RHS Harlow Carr Gardens

Our first impression of RHS Harlow Carr was how beautiful and peaceful it was. As a family, we loved seeing all the colourful flowers and open green spaces, which were perfect for sitting and having a picnic. It was really relaxing to walk around, and we liked that there was a café on site as well as Bettys next door. Overall, it was a lovely place to spend a few hours together.

The attractions at RHS Harlow Carr really made our visit enjoyable as a family. There are three natural play areas dotted around the gardens, which were brilliant and kept our daughter happily entertained throughout the day. We also loved visiting the beautiful Queen Mother’s Lake, surrounded by peaceful scenery and plenty of wildlife.

The woodland walks were another highlight, with a bird watching area where you can stop and take in the surroundings. There are lots of benches and open grassy spaces, making it easy to sit down, relax, or enjoy a picnic. If you fancy something to eat or drink, there’s an onsite café, and the famous Bettys Café Tea Rooms are right next door. Before leaving, we had a look around the lovely gift shop, which had plenty of unique gifts, plants and souvenirs to browse.

We really enjoyed trying both cafés during our visit. We had a hot drink from Bettys, which was lovely, and later treated ourselves to some cakes from the onsite café. The cakes were really nice, and there was a good choice of food and drinks available in the café. It wasn’t the cheapest, but it was a nice treat while we were there.