Eastcote House Gardens
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Pinner
What it’s like
Free gardens with a meadow ecology trail, a bug hotel booklet to fill in, and a walled garden with a Tudor dovecote to poke around.
The best free day out is the one where the kids have a job to do. Eastcote House Gardens gives them several. There's a Long Meadow Ecology Trail with seasonal trail guides and a downloadable map, a wildlife images trail that runs through the gardens, the meadow and down the River Pinn, plus a tree trail. Pick the one that suits the walk you fancy and it turns a wander into a hunt.
The booklets are the clever bit. A Bug Hotel creatures booklet, a Prairie Garden booklet and a Herb Beds booklet mean there's something to read and tick off rather than just look at. Save the Tudor dovecote, stables and walled garden for last, because it's the bit that sticks with them. The dovecote only opens on selected dates, so if that's the reason you're going, plan around it rather than turning up hopeful.
Entry is free for everyone, and picnics are welcome, which makes it a cheap afternoon. There's a Gardens Café on site if you'd rather not carry sandwiches, normally open 8.30am to 4.00pm Monday to Saturday and from 10.00am on Sunday. Café enquiries are handled in person at the counter, so don't bank on ringing ahead to ask about the menu.
You'll be outdoors the whole time, so it's a fair-weather plan in the truest sense. A couple of hours covers the trails and the walled garden nicely, longer if you've got a bug-obsessed six-year-old who wants to read every page. The gardens are owned by Hillingdon Council and looked after by the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens, a volunteer group, which explains the booklets and the trails.
Facilities
Need to know
- Food
- One on-site café, the Gardens Café, normally open daily (later start Sundays)
- Picnics
- Welcome – the gardens are described as ideal for family picnics
- Worth knowing
- Free admission for everyone – a free day out
- Grab the downloadable map before you set off so the trails make sense on the ground
- Bug Hotel, Prairie Garden and Herb Beds booklets are separate from the trails, so ask which ones are going
- Owned by Hillingdon Council and run by the Friends volunteer group
- Café enquiries are in person only, so sort any questions at the counter
Plan your visit
How much does it cost to get in?
Nothing. Admission is free for everyone, and picnics are welcome if you want to keep the day cheap.
Do we need to book?
No booking needed. You can just turn up and pick up a trail.
What is there for kids to actually do?
Trails with guides and maps: a meadow ecology trail, a wildlife images trail through the gardens, the meadow and the River Pinn, and a tree trail. There are also bug hotel, prairie garden and herb beds booklets to work through.
Are the trails finished at a set time?
No, but the Gardens Café shuts at 4.00pm, so the afternoon has a natural end.
Can we eat there?
There's a Gardens Café on site, open 8.30am to 4.00pm Monday to Saturday and from 10.00am on Sunday. You can also bring a picnic.
How long should we allow?
About two hours for the trails and the walled garden. Longer if your kids get stuck into the booklets.
Is the dovecote open when we visit?
It opens on selected dates only, along with book sales. The walled garden and stables are part of the site whatever the day.
Can I ring the café to ask something?
No, café enquiries are handled in person at the café. The one useful rule to know before you go.
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