National Trust - Stowe Reviews Summary

Gardens and Grounds

Pros:

• "The whole gardens are just amazing and definitely worth seeing."
• "The grounds are maintained and tidy. Plenty of picnic areas."
• "Really cool National Trust park where you have a lot of things to see."
• "Had a great time here. Good for walking, Lots of landscaped gardens to explore."
• "Fabulous Grounds and architecture. A vast array of broad leaf woodland."
• "The grounds were as beautiful as ever with snowdrops and cyclamen beginning to appear."
• "Beautiful gardens to explore on walks and it’s easy to walk a different route each time you visit."

Cons:

• "The gardens are a little pricey and very overgrown in many places."
• "Big gardens to explore but overall it's very expensive."
• "Access to buildings is very limited, or you pay extra to enter the main house (not National Trust)."
• "The walks might be a bit too much for people with mobility problems and the cafe at the house is sparce."
• "Some of the buildings are in need of repair."
• "This is not somewhere to visit for those with limited mobility."
• "Part of the grounds is used as playing fields for the school that now occupies the house, however, in some areas the paths are not well defined."

Cafe and Facilities

Pros:

• "Cafe was ok and gift shop wasn't too expensive either."
• "Cafe served amazing food."
• "Free WiFi, significantly large car park, 2 pounds for car park if not a member, toilets upon entrance."
• "Excellent cafe with plenty of room."
• "The Caffè near the car park is very spacious with a large indoor seating area as well as out door seating."
• "The restaurant here serves good food and has a nice patio area for an al fresco snack or lunch."
• "The cafe was very good despite how busy it was and a lovely NT shop."

Cons:

• "The cafe and toilets are quite a way from the gardens. The cafe was disappointing."
• "The cafe didn't seemed to be cared for anymore. Any spare tables outside were dirty and full of wasps."
• "Beautiful garden but info is sparce the house isn't included and it's cafe is very expensive (had no sides potatoes chips ect)."
• "Once you enter the park, there are no facilities, so make sure you do your toilet stop beforehand and bring a bottle of water with you."
• "The tea Room is also very pricey. £3.50 for a little sandwich."
• "The cafe outside the grounds has a limited and mediocre selection of food."
• "The Portaloos were a huge disappointment. Not to be recommended except in emergencies."

Accessibility and Parking

Pros:

• "You can take a short, medium or long walk."
• "Free WiFi, significantly large car park, 2 pounds for car park if not a member, toilets upon entrance."
• "Enough parking spaces for 100s of cars so parking shouldn’t be an issue when you visit either."
• "The main walk is suitable for mobility scooters (firm gravel surface)."
• "Golf buggies are available for those with limited walking."
• "Electric buggy goes as far as the lake helpful to people with limited mobility."
• "Easy access for the less able and buggies."

Cons:

• "The only down side is the 10 minute walk to get from the car park into the grounds."
• "There is a fair walk from the car park to the start of the walk."
• "The walks might be a bit too much for people with mobility problems and the cafe at the house is sparce."
• "This is not somewhere to visit for those with limited mobility."
• "My wife requires the use of a wheelchair and we found the grounds of Stowe entirely unsuitable for a standard wheelchair."
• "The paths are wide enough for wheelchair users, but they are not tarmacked, just compressed gravel, which may prove challenging for some."
• "Unfortunately the shuttle buggies were not available, which would have been a help for toddler and his disabled mum."