Our visit to The Savill Garden was the first review we did in and around Windsor over half term. Turns out it was quite a Windsor focused week! You can read my reviews of Windsor Great Park & Windsor Castle by clicking the links. The garden was created in the ’30s and has grown in size and grandeur ever since.
I’ll be honest, part of the reason we chose to visit is because it’s £12 to park in Windsor Great Park or £13.50 per adult, with free parking, to visit the gardens. Seemed like a bit of a no brainer really and it meant I could do a review of both The Savill Garden and Windsor Great Park in one day. Realistically I probably could have spent most of the day visiting each!
The lakes
As soon as you come into The Savill Garden you can see the two (linked) lakes. There’s plenty of wildlife on the lakes – including tons of the cutest goslings! There were just so many of them! As you cross the Casson Bridge there’s a little summer house which is great for a photo of the kids (if they’re co-operating). This year it has rained for pretty much all of May so the Bog Garden was pretty muddy. I’m not sure if that was just the rain or if it’s always like that.
The bridges across this lake are really pretty too. I’m fairly sure someone will have instragrammed the hell out of it! (In fact a quick search on IG shows it is indeed a very popular feature of the gardens). Honestly, the kids didn’t care about the bridges, they were all about the goslings.
The Spring Garden & Azalea Walk
Pretty much straight away you can tell this is a garden designed to be gorgeous at different times of the year, but in distinct areas. If you’re in a particular area out of season it’s nice and all, but not breath-taking. It’s certainly a lot more segmented than somewhere like Kew Gardens. When we visited The Savill Garden to do this review it was at the very end of May, just as the garden started to transition to summer. That meant we’d missed all of the spring bulbs and that the hydrangeas weren’t quite in bloom yet.
The Spring garden and Azalea Walk were both still in full swing when we were there. I cannot really tell the difference between the two – I’m more of a wannabe gardener than an actual one. Even Google lens gets confused. What I can tell you is that they’re both incredibly pretty when in full bloom. We spent quite a lot of time in this bit, mainly because this is the best part of the garden at this time of year.
We did go over to the (what I imagine is beautiful in the summer) rose garden. Sadly it was too early in the season for there it be any blooms. And the little platform that takes you to the middle of the action was closed for “maintenance”. By maintenance I’m assuming it’s just another name for covid restrictions.
I’m not saying you can’t go to a section out of season, or that there’s nothing to see when it is. It’s just that the most interesting part of the garden changes from time to time.
How child friendly is The Savill Garden?
There’s one major draw-back to this place. It’s a food-free zone. You’re not even allowed any food or drinks in disposable wrappers. Reusable water bottles are fine though. It was half term and that means the kids want snacks every twenty minutes.
Whilst it’s really pretty, and a very nice walk with the kids, I think there are more child friendly places to visit and for less money. It’s somewhere that would be lovely to have a picnic and stretch the day out. I already knew that it was food free before our visit so had been loading the kids up with snacks on the journey down there. Honestly, kids and snacks during the holidays is just terrifying. Still it didn’t take too long for the hangries to kick in so we had to go out for lunch. Once they’d seen the playground next door, it was pretty hard to get them back in again.
We’re used to visiting nice gardens, even ones without specifically kid-friendly stuff, but this did have a slightly different vibe. No particular reason, and all the staff we spoke to were very friendly, but I just get the impression this place is more suited to adult visitors than the kids. Windsor Great Park as a whole though, totally different kettle of fish!
Our The Savill Garden review
It was so beautiful here, and surprisingly quiet. I’m a big fan of rhododendrons and azaleas and the ones here didn’t disappoint. The kids definitely didn’t enjoy it as much as I did, and they didn’t run around and explore as much as they normally would. I would definitely go back for myself, I’m not sure I’d take the kids again. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a “bad” review. It’s lovely. It’s just that my kids enjoyed the rest of the great park more than in here, and that was cheaper.
Admission cost
Admission is £13.50 per adult, £6.50 per child (5-15 years). Under 5’s go free. Some tickets can be pre-booked online and includes parking. You can get 2-4-1 entry using your Gardener’s World card.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – Free with paid admission
Address – Sat nav postcode – TW20 0UJ. The car park entrance is on Wick Lane
Toilets
On-site including a decent family room. The kids were all very excited by the loos, because they’re self-flushing. I shouldn’t be surprised – they’re too lazy to flush half the time anyway so something that does it for them was always going to be a winner.
Food
There is a cafe on-site but, as I’ve mentioned, no food or drink is allowed on-site.
What else is there to do nearby?
OMG. Tons! The Savill Garden makes up part of Windsor Great Park. There’s also Windsor Castle just down the road. Nearby you’ll also find Black Park Country Park and Langley Park Country Park.
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
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