Exbury Gardens

Overview

About Exbury Gardens

Why stop

Exceptional spring rhododendron and azalea displays
Woodland paths, riverside walks, and a steam railway

Heads up

Best-known colour is strongly seasonal
The large grounds can take several hours to explore

This is a 200-acre informal woodland garden on the edge of the river, planted from 1919 onward and more than 100 years in the making. It works as either a quiet riverside walk or a full family day out, with over 22 miles of paths, a plant centre, a shop and a narrow-gauge steam railway running through the grounds.

Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop here

Map

Where it is

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Full map

SightExbury Gardens50.80258, -1.40024

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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

April and May are the peak, with rhododendrons and azaleas at their height and large spring-bulb displays.
Summer shifts the interest to the Iris, Herbaceous, Sundial and Centenary Gardens, with useful shade under the woodland canopy.
Autumn brings red and orange colour from acer and nyssa trees.
Arrive early in the day if you want the long river-side loops without rushing the train ride and a meal.

Paths and access

The main drive is wide tarmac and secondary paths are compacted gravel, with free wheelchair hire, mobility scooter hire, accessible parking, accessible toilets, free entry for carers and four wheelchair-adapted train carriages. That said, the grounds are large and surfaces vary, so not every route is equally easy going; plan a shorter circuit if you are unsure.

1 active New Forest alert

CautionNew Forest outdoor-fire restrictionDo not use BBQs, campfires, stoves, outdoor camping equipment or other naked flames on the open Forest.Official details

New Forest alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

New Forest Tour Guide

Your drive to Exbury Gardens, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for New Forest National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this place

Exbury Gardens

0:00 / 0:33

“You're approaching Exbury Gardens, 200 acres of woodland planting beside the Beaulieu River.”

Plays as you drive up to Exbury Gardens in the Parkwolf New Forest Tour Guide.

More about Exbury Gardens

What you will seeWoodland plantings of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and magnolias, plus rare trees along…

Woodland plantings of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and magnolias, plus rare trees along the main drives.
Formal and contemporary areas including the Iris, Herbaceous, Sundial and Centenary Gardens, the latter designed in 2019 by a great-granddaughter of the garden's founder.
Walks down toward the river, which are what most visitors single out alongside the plant variety and the train.

The Rhododendron LineA working narrow-gauge railway with 1.5 miles of track, built around 2000.

A working narrow-gauge railway with 1.5 miles of track, built around 2000. The ride from Exbury Central takes roughly 20 minutes, passing through a tunnel, over a bridge and around Dragonfly Pond, with an elevated view over the Rock Garden. The Summer Lane Garden can only be reached by train, and the railway needs a separate ticket from garden admission.

Families, food and dogsMr Eddy's Restaurant and the Old Tennis Courts outdoor cafe are the main food options, with…

Mr Eddy's Restaurant and the Old Tennis Courts outdoor cafe are the main food options, with other seasonal outlets and picnic tables. There is a playground and activity sheets for children, and under 16s must be with an adult. Dogs are welcome on short leads.

Honest drawbackThe headline colour is strongly seasonal, so a midsummer or winter visit will not look like the…

The headline colour is strongly seasonal, so a midsummer or winter visit will not look like the April and May photographs. The scale also cuts both ways: covering a meaningful share of 200 acres and 22 miles of paths takes several hours on your feet.

Wildlife

Wildlife in New Forest

All New Forest wildlife maps

28 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

10 sightingsWhite-tailed EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map

14 sightingsHarbor SealMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

176 sightingsEuropean Fallow DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

93 sightingsWestern Roe DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

54 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across New Forest. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.