National Trust - Crook Hall Gardens Reviews Summary

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Very reasonable prices and good portions. Try the meze dishes."
• "The Afternoon Tea deal is fabulous value for money."
• "The café the cakes and scones are really well baked for a half-decent price."

Cons:

• "Went for the gentleman's high tea for father's day, £50 for the 2 of us, half a scotch egg each shop bought and 1 mini pork pie each shop bought along with a few crackers and a slice of cheese not worth it at all!"
• "The only downside was the price which I feel was a little high."
• "£8 for an adult and £6 for a child is a bit steep when a family goes for a maze."
• "They’ve charged me £8 to get in. It’s worth about £4 if all the summer blooms are out, but they aren’t."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Each time been served by Gary who is extremely pleasant and welcoming."
• "Staff at the entrance very pleasant and polite."
• "Maggie was amazing with the group I took the home made scones where really nice, the staff where really friendly."
• "We had a warm welcome in the cafe, good coffee and I can recommend the cheese scones."
• "Coffee and cake available in the spotless café and fantastic staff members ready to help is a cherry on top!"
• "The staff are superb and friendly!"
• "The staff are so friendly, excellent service and the coffee is to die for."

Cons:

• "Such an awful experience with Crook Hall. Just wanted to discuss an issue about an accommodation booking but were brickwalled from the start."
• "The only downside was the service from the staff. The venue wasn't particularly busy, but the staff member serving me seemed as though they couldn't be bothered."

Gardens and Surroundings

Pros:

• "A beautiful garden with plenty of places to sit and enjoy the views."
• "The different styles of gardens within the garden are quite stunning."
• "The gardens are beautiful... lots of different areas/rooms with plenty to see in each including a walled garden, a maze, orchard, pools with many seating areas to admire the views."
• "Lovely gardens. Small buildings to explore."
• "Wonderful place. The building and gardens alone are beautiful."
• "In the well maintained gardens you can wander in the footsteps of William Wordsworth and TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh."
• "The gardens are fabulous with lots of little nooks to sit in and admire views in many directions including the Cathedral."

Cons:

• "The terrain would make it difficult for anyone in a wheelchair to enjoy the premises."
• "The garden is on a slop, and there are a few steps. Some of the paths are narrow and uneven."
• "Not buggy or wheelchair friendly because of the paths."
• "Due to the steepness and uneven nature of many of the paths this attraction is not suitable for people with mobility problems."
• "It's doable in a wheelchair but some very steep parts and difficult paths mean husband needed help and couldn't have done it alone."

Facilities and Accessibility

Pros:

• "Modern apartments in Durham City Centre, just a 5 minute walk from Durham Market Place and Durham Cathedral."
• "Wheelchair accessible, most of it, if you can manage rough terrain."
• "An accessible ramp can be used to get up into the garden premises."
• "There is good on site parking albeit quite small, however there is ample on road parking nearby."
• "Onsite parking is free to National Trust members although the carpark itself is quite small."

Cons:

• "One thing, the carpark was full and getting quite clogged because people didn't know it was full and were trying to find a space."
• "Parking a bit steep for those who have mobility restrictions as are the gardens."
• "This venue was very appealing in promoting! However, as we went with a wheelchair user it is not really suitable for wheelchair users."