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Staying at Combermere Abbey places you at the heart of one of the most beautiful garden landscapes in the UK, on the Cheshire–Shropshire border. Within easy driving distance, you’ll find some of the best gardens in Cheshire, Shropshire and North West England, from open gardens and National Trust properties to historic estates and hidden private landscapes.
Whether you’re planning a romantic countryside break, a garden-focused staycation, or simply looking for things to do near Combermere Abbey, these gardens offer the perfect way to spend time outdoors, explore the region’s powerful horticultural heritage and be inspired.
Distance: On the estate
Open: 11th June 2026
Cost: Entry fee applies
Website: https://combermereabbey.co.uk/abbey-estate-tours/garden-open-days/
Within the Abbey grounds, the estate opens its gates to garden lovers to explore the Combermere Gardens for their Summer Garden Open Day on 11th June 2026. Guests will explore the beautifully restored six-acre Victorian garden, with its unique features; the Pleasure Garden with its collection of 19th century trees and the Garden Wood leading directly to the Mere edge. Perched on the borders of Cheshire and Shropshire, its rescue from abandonment is a unique opportunity to explore a space that is usually closed to non-residential visitors.
Wander through the world-famous fruit tree maze, discover seasonal planting in full flourish, and experience restored garden spaces that reflect both centuries of heritage and ongoing horticultural care.
Peaceful, immersive, and quietly spectacular, these gardens offer a rare glimpse into the social history of Combermere Abbey, a highlight of the estate and a truly special summer visit.
Distance: Approx. 50 minutes
Open: Seasonal opening times
Cost: Entry fee applies
Website: https://www.arleyhallandgardens.com
Famous for its double herbaceous borders, Arley Hall & Gardens is one of the most well-known NGS gardens in Cheshire. The formal gardens are beautifully maintained, offering structure, colour, and seasonal planting at its finest.
A highlight for anyone searching for historic gardens near Cheshire.
Distance: Approx. 35 minutes
Open: Seasonal opening
Cost: Entry fee applies
Website: https://www.dorothyclivegarden.co.uk
Set within a former quarry, the Dorothy Clive Garden is a romantic hillside garden filled with woodland planting, waterfalls, and colourful seasonal borders. Created for the wife of an earlier owner who was disabled.
A perfect example of a restored landscape garden in Shropshire, ideal for spring and summer visits.
Distance: Approx. 30 minutes
Open: Open on specified days only
Cost: Entry fee applies
Website: https://www.wollertonoldhallgarden.com
Often described as one of the finest private gardens in England, Wollerton Old Hall Garden is known for its structure, colour, and meticulous design. Wollerton has won several awards for its creators, Leslie and John Jenkins.
Open on specific days during the season and with a lovely café. It remains one of the North Shropshire’s most wonderful garden experiences.
Distance: Approx. 40 minutes
Open: Wednesdays and Bank Holidays.
Cost: Entry fee applies
Website: https://www.rodehall.co.uk
A traditional English estate garden, Rode Hall is best known for its gardens created by late own Lady Baker-Wilbraham and its fabulous monthly market featuring food producers from the surrounding counties. There is a wonderful tea room.
A strong example of a working historic garden in Cheshire.
Distance: Approx. 25 minutes
Open: Selected seasonal openings
Cost: Entry fee applies
Website: https://www.visitcholmondeleycastle.com
Set within vast parkland, Cholmondeley Castle Gardens offer sweeping lawns, lakes, and beautifully maintained rose gardens.
One of the most impressive, landscaped gardens in Cheshire, perfect for a summer day trip.
Distance: Approx. 1 hour
Open: Year-round
Cost: Entry fee applies
Website: https://nortonpriory.org
A unique blend of history and horticulture, Norton Priory features medieval ruins surrounded by modern landscaped gardens.
One of the most historically significant gardens in North West England.
Distance: Approx. 50 minutes
Open: 17th May & 14th June 2026
Cost: Entry fee applies (raising funds for local charities)
Rarely open to the public, Eaton Hall Gardens offer a glimpse into one of the most private estate gardens in Cheshire.
When accessible, it is one of the most exclusive garden visits in the region.
Distance: Approx. 1 hour
Open: Daily (seasonal variations)
Cost: National Trust members free / standard admission applies
Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/dunham-massey
A historic deer park and formal garden set within a vast National Trust estate, Dunham Massey offers wide avenues, reflective waterways, and seasonal planting that shifts quietly throughout the year.
In spring, the gardens soften with blossom and bulbs, while autumn brings rich colour beneath ancient trees. It is a place defined by space, calm, and a slower pace.
Rarely open to the public, Eaton Hall Gardens offer a glimpse into one of the most private estate gardens in Cheshire.
When accessible, it is one of the most exclusive garden visits in the region.
Distance: Approx. 45 minutes
Open: Daily
Cost: National Trust members free / standard admission applies
Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/biddulph-grange-garden
A truly distinctive National Trust Garden, Biddulph Grange takes you through a series of themed landscapes, from Italian terraces to Chinese-inspired planting.
It reflects a time of curiosity and exploration, where gardening was as much about storytelling as it was about planting.
NGS : It is worth checking out those local gardens open via the National Garden Scheme. https://ngs.org.uk/ which highlight private gardens not generally on the radar. The proceeds go to support their 4 chosen charities each year.
Across Shropshire and Cheshire in kitchen gardens and walled gardens near Combermere Abbey, edible flowers are an often-overlooked seasonal highlight.
Nasturtiums bring a peppery freshness to salads, while borage adds a light cucumber flavour. Violas and pansies offer delicate sweetness and colour, and calendula introduces subtle earthiness and vibrancy to dishes. Lavender, used sparingly, adds fragrance and depth to both sweet and savoury cooking.
In traditional English kitchen gardens, edible flowers are part of a long-standing connection between beauty and practicality, where gardens are designed not only to be admired, but to be enjoyed on the plate as well.
Make a wonderful overnight trip and benefit from seeing more than one garden. Come book a one-night (or more) in one of our lovely self-catering cottages. After a day spent exploring gardens across Cheshire and Shropshire, there is a natural sense of returning to Combermereto unwind and enjoy the evening with a visit to one of our local gastro pubs and restaurants.
The estate offers a choice of places to stay; each designed with the same considered approach. The Courtyard Cottages, once Victorian stables, are fully equipped and dog-friendly, making them ideal for either one night stays or longer, more relaxed stays. Set within the heart of the estate, they offer comfort, privacy, and a sense of home that allows you to settle in quickly.
Within the Abbey itself, The North Wing offers something truly special. An experience from start to finish. An adult-only space with its own private entrance and concierge service, it combines the ease of a luxury B&B and so much more, with the character and history of the house. Mornings begin slowly, evenings draw in gently, and throughout the day, light moves across rooms that look out over the mere.
However you choose to stay, it is less about filling time and more about allowing it to unfold.
Discover a stay at Combermere: https://combermereabbey.co.uk/accommodation/
There is a moment in the year somewhere between the last cold morning and the first truly warm afternoon when everything begins to shift.
Across Cheshire, the landscape changes almost without announcement. Trees return to leaf, gardens find their colour again, and the countryside settles into a quieter, steadier rhythm.
At Combermere Abbey, this sense of renewal feels especially close.
Set within acres of parkland and ancient woodland on the Cheshire-Shropshire border, the estate moves gently into spring. Paths that felt still in winter begin to open. The mere reflects longer evenings. There is a quiet sense of space returning.
It is not dramatic. It does not need to be.
There is an ease to staying at Combermere at this time of year.
The cottages once Victorian stables sit quietly at the heart of the estate. Each is individual, yet all share the same considered approach: comfortable, calm, and thoughtfully designed so that you feel at home almost immediately.
Stone Lodge, set slightly apart at the entrance, offers something more private. Surrounded by its own orchard and enclosed garden, it lends itself to slower days and uninterrupted stays.
Within the Abbey, the North Wing provides a different perspective again. Light moves across the rooms throughout the day, with uninterrupted views stretching over the mere. There is a strong sense of history here but never anything that feels imposing.
For the first time, one-night stays are now available in the cottages, making it easier to step away, whether midweek or on impulse.
Spring at Combermere is best experienced simply by stepping outside.
A walk through the Pleasure Garden leads naturally into Garden Wood, where paths continue down towards the water’s edge. Wildlife returns to the mere, and the estate begins to feel fully alive again.
For a short time, the Bluebell Walk quietly appears. The woodland floor softens into blue beneath the trees a familiar and fleeting signal that the season has arrived.
Elsewhere, the Walled Gardens offer a different kind of space. Structured, yet never restrictive. A place to wander without agenda, noticing detail as you go.
There is plenty to discover beyond the estate but very little need to overplan.
Nearby gardens and historic houses offer a gentle change of pace, while the surrounding countryside invites longer walks and unhurried afternoons.
A short drive away, Three Wrens Gin sits among ancient woodland, where many of its botanicals are grown and gathered on site. Tastings are relaxed and informal, fitting naturally into the rhythm of the day.
Closer still, The Old Piggery Café offers an easy pause, coffee, something simple to eat, and then back out again.
As spring moves into early summer, the estate settles into its most peaceful rhythm – particularly during the week.
For stays between 4th May and 20th July 2026, a few thoughtful touches have been added.
Guests staying in the North Wing will be welcomed with a grazing platter on arrival, while cottage stays include a breakfast hamper to ease into the first morning.
Bookings made before 30th April, using the code SPRINGTREAT, will include these additions.
Time at Combermere does not need to be filled.
It might be a morning walk through woodland, an afternoon in the gardens, or simply sitting still and watching the light shift across the water.
However it is spent, it tends to leave you feeling the same.
Rested. Reset. And ready to return again.
EVENT
Join us at Combermere Abbey for our first look event!
