The Courts Garden, Holt

We’ve had some amazing days out recently. Whilst we were away in Wiltshire we visited the beautiful gardens at The Courts in Holt near Bradford upon Avon. This place has been on our list for ages so I was really happy that we finally managed to visit.

As I get older(!) I find I appreciate gardens a lot more than I used to. My children seem to enjoy the gardens more than looking round historic houses, and since the National Trust provide so much for children to do, I knew we would all enjoy ourselves.

Holt is a small village but we parked the car up and walked to The Courts. There is a gorgeous house (sadly not open to the public) and the gardens are large considering the size of the house and the fact it’s in the middle of the village. The children were given a Children’s Trail and small wooden discs, and off we went.

This curious English country garden is full of differently styled garden ‘rooms’, each with their own surprise, testament to its gardeners past and present who have all brought something new to The Courts.

There is a small exhibition telling you a little about the house and gardens, toilets and a cafe. It was such a lovely day that we were able to buy drinks and ice creams and take them outside. There is also plenty of space to enjoy a picnic.

I don’t know much about plants but the gardens were beautiful. There was a formal garden with impressive sculptured yew trees, an arboretum, home to tree species from all over the world as well as a lily pond and dye pool. The Children’s Trail took us all round and kept the kids busy so we were able to enjoy our surroundings.

There was also an amazing wildlife garden for the kids which bug hotel, den building and sand pit. The kids loved it and could easily have stayed for ages.

It’s a lovely place and I can’t wait to go again. I imagine the garden is beautiful all year round and I think the children would be happy to go again too!