West Dean Gardens - Chichester

Great day outside. perfect for my 18-month (we have an off road pushchair) he loves to run around and see the ducks and slumbers. some really good walks, they can just spend the whole day here, so it is a good idea to bring a picnic.

The grounds as you can see from my pictures are lovely. There are a few nods to making space for wildlife but this felt like something they are in the early stages of embracing. The kitchen garden is quite small but looked well looked after, concentrating on a few seasonal crops at a time to top up the cafés offerings. There are underutilised extensive glasshouses of varying sorts, an orchard, various mature 'garden ' set ups and an obvious penchant for alliums. Most of the grounds are accessible for those with lower mobility. Plenty on benches, several available wheelchairs and well laid paths. There were some children there with their older grandparents but it 's not somewhere I 'd take children.

Lovely place to visit, could easily pass the whole day here. Arrived at 11.30 and stayed till 3pm and that was without the array of flowers trees that come up later in the year. There was plenty to see and some great walks to make the day go on longer. It would be nice if the Gardens would consider a reduced fee while there is less in bloom, maybe until mid April for example, the cost is £12 per adult and memberships are available to purchase. Under 16’s are free which is a great bonus, take a picnic because there are plenty of benches dotted around to sit at with your young ones. Dogs are also welcome. The cafe, shop and gardens are mostly if not all accesible for wheelchairs and prams, however, you may struggle depending on width to get into the greenhouses. The food served in the cafe was of high quality and I am always happy to pay that bit more when the food is worth it. They have a variety of local drinks available like apple juices presses. The soup of the day was £5.50 and the Panini £10 so there are different meal types to accommodate different budgets. One of the cakes was nice but the other dry and burnt on the edges which was disappointing for £3 a piece. There is a kids packed lunch for £5.50. The cafe staff were a little off but it seemed as though agency staff had been hired in to cope with a busy weekend so a bit more organisation at the beginning of the shift would have helped this, there was a noticeable amount of people waiting for a table but staff stood around not greeting them. I will certainly be returning at another time of year and will likely bring my dog next time.

Lovely grounds, well kept gardens, fascinating glass houses, one with orchids and another at tropical temperatures, an arboretum and a charming area with babbling brooks troll bridges, plus it's dog friendly, love it here.

Very peaceful gardens, some unusual areas and plants. Also an extension to an arboretum (approx 2m) with stunning views from the top of the hill