Bennetts Water Gardens, the Abbotsbury Swannery and the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens are all located not too far from each other- so you could easily visit all three sites within one day. Depending on how much time you have available, and your preferences, you could visit just one of these sites- and perhaps come back another time to see the rest, or just spend the rest of the day at the nearby Chesil beach…
Views over Chesil beach from the Jurassic Coast Viewpoint in the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
Water Lilies starting to bloom
Woodland walks in Bennets Water Gardens
Bennets Water Gardens
First, we visited Bennetts Water Gardens- which is where you can find the national plant collection of Water Lilies. The site is rather big- covering 8 acres of ponds, woodland walks, and gardens. The area used to be clay pits until the 1950s when excavations closed, and ground water came up into the pits, creating lakes. A few years later, these lakes were used to farm water lilies, and that was the start of the Bennets Water Gardens. The original water lilies were brought in from the same French nursery that supplied Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny, and over the following decades, many more water lilies were grown and sold.
We bought our tickets online in advance- these were around £11 per adult- and then spent a good few hours exploring. First you walk through a tropical house, then there is a pathway that you can follow that takes you around the gardens- which has a few detours through the woodland and offers really good views of the ponds and water lilies. There were a number of highlights for us- particularly the Monet Bridge and Japanese Bridge. The Monet Bridge was was built here in 1999, in commemoration of the centenary of Claude Monet’s Water Lily Pond and the model Japanese Bridge is similarly impressive. You can see the map of the gardens and more details of the ponds here.
The Tropical house
The Monet Bridge
Whilst we enjoyed our trip, unfortunately we didn’t get to see as many water lilies as we would have liked- our visit was at the end of May, and usually the water lilies would be in full bloom but recent weather (and climate change) meant the blooming was delayed.
We would still recommend a visit here even if the water lilies are not blooming- the gardens are serene and peaceful, and there are many places for picnicking. There is also Café Monet on site where you can get some coffee and cakes whilst looking over the lilies, as well as a gift shop and plant nursery where visitors can buy water lilies and other plants. More information about the gardens and to book tickets online can be done here.
The Japanese Bridge
Abbotsbury Swannery
We have to admit- we hadn’t previously visited a swannery, or even knew there were some in the UK that could be visited, but this was perhaps one of the highlights of the trip- and definitely something we would recommend if you are in Dorset.
We booked our tickets in advance online- these are around £10 for adults, £5 for children, however there is an option to buy dual tickets to visit both the Abbotsbury Swannery and the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens and save 25%- which is exactly what we did (more on the gardens below!). Click here to book tickets.
The best time to visit is from the middle of May until early July to see cygnets (baby swans), and if you are lucky you may even see some eggs hatching…
The swannery was set up by Monks who built a monastery at the nearby Abbotsbury town in the 1040s. The main reason for the swannery early on was to farm swans for food, however the monastery was destroyed in 1539, and since then, the swannery has been part of the Ilchester Estate.
It turns out that this swannery is the only managed colony of nesting mute swans in the world- and as you can see from our photos, we could see many nesting swans throughout- too many to count! Just to note- although these are called mute swans, they are not actually mute but are just less vocal than other swans.
On arriving, after parking the car, there is a gift shop, after which there is a 5/10 minute walk down to the entrance of the swannery- past a maze in the shape of the swan, and also past a stunning little monastic herb garden. There was a one way path in operation during our visit and social distancing requirements in place, but this didn’t have much of an impact.
The Shepherd’s hut and history room
Cygnets in the rearing pen
A swan guarding its eggs
The swannery
We found the visit to be very interesting- information boards about swans, cygnets (baby swans), the swannery etc are displayed throughout which explain the history the the swannery, and the set up. There are also numerous viewing platforms and viewpoints dotted throughout- everyone was taking hundreds of photos at every spot! It was also very entertaining watching some of the cygnets waddle around after their parents or playing in the water.
Cygnets
Alice in Wonderland
The Old and the Pussy Cat figures
Views of St Catherine’s Chapel through the trees
Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
Located a short drive away from the Swannery, the Abbotsbury Subtropical gardens is another attraction we would recommend for anyone keen on plants and nature.
This is an incredibly impressive and magnificent Victorian garden, of around 20 acres in size, of many, many different plants and flowers. The location of the gardens provides an micro-climate- shelter is provided by the hills, and the tree canopy- creating the perfect condition for exotic and varied plants from all over the world to grow here.
The garden has many different sections- from a jungle glade, to a fern garden, hydrangea walk, Chilean border, Southern Hemisphere Garden and much more…
One of the best features we thought was the Jurassic Coast View Point- this was up a very steep hill, but offered incredible views over the Chesil beach nearby, over the Abbotsbury Swannery nearby and much more. This also makes for a great place for lunch spot!
Other highlights include a trail of ‘Wonderland Sculptures’- various characters from children’s classics dotted throughout- as you can see from the photos, these are rather impressive! We found the visit to the gardens very relaxing and peaceful- and there are many spots to perch and take in surroundings and just watch the world go by.
There is also a restaurant on site, a plant shop and a children’s playground- so something for everyone.
Rhododendrons
Stag figures in front of a Japanese bridge
It’s worth noting that the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens are located a very short walk away from Chesil beach- we walked down to the water (after grabbing an ice-cream from the beach cafe!) and spent some time enjoying the fresh sea air.
To find out more about what else we would recommend in Dorset, check out our main blog post here.
Chesil beach
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