Meet for a short two mile (approx) walk around the Ford Abbey estate on public footpaths prior to visiting the gardens at leisure.

Refreshments available at Forde Abbey's Abbots Table Cafe or, bring own food for picnic in grounds.

Forde Abbey is home to the stunning Mortlake tapestries, woven from the internationally famous Raphael cartoons, now housed in the V&A. The Abbey has a rich and varied history spanning 900 years. Through the centuries, it has played host to Cistercian monks at prayer, 19th-century philosophers and politicians and was implicated in the Monmouth Rebellion. More recently the house has been used as a filming location for the adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s ‘Far From the Madding Crowd,’ starring Carey Mulligan, Michael Sheen and Tom Sturridge and, Wolf Hall with Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis.

The gardens are home to the highest powered fountain in the country and include topiary-lined vistas, colourful herbaceous borders, an arboretum, and a bog garden, which together with swathes of early Spring bulbs and camellias provide all year-round interest. Designed to incorporate both the formal and informal aspects of garden design, the straight lines give way to meandering pathways the further you head away from the house, with plenty of benches and seating to admire the views along the way.

Dogs are permitted in gardens but must be kept on leads.