I enjoyed myself here, in this beautiful house and gardens run by a charity, so by rights should have given four stars. The walks are well laid out (perhaps a little too steep for pushchairs and wheelchairs in places), the map is succinct and easy to read, and the various places of interest along the route are well maintained. The woman on reception was lovely, making us feel really welcome, even giving my two dogs a handful of snacks to enjoy on their leashed walk (they're not allowed off, but can visit the downstairs of the house, gardens and refectory) and parking was a breeze, which is also free. As a charity Hestercombe House has a duty to make money for the considerable cost of upkeep of this property, hence the request for donations and gift aid, on top of entry fee. What is not clear however, is why the charity thinks it's acceptable to add a 10% gratuity to the food/drinks bill on what is already an expensive option, without bringing this to the attention of the payee. Do the waitressing staff not earn an hourly rate? I thought the bill expensive, but was embarrassed to query it, and the waitress said nothing when I paid, only finding out about the stealth charge when I got home and read the tiny writing at the bottom of the bill. To my mind, this should brought to the attention of the purchaser on receipt of the bill, and not hushed up, and added in an underhand way. I've reduced my stars to three accordingly.
Roadrage Monkey
Superb little jem of a place ! Well tendered gardens offering relaxing, scenic walks. The house and art gallery are beautiful, and the used book shop is a treasure trove for those who like a bargain read.\\nFood in the restaurant is first class. Tasty, and plentiful. Staff are friendly, polite, and helpful. Definitely worthy of more than one visit. !!
Dane Christoffersen
Lovely experience at the illuminate event.\\nSocial distancing was in place and staff we all wearing masks, plenty of hand sanitizer around as well.\\nThe event was great and my kids enjoyed it, and the food and drink were a perfect way to cap the evening off!
Penelope Fahie
Spent pleasant day here. Gardens lovely plenty of space. The restaurant was busy but the staff got us seated as quick as they could.\\nThe food was amazing hake and fresh veg. Banana cake was very good.\\nI think you can book a table.\\nWould recommend very friendly staff.
colin day
Great formal gardens and nice walk in the grounds with ponds, stream, waterfall and follys. Big enough not to feel crowded. Good restrooms, and nice cafe with scrummy cupcakes. Small selection of reasonably priced plants. Gardens a little scruffy in places and not as well tended as you would expect from a NT property. But a good day out
Marie Brown
Lovely walks. Paths are hardcore in places and not easy for strollers or mobility scooters. Lots of shady places to stay out of the sun. Water falls and ponds add great scenery. The house had good bones but nothing in it. Art gallery disappointing. Formal garden area was pretty. There is a rustic charm about the place. Coffee shop cakes were delightful. Proper coffee served. Plant centre small enough to miss entirely, nice selection. Staff friendly.
B
We visited today and had a great time. All the staff were amazing, very friendly and helpful. The cafe sells the most amazing cakes and good coffee, we didn't try the restaurant as we took a picnic. The only downside was the picnic area as it was extremely hot when we visited and unfortunately there wasn't much shade (you can't just sit under a tree with a picnic blanket).\\n\\nThere are some lovely walks with the most amazing views and waterfalls. The kids really enjoyed playing in the stream and being able to cool down. Feeding the ducks and fish was a definite highlight (you can buy food for just 20p a bag). We will definitely visit again and hope to find the playground on our next visit.
Brian Peart
We enjoyed walking through the woodland areas up to the lakes, it was nice and cool on a very hot day. The views from the top over the valley were really good. We didn't go into the house as we thought it might be hot, and in the afternoon there was a wedding so we couldn't anyway.\\n\\nThe formal gardens in front of the house are very nice, with water running through channels in a rather Arabesque way.
Heather Strange
Our family loves to visit here - whether it's for coffee or a tasty lunch, a quiet visit to the formal gardens or exploring the rest of the grounds with the grand children. There's something for everyone.
Amanda Perry
Gardens beautiful, staff lovely.... shame about the house. Could make so much more of it. Art gallery is mainly some photography of one artist and a small installation piece with little explanation... box covers in need of dusting... shouldn't cost £12.50 presently, too expensive for what it offers
Restaurantji Recommends
nige king
Very nice place to visit,lovely to walk around the grounds and view the ornate as well as the more open woodland walks, shame the large waterfall wasn't flowing but there was plenty of other photo opportunities.
Derek Butler
Excellent grounds. Plenty to see. Lots of walking. Very dog friendly. Steeped in history. Only down side was some dog owners did not pick up after there dog, which is a shame as the gardens and walkways are very well kept.
Dominique Ricci
Beautiful gardens. You can stall along these amazing trees and flowers. Landscape is beautiful. They have a coffee shop and treasure hunt maps for the kids.
Belinda Rees
It was a wonderful day out. We had such a fabulous time. X also doggy friendly which was great for us. X
Philip Sawyer
The grounds are beautiful. The cafe quaint. Had a lovely stone baked pizza. The strawberry cake was delicious. The milkshakes however were a let down. I had a banana milkshake which was warm and somewhat tasteless. The rest of the trip was worthwhile though. A great place to visit.
I enjoyed myself here, in this beautiful house and gardens run by a charity, so by rights should have given four stars. The walks are well laid out (perhaps a little too steep for pushchairs and wheelchairs in places), the map is succinct and easy to read, and the various places of interest along the route are well maintained. The woman on reception was lovely, making us feel really welcome, even giving my two dogs a handful of snacks to enjoy on their leashed walk (they're not allowed off, but can visit the downstairs of the house, gardens and refectory) and parking was a breeze, which is also free. As a charity Hestercombe House has a duty to make money for the considerable cost of upkeep of this property, hence the request for donations and gift aid, on top of entry fee. What is not clear however, is why the charity thinks it's acceptable to add a 10% gratuity to the food/drinks bill on what is already an expensive option, without bringing this to the attention of the payee. Do the waitressing staff not earn an hourly rate? I thought the bill expensive, but was embarrassed to query it, and the waitress said nothing when I paid, only finding out about the stealth charge when I got home and read the tiny writing at the bottom of the bill. To my mind, this should brought to the attention of the purchaser on receipt of the bill, and not hushed up, and added in an underhand way. I've reduced my stars to three accordingly.
Superb little jem of a place ! Well tendered gardens offering relaxing, scenic walks. The house and art gallery are beautiful, and the used book shop is a treasure trove for those who like a bargain read.\\nFood in the restaurant is first class. Tasty, and plentiful. Staff are friendly, polite, and helpful. Definitely worthy of more than one visit. !!
Lovely experience at the illuminate event.\\nSocial distancing was in place and staff we all wearing masks, plenty of hand sanitizer around as well.\\nThe event was great and my kids enjoyed it, and the food and drink were a perfect way to cap the evening off!
Spent pleasant day here. Gardens lovely plenty of space. The restaurant was busy but the staff got us seated as quick as they could.\\nThe food was amazing hake and fresh veg. Banana cake was very good.\\nI think you can book a table.\\nWould recommend very friendly staff.
Great formal gardens and nice walk in the grounds with ponds, stream, waterfall and follys. Big enough not to feel crowded. Good restrooms, and nice cafe with scrummy cupcakes. Small selection of reasonably priced plants. Gardens a little scruffy in places and not as well tended as you would expect from a NT property. But a good day out
Lovely walks. Paths are hardcore in places and not easy for strollers or mobility scooters. Lots of shady places to stay out of the sun. Water falls and ponds add great scenery. The house had good bones but nothing in it. Art gallery disappointing. Formal garden area was pretty. There is a rustic charm about the place. Coffee shop cakes were delightful. Proper coffee served. Plant centre small enough to miss entirely, nice selection. Staff friendly.
We visited today and had a great time. All the staff were amazing, very friendly and helpful. The cafe sells the most amazing cakes and good coffee, we didn't try the restaurant as we took a picnic. The only downside was the picnic area as it was extremely hot when we visited and unfortunately there wasn't much shade (you can't just sit under a tree with a picnic blanket).\\n\\nThere are some lovely walks with the most amazing views and waterfalls. The kids really enjoyed playing in the stream and being able to cool down. Feeding the ducks and fish was a definite highlight (you can buy food for just 20p a bag). We will definitely visit again and hope to find the playground on our next visit.
We enjoyed walking through the woodland areas up to the lakes, it was nice and cool on a very hot day. The views from the top over the valley were really good. We didn't go into the house as we thought it might be hot, and in the afternoon there was a wedding so we couldn't anyway.\\n\\nThe formal gardens in front of the house are very nice, with water running through channels in a rather Arabesque way.
Our family loves to visit here - whether it's for coffee or a tasty lunch, a quiet visit to the formal gardens or exploring the rest of the grounds with the grand children. There's something for everyone.
Gardens beautiful, staff lovely.... shame about the house. Could make so much more of it. Art gallery is mainly some photography of one artist and a small installation piece with little explanation... box covers in need of dusting... shouldn't cost £12.50 presently, too expensive for what it offers
Restaurantji Recommends
Very nice place to visit,lovely to walk around the grounds and view the ornate as well as the more open woodland walks, shame the large waterfall wasn't flowing but there was plenty of other photo opportunities.
Excellent grounds. Plenty to see. Lots of walking. Very dog friendly. Steeped in history. Only down side was some dog owners did not pick up after there dog, which is a shame as the gardens and walkways are very well kept.
Beautiful gardens. You can stall along these amazing trees and flowers. Landscape is beautiful. They have a coffee shop and treasure hunt maps for the kids.
It was a wonderful day out. We had such a fabulous time. X also doggy friendly which was great for us. X
The grounds are beautiful. The cafe quaint. Had a lovely stone baked pizza. The strawberry cake was delicious. The milkshakes however were a let down. I had a banana milkshake which was warm and somewhat tasteless. The rest of the trip was worthwhile though. A great place to visit.