Batsford Arboretum

May in the Arboretum

Visitors this May are in for a treat – as the extreme cold of the winter and spring has delayed flowering of our beautiful Japanese cherry collection and Magnolias. It means, with some later flowering daffodils also in full bloom, spring is spectacular at Batsford this year.

Later the blowsy glory of the blossom will be replaced by the pungent smell of garlic wafting on the breeze and the sight of shady glades of bluebells. Don’t miss the fabulous bright yellows of the Marsh Marigolds in the shallow waters of the Swamp – a perfect hiding place for frogs and newts.

From mid-May for about three weeks you will be able to marvel at our famous old Davidia. Thousands of white handkerchief-like bracts, hang from the branches as if left out to dry in the breeze. Known to many as the ‘Handkerchief Tree’ it is one of the biggest and oldest in the country and you can buy your own in the Plant Centre to take home with you.

Don’t forget to book for our Bat Walk on May 23^rd and our Kids Gardening Event on May 29^th when youngsters can learn more about gardening with wildlife in mind. Visit our events page for more information.

Batsford's beautiful blossom features on ITV

A big Batsford thank you to Simon Parkin - weatherman from ITV Meridian who spent the afternoon with our Head Gardener Matthew Hall yesterday afternoon presenting the weather from the arboretum.

The cherry and magnolia blossom are now at their fabulous blowsy peak which provided an amazing backdrop for Simon to interview Matt about the late spring and what an amazing amount of colour there is to be seen now.

To see the interview in full, please click here.

Dawn Chorus Wild Walk - the results are in!

It appears the cold weather of late hasn't only affected the blossom in the arboretum - there are far fewer migrant birds around if the results of our Dawn Chorus Wild Walk are anything to go by!

2 hardy individuals braved a bitterly cold morning on Saturday 27th April to witness the dawn chorus and although it took a while to get going, our expert Arthur Ball reckons it was one of the best birdsong events he's heard.

Unfortunately it was mainly blackbirds, song thrushes and robins - with none of the expected summer migrants putting in an appearance!

By 0530 the group set off for a walk around the arboretum to warm up and as the sun rose, we found Chiffchaff's and Blackcaps singing before returning to the Garden Terrace Cafe for much needed coffee and bacon rolls.

As Arthur left at the end of the lovely annual event, he added goldfinch, greenfinch, starling and pied wagtail in the car park.

Birds heard during the dawn chorus: Mallard, Farmyard Cockerel, woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Little Owl, Jay, Pheasant, Tawny Owl, Song Thrush, Robin, Chaffinch, Mistle Thrush, Great Tit, Treecreeper, Wren, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaw, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Raven.

Spotted in the car park: Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Starling and Pied Wagtail.

Latest news from Batsford

Find out about the latest news and happenings at Batsford by clicking here.

You'll also find us on Facebook.com/BatsfordArboretum and you can follow us on twitter.com/BatsfordA.

The Garden Terrace Café

The New Restaurant

The Garden Terrace Café at Batsford Arboretum is open every day from 9.30am until 5pm, except Christmas Day and is a wonderful place to enjoy locally sourced, home-baked meals.
Breakfast is served from 9.30-11am, hot soup and main meals are served from 12pm – 2pm and coffee and cakes, cream teas and sandwiches are served all day.

In the summer - or when the winter weather allows, enjoy your fabulous food and drink from the al fresco balcony where you'll soak up breathtaking views across the Cotswold landscape.

Current Opening details

We are open every day of the year except Christmas Day, daily from 10am to 4.40pm (Gates locked at 6pm)

Adults £7.00 (£6 in Dec 2012 and Jan 2013)
Concessions £6.00 (£5 in Dec 2012 and Jan 2013)
Children (4 to 15 inclusive) £3.00 (£2 in Dec 2012 and Jan 2013)
Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £17.00 (£14 in Dec 2012 and Jan 2013)

Children of 15 or under must be accompanied by an adult

Please note the Arboretum is open from 10am until dusk through the winter.

For Health and Safety reasons, during periods of high winds and other severe weather the arboretum may have to close. Please call 01386 701441 for more information before you travel.

Batsford Wins Gold Tourism Award

Staff at Batsford have been celebrating after being voted the Best Large Visitor Attraction in the Cotswolds by a prestigious panel of tourism experts.

The awards are organised by Cotswolds Tourism every year to celebrate quality, service and success in the local tourism industry. Judging was based on visits, secret shopper reports and the views of a variety of experts and tourism enthusiasts who approached each category with an open mind to agree Gold, Silver and Bronze awards.

Runner up with the Silver award in 2012, Batsford went one step better this year to take Gold for 2013, beating off stiff competition from Cotswold Farm Park and Sudeley Castle in the Large Visitor Attraction category.

In a new development, the awards have been aligned with Visit England’s National Awards which means all Cotswold Gold winners go forward for ‘best in England’ consideration. Cotswold Tourism Manager Chris Dee says ‘our Cotswold tourism industry has the highest standards and we’re exceptionally proud of our winners and wish them luck nationally’. ‘It’s been a tough year for tourism and these awards celebrate the energy and hard work of our area’s tourism industry, an industry that brings around £1 billion a year into the local economy, direct to local communities and businesses.

Batsford’s PR and Marketing Manager Susie Hunt said ‘We are thrilled to have taken top honours in this prestigious award. The £2 million investment in the new visitor centre was a very brave decision to make at such a challenging time for tourism but has helped to weather-proof the business and vastly improve both accessibility and the visitor experience. The news has given staff a real boost and we’re going into 2013 full of confidence and optimism about the year ahead.’

Batsford Foundation Trustee Tony Russell says ‘The Trustees of the Batsford Foundation are absolutely delighted to receive this award. It is a wonderful acknowledgement of all the hard work and commitment that all members of the Batsford team have put into making it one of the finest arboreta and visitor attractions, not just in Gloucestershire, but in the UK’.

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