Houses have reopened and tickets are bookable on the site.
Official page for Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (opens in new tab)
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Garden · near Kew, Richmond, London
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Botanical garden and research institution in south-west London, a public body sponsored by Defra. The official site refused our automated reader, so check it directly for tickets and opening times.
Official page for Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (opens in new tab)
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Garden · near Falmouth
Trebah Garden
Garden at Mawnan Smith near Falmouth, run by a charitable trust, listed among the Great Gardens of Cornwall, with its own beach.
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Garden · near Oxford
University of Oxford Botanic Garden
Founded in 1621 and described by the site as the UK's oldest botanic garden, with over 5,000 plant species. Harcourt Arboretum is a sister site.
Official page for University of Oxford Botanic Garden (opens in new tab)
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Sources
Every entry was checked against the official page linked from it on the date shown. Opening times, charges and access change: check the official page before you visit.
- Lake District National Park Authority (opens in new tab). Authority homepage: World Heritage Site status, lakes and footpath figures, accessible routes links. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Eryri National Park Authority (opens in new tab). Authority homepage: size, ranges, coastline. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (opens in new tab). Authority homepage: Coast Path length, islands, Preseli Hills. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority (opens in new tab). Authority homepage: park name, Brecon Beacons former name, dark sky reserve. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Cairngorms National Park Authority (opens in new tab). Authority homepage: size, 2003 establishment, reserves, Munros, fire byelaw. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (opens in new tab). Authority homepage: activities, sites named, authority base. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Liverpool City Council: Sefton Park (opens in new tab). Council page: listing, size, features, entrances, opening year. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Liverpool City Council: Stanley Park (opens in new tab). Council page: listing, size, features, address. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Liverpool City Council: Princes Park (opens in new tab). Council page: listing, features, entrances, accessible paths map. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- nidirect: Castle Archdale Forest (opens in new tab). nidirect page: area, trails, location, islands, occasional forest-work closures. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Bristol City Council: Ashton Court (opens in new tab). Council page: size, admission, parking lots, bus and cycle routes, disabled access. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (opens in new tab). Official homepage: four gardens, charity status, Palm Houses reopened, ticket booking link. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Bute Park (Cardiff Council web team) (opens in new tab). Park website (footer credits Cardiff Council Web Team): listing, arboretum, facilities. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- nidirect: Tollymore Forest Park (opens in new tab). nidirect page: size, features, trails, open all year, accessible facilities. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- nidirect: Castlewellan Forest Park (opens in new tab). nidirect page: area, lake, arboretum, walled garden, opening, vehicle charges exist. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Trebah Garden (opens in new tab). Official homepage: location, charity status, Great Gardens of Cornwall, beach page. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Cambridge University Botanic Garden (opens in new tab). Official homepage: collections, booking, listed hours, accessibility page link. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Cambridge City Council: Jesus Green (opens in new tab). Council page: features, lido, address. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum (opens in new tab). Official homepage: founding year, oldest claim, species count, Harcourt Arboretum. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Durlston Country Park (opens in new tab). Official homepage: designations, castle, features, open daily, accessibility guide link. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Buxton Pavilion Gardens (opens in new tab). Official homepage: size, 1871 date, features; admission not stated. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Holehird Gardens (Lakeland Horticultural Society) (opens in new tab). Official homepage: size, operator, views, accessible paths. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Historic Environment Scotland: Holyrood Park (opens in new tab). HES page: features, address, audio and BSL guides, closure-page pointer. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- City of York Council: Rowntree Park (opens in new tab). Council page: facilities, opening, access, flood closures. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- Bath & North East Somerset Council: Royal Victoria Park (opens in new tab). Council page: opening year, free entry, facilities, wheelchair access. Checked on 2026-10-25.
- RHS: RHS Garden Wisley (opens in new tab). Address and postcode GU23 6QB; 'book online in advance and save' wording; opening times and tickets on the page. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- postcodes.io (ONS postcode data) (opens in new tab). Map point is the centre of postcode EX38 8PH, not the garden gate. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- RHS: RHS Garden Harlow Carr (opens in new tab). Address and postcode HG3 1QB; 'book online in advance and save' wording; opening times and tickets on the page. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- RHS: RHS Garden Bridgewater (opens in new tab). Address and postcode M28 2LJ; 'book online in advance and save' wording; opening times and tickets on the page. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- RHS: RHS Garden Hyde Hall (opens in new tab). Address and postcode CM3 8ET; 'book online in advance and save' wording; opening times and tickets on the page. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- RHS: RHS Garden Rosemoor (opens in new tab). Address and postcode EX38 8PH; 'book online in advance and save' wording; opening times and tickets on the page. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- Eden Project (opens in new tab). Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes, outdoor gardens, charity status, ticket and opening-times pages. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- Wikipedia: Eden Project (coordinates) (opens in new tab). Map coordinates. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- Kew Gardens (not read: access refused) (opens in new tab). Official site link only; it returned HTTP 403 to our reader. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- Wikidata: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Q18748726) (opens in new tab). Map coordinates. Checked on 2026-11-02.
- Wikipedia: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (opens in new tab). Public body sponsored by Defra; botanical research and education institution. Checked on 2026-11-02.