RHS Garden Harrow Carr

In Brief.

Harrow Carr is a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) garden and visitor centre set in rolling countryside around a stream. The garden itself includes substantial borders, but there are also meandering paths with smaller borders, an arboretum, a woodland walk and a kitchen garden. The adjacent visitor facilities include an outpost of Betty's Tea Rooms with superior cakes, and a garden centre in case the visit to the garden has provided suitable inspiration.

The main borders

What's Here?

Harrow Carr is a large, mature garden adjacent to a 19th Century spa.  The most labour-intensive component is likely the borders, which include the substantial main borders that occupy one side of the valley down to the stream, and the smaller areas that surround paths that loosely follow the stream.  In my July visit, the borders were lush and often colourful.

However, there are many other features to the gardens, which could be visited in any order.  The arboretum includes a bamboo trail, the steam flows through a picturesque pond ("Queen Mother's Lake"), and there are more formal lakeside gardens.  Although the carparks were fairly full on my weekday visit, and there were plenty people about, the gardens are substantial and certainly didn't feel crowded. 

The Bamboo Trail in the arboretum.

Visits can be punctuated with refreshments in the open air Betty's Tea House, and a varied experience can be guaranteed through visits to the apiary, the woodland, the productive kitchen garden and the alpine house.  Overall, it is good to see a flourishing and mature RHS garden; hopefully the RHS Bridgewater Garden will mature into something as uplifting.

Practicalities.

Distance from Manchester Town Hall: 59 miles

Drive Time: 1 hour 30 mins

Price: $$. 

Parking: Included in the entrance fee.

Food and Drink: There is a Betty's Tea Shop that can be accessed from outside the garden and there is a Tea House with outdoor seating in the garden. I had a tasty Yorkshire Curd Tart for morning coffee, and a much better than average sandwich for lunch.

Retail Therapy: The gift shop beside the garden centre sells all sorts of things, from books to local foods.  There is also a Betty's shop with a wide range of cakes and associated tempting things.

Child Friendly: There is plenty space for running around, and several play areas.

Toilets: Yes.

Do it justice in: 2 hours.

Inside-Outside: 10:90.

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