Beautifully laid out gardens We liked it all, There was nothing we didn't like. Interesting features, very well maintained. There is a good gift shop, lovely restaurant, nice food,One can eat outside in good weather. Interesting architectural historical home. Well marked walks Well worth a visit.

These gardens have extensive areas of woodland paths, with streams and lakes. There are several seats/shelters, all with different views so that you can sit and enjoy the landscape.

Nearer the entrance, there is a beautiful terrace garden, which leads into the formal gardens. These are planted with a mixture of annuals and perennials, which gives a lovely soft effect, rather than the bedding plants which feature in so many formal gardens. Water plays a big part in these gardens, with rills (paved streams) and ponds, as well as a couple of small fountains. There are several small sections of these gardens, which lead down steps into the next section, so there is plenty to discover. My only gripe was the shortage of seats in this area!

There is a cafe/restaurant with both inside and outside seating. We found the service was rather slow, but the food was worth waiting for - I definitely recommend the chicken breast in white wine and mushroom sauce! They cater for coeliacs and vegetarians. Prices are on a par with similar properties (£6.95 - £9.95 for a main course).

Dogs are allowed throughout the grounds on a lead, including the outside seating area, and there are a few dog waste bins (marked on the map).

Wheelchair users come in at half price (plus a free carer), but are not able to access all the grounds because of steps and steep slopes. The map shows clearly where they can go. Manual wheelchairs can be borrowed. The formal gardens are not fully accessible, although there is one part where wheelchairs can get in to a bit of them. There should be a wheelchair platform from the ticket office to the cafe/restaurant, but this was out of order when we visited, although there was a sloping entrance to it from the car park which we were able to use. Designated disabled parking spaces in the car park. Most paths are gravel or hard earth. Both toilet blocks had a disabled access toilet.

Picnics are not allowed in the grounds, but there is a picnic area near the car park, and you can go back to your car and re-enter the grounds afterwards.

Ugly house with stunning gardens. A must see in this area. Excellent care too. My wife raved about the garden design (Lutyens) and planting (GJ). I could not care less about gardens really but even I was impressed.

We went to the 'fete' and booked on line for a discount.
Take a pic nic but leave it in the car and go back at lunchtime as the picnic benches are outside the gardens, but by a small play area & have a great view & some shade. The gardens are beautiful, from large landscaped expanses to the idyllic walled garden area. Take a camera and have fun as I did. The children enjoyed exploring & grandparents sat & enjoyed the views.

A fantstic place to visit whether your your or old , but bloody expensive to get in ,i know the gardens need a lot of upkeep but please dont turn it into some sort of theme park for plants sometimes the natural beauty of something is bettter

A world famous garden, incorporating designs from the eighteenth and twentieth ceturies by important architects and garden designers, and magnificently restored and tended. Well worth a visit, although I thought the restaurant was a shade pricey.

The introductory film showing the history of the reclaiming of the gardens is fascinating, such a lot of hard work and it shows, the gardens are extensive with beautiful walks through woods and by the large ponds etc. Wonderful views of the surrounding countryside from the top meadows. The formal gardens are still undergoing restoration but still very interesting. The bluebells were stunning.

We've visited here on numerous occasions, on our own, with family, and with friends. We've been on different times throughout the year, spring, summer, autumn, winter, and it's always memorable, relaxing and very beautiful. our dogs love it here too and are always welcomed.

Wonderful late spring day out visiting this historic garden which did not disappoint even though it rained the whole day. Beautifully restored and cared for and a must for all garden enthusiasts. Surprisingly large, a slow amble round the whole site takes at least two hours although the important formal Edwardian garden can be visited in an hour. A real treasure in every sense. I recommend the stables café for the quality of the food. Don't be put off by the prices, at the time I visited a BLT was £6 but what arrived was all but a main meal with its accompanying salad, crisps and giant cous cous and massive home made brown bread slices. very tasty day out all round. Visit late spring for bluebells and later for summer bedding. Glorious gardens.

Went for a wedding reception and the venue was outstanding. From what we saw both walking around and from photos a beautiful place

These are lovely gardens that have been painstakingly restored. Not an easy garden to walk around, plenty of hills but the effort paid off with the wonderful bluebell woods. Later in the year one can see where more colour will appear in the garden. A bit more in spring would help, especially in the more formal part of the gardens. Whilst the signage is generally OK, it is a little confusing in places.

A dog friendly garden. If one can take a dog into an iconic garden such as this - designed by Edwin Lutyens & Gertude Jekyll - it shows up the poor dog attitude of so many National Trust properties. We will visit again.

Visiting the Taunton area from America, we decided to spend an afternoon at Hestercombe. We ended up spending much more time than expected covering every bit of ground in the varied landscapes of the property from formal gardens to the beautiful more natural grounds. There were whimsical structures tucked away here and there, views of surrounding farm fields, oceans of bluebells, ponds, and a waterfall. It made for a very peaceful, enjoyable time in the outdoors. We also took advantage of the on-site café.

There are plenty of gardens at Hestercombe. A visit can last a few hours to a full day. Dogs are welcome to most parts of the estate.

Lovely place with lots to see, need good weather to get the most out of it.

Lunch here was superb I had the tuna and cheese pannine and my husband had the ham bagette the gardens were a little pricey at ten pounds

Well kept grounds but not much colour as yet so we didn't see the estate at its best. Potentially very nice indeed but it is probably not as uniquely beautiful as it claims. Two good informative video loops. Entrance to grounds a little expensive. Cafe disappointing. The 'freshly baked scones' were stodgy and the coffees came with only a suspicion of flavouring. Left with the impression that it might just need to up its game to compete with the many other garden/stately pile attractions in the area.

A found the steps and stairs in this garden as there were no handrails. Because of the late Spring, little was in flour and the main beds in front fo the house were unplanted. Perhaps we were unlucky but I was a little disappointed.

So peaceful, and interesting. Loved the feel of the gardens. The walks could be rated according to your ability, the staff were helpful and also knew a lot about the place.

The imaginative reconstruction of this iconic garden never fails to please. Whether it is walking in the grounds or admiring the formal areas it is a delight to enjoy.

One of our favourite places to spend the day, its worth every penny and is great value, as it is a whole day out if you include a lunch break in the restaurant which is all home made. the grounds themselves are simpley beautiful with so much to take your breath away.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit here. Really well maintained gardens and some lovely walks which we all enjoyed. Would definitely come again!

My in laws had a Golden Wedding Anniversary lunch on Saturday, the food was delicious, the service very good & unobtrusive. Not a bad price either. There were 36 of us & we were made to feel special. We put up photos & a cd link of photos on the computer, there was a huge drop down screen already there. The gardens were included in the price so everyone could go and experience them in between lunch and Coffee & cake. It helped that the weather was sublime so lovely & warm. Would recommend for weddings etc as well as surroundings are beautiful.Thank you so much to the staff for making the day extra special.

I have two young kids and a dog who need somewhere they can let of steam but my wife and I want a nice attraction too. Hestercombe gardens fulfilled this and so much more. The cafe is good too although you could take a picnic if you want and enjoy it in the gardens.
The views are breath taking and the gardens are beutiful. There is useualy a childrens trail thing on to get them looking at the plants etc.
Get a membership and use it.

superbly designed and maintained gardens - formal and woodland - with lots of different points of interest a great day out any time of the year for any age group. A little expensive but feels worth it after the visit.

I recently visited Hestercombe and simply loved that this is a very short drive from the town centre, but you are in the middle of no where, the scenery is simply stunning, we had tea and cake in the conservatory which on a day full of sunshine was the perfect setting. Its a great place to take children as there are lots of walks and areas to run around. i cannot wait to go back and try more of the walks, theres a gift shop, a little expensive but these are one off pieces, so you know what you buy is unique. well worth a visit.