Batsford Arboretum

Moreton-in-Marsh

A whole day among the trees

Batsford is the garden we send people to when they want a proper day out in the open air without a long drive to reach it. It sits on the Cotswold scarp a mile and a half north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh, one of the largest private tree collections in the country, and it holds around two thousand nine hundred labelled trees, shrubs and bamboos gathered from across the world. The planting follows the natural fall of the hillside rather than any tidy grid, so you wander along curving paths through groves of Japanese maples, past towering redwoods, and beneath magnolias that put on an almost absurd display in spring. Bronze statues sit half-hidden among the trees, a stream and small waterfalls thread down the slope, and the views westward over the Evenlode valley catch you off guard at every turn.

What makes it worth building a day around is how completely it changes with the seasons, so it never feels like the same visit twice. It is an arboretum you pay to enter, and the ticket buys you the run of more than fifty acres of hillside for as long as you care to stay. We tend to allow a good two hours for the grounds, longer when the weather is kind and there is a picnic involved. The drive from Well Cottage takes roughly half an hour through quiet lanes by way of Chipping Norton, which makes it an easy morning out or a full unhurried day.

Best in spring and autumn

If you can time a visit, these are the two windows that make Batsford unforgettable. Both draw a crowd on a fine weekend, so an early start is rewarded.

• Spring blossomBatsford holds the national collection of Japanese flowering cherries, over a hundred and twenty of them, which bloom alongside the magnolias from around mid-March into early May. It is the showiest the garden gets all year.
• Autumn colourFrom late September into early November the maples take over and the whole hillside turns copper, amber and deep crimson. This is the visit people remember, the kind of colour that stops you mid-sentence.
• Quiet in winterEven a frosty January morning has its own reward, when the place is near silent and the bark on the birches practically glows. Bring proper boots and the paths are yours.
• Good with childrenWide paths, plenty of room to run and a stream to follow make it an easy one with younger ones in tow. Buggies manage most of the main routes.

Café, garden centre and the falconry next door

The visitor centre sits by the entrance and is free to wander into even if you are not doing the arboretum. The garden centre is genuinely excellent rather than a polite afterthought, well worth a browse whether or not you have a garden to fill, and the café does good homemade cakes and proper lunches with a terrace to sit out on. Right alongside is the Cotswold Falconry Centre, sharing the same Batsford Park estate, with free-flying displays through the day; pay full entry at one and you get a discount at the other, which makes the pair an obvious combined day out. We would always check opening times and admission on the official site before setting off, as both close for part of the winter.

Make a morning of it

Batsford pairs neatly with the town on its doorstep. Moreton-in-Marsh is a couple of minutes down the road, and its famous Tuesday market is one of the biggest in the Cotswolds if your visit falls on the right day. For more ideas within an easy drive, our guide to things to do in the area runs from gardens and great houses to walks straight from the cottage door.

“Every season brings a reason to go back. Spring blossom, autumn colour, even a frosty January morning when the whole place is silent and the bark on the birches practically glows.”

Visit the official site →

Also nearby

• Cotswold Falconry Centre · Next door · Batsford Park
• Snowshill Manor · Garden · 15 min
• Moreton-in-Marsh · Town guide
• The Horse and Groom · Pub · Bourton-on-the-Hill