National Trust - Winkworth Arboretum Reviews Summary

Accessibility

Pros:

• "Paths are clearly labelled."
• "Some paths are quite steep but there are routes for wheelchairs."
• "The accessible route was bumpy with a powered chair but nevertheless still accessible."
• "There are plenty of places to picnic, and although the terrain can be quite undulating, there are step-free routes as well."
• "There is a children's playground at the top (so easily accessed by buggies)."
• "There is plenty of pushchair accessible areas for when we have the pram with us."
• "The arboretum is designed for social walks with appropriately placed seating to take in the fine views of the lake, forestry, and faraway hills."

Cons:

• "Quite crowded."
• "Challenging for visitors with any limitations on mobility or buggies."
• "The paths are not tarmac nor flat and can be steep in places so I wouldn't say its very accessible, and make sure you wear appropriate footwear."
• "Not the best NT site to visit if you have limited mobility or are a wheelchair user as to fully appreciate all it has to offer, there is a steep hill to negotiate via a path or steps."
• "Looks wonderful, but the majority of the area is inaccessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs."
• "Steep steps made it only possible to view a tiny loop near the car park. No way of getting to see lake or boathouse."
• "It is difficult for wheelchairs to enjoy the full area as it is extremely hilly."

Facilities

Pros:

• "There is a decent sized car park, toilet facilities and a tea room for drinks and light snacks."
• "Lovely little tea room on site with plenty of seating."
• "The cafe outside was a pleasant surprise, we are vegetarians and usually have low expectations but on the day we had the option to order 2 different veggie soups plus 2 veggie pasties."
• "Nice woodland play area for children and pleasant cafe with a selection of hot and cold food and drink with all profits going back into the Arboretum."
• "The small cafe serves light lunches, cakes, tea coffee, ice cream, soft drinks."
• "The boat house is also definitely worth a visit for a wonderful lake view."
• "Good play area for the children, with wooden structures and small obstacle courses."

Cons:

• "Overpriced. Not well maintained paths."
• "All cafe seating is outside and the small cafe struggles to cope with demand at busy times."
• "The only thing that is quite a disappointment is the toilets which are from the 70s... If they fixed that it would be great."
• "Only 1 toilet and a small coffee shop."
• "The toilets are 'rustic' and the queue for those were also long with a couple of portaloos for those that didn't want to wait."
• "The cafe is a bit pricey, but I'm from a different area and a tight wad."
• "The cafe is wildly overpriced and there isn't a single bin throughout the entire park."

Experience

Pros:

• "Stunning, even in winter."
• "A great place for a family day out especially when the leaves are changing."
• "Absolutely beautiful place for a walk! Highly recommend autumn time, as the colours are stunning!"
• "Fantastic place for a healthy walk."
• "Lovely walks, well sign posted for different accessible routes for all types of visitors and plenty of seating in way of benches around the whole arboretum with some lovely views."
• "Every season has something different to offer here."
• "Marvelous place, collection of trees provides an optimal mixture of colours in autumn and in spring."

Cons:

• "Visited during half term so it was a bit busy, but this didn't affect our enjoyment of this marvelous sanctuary for over 1000 tree species."
• "The park is gorgeous, there is no question about it, especially in autumn. However, the cafe is wildly overpriced."
• "Painfully expensive at £9 per adult."
• "However, the cafe is wildly overpriced and there isn't a single bin throughout the entire park."
• "Lovely spot but National Trust wants to ruin this area with gross over development so it can sell more stuff in a shop."
• "The food was awful. My cheese sandwich was frankly the worst I've ever had: stale bread, a smear of butter and a slither of bland cheese."
• "The one huge disappointment was the tea shop and toilet facilities."