The picturesque Winkworth Arboretum

Winkworth Arboretum is somewhere you can visit all year round but it really is spectacular in autumn. Created back in the early 20th century by Dr Wilfrid Fox, who used plants to paint a picture in the landscape, the best views can be found on the edge of the Magnolia Wood, at the top of the Azalea Steps and the eastern Meadow. Not forgetting my favourite place, the lakeside boathouse.

Dr Wilfrid Fox had a great passion for horticulture and purchased 130 acres of woodland next to his farmhouse in the Thorncombe Valley. It’s said he was the driving force behind the Roads Beautifying Association and even a member of a horticultural advisory committee to the King. When the Thorncombe estate, next to Dr Wilifid Fox’s country home, was put up for sale he purchased the land so he could experiment with nature’s autumnal colours on a large scale. Today this hillside arboretum, maintained by the National Trust for the past 60 years, is bursting with reds, oranges and yellows. Thanks to Dr Fox’s clever planting, you can visit a couple of times in autumn and see colour in different parts of the arboretum.

We don’t always follow the same route but on this occasion took in the countryside from the viewing platform before heading down to the Badgers Bowl. There’s an intense concentration of autumn colour planting here and it’s beautiful even if the leaves are only just beginning to turn. From there we went down the wooden boathouse which has stood for a hundred years and has wonderful views of Rowe’s Flashe Lake. If you walk to Rowe’s Flashe Meadow, you can look down the lake back towards the iconic boathouse. There are wonderful views of The Bowl from here too with plenty of colour on display already.

Winkworth Arboretum now has an adventure play area which is a brilliant incentive for families who need to get their children to walk back up from the boathouse! POD was so excited she raced up the Azalea Steps, barely pausing for breath. There are several trails at Winkworth Arboretum which vary from access for all to the more challenging. A visit down to the boathouse is so worth it but you do need to walk back up. There is a tea room near the entrance however so a good excuse for coffee and cake!

The new Tree Adventure at Winkworth Arboretum is amazing, POD would have stayed there for hours given half a chance. Tucked away in the forest, there are two multi-layed platforms connected with a rope bridge and rope tunnel. There’s also a climbing wall and fireman’s pole. With a Natural Play Area for smaller children close-by, complete with monkey bars, both are perfect for families visiting Winkworth. What’s more, there’s a tuk-tuk in the forest that serves drinks and snacks. The area is surrounded by beautiful handcrafted wooden benches too, made from oak trees that have come down in the wind.

We’re lucky where we live in that there are so many National Trust places to visit in the Surrey Hills. While we do go to Winkworth Arboretum as a family, during autumn it’s usually somewhere I go on my own with my camera. POD always enjoys blowing away the cobwebs and running down Badgers Bowl but having a play area at Winkworth Arboretum means we can visit as a family more often. That’s got to be a good thing, right?