Wey & Arun Canal Trust - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

A beautiful woodland garden of over 25 acres renowned for its captivating beauty and tranquillity. Famous for its stunning collection of rhododendrons and azaleas, the garden was established in the 1900s with influences from the Japanese gardens, it now stretches over twenty acres. The house and grounds are also available for private hire for weddings and events.

Petworth House in the parish of Petworth, West Sussex, England, is a late 17th-century Grade I listed country house, rebuilt in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s to the design of the architect Anthony Salvin. It contains intricate wood-carvings by Grinling Gibbons. It is the manor house of the manor of Petworth. For centuries it was the southern home for the Percy family, Earls of Northumberland.

Nestled in a woodland valley just outside the village of Ockley lies a sculpture garden unlike any other. Created over 35 years ago, The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden exhibits an ever-changing collection of contemporary sculpture throughout the magical gardens. Surrounding a 15th century, Grade 2 listed cottage, the grounds have been lovingly restored and reinvented over the past 40 years by owner and renowned landscape designer Anthony Paul.

Winkworth Arboretum, Surrey is a National Trust place with over 1000 types of trees and shrubs alive with colour in autumn. The 95 acres arboretum was founded by Dr Wilfrid Fox, starting in 1938 and continuing through World War II. He cleared the land and planted it with carefully chosen trees and shrubs to maximise its autumnal appearance. Once it was established, he presented it to the National Trust in 1952.

The Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England, which were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991. It is also one of the highest points in the south east of England, exceeded by Walbury Hill and Leith Hill. Blackdown is protected as part of the South Downs National Park.

This 90 acre site, created from a former brickworks, has level surfaced paths which provide an easy-going lakeside walk. It offers a selection of outdoor activities including an adventure-style play area, orienteering course, tuition in canoeing and sailing. The Quarry', which is managed for nature conservation and supports wildlife such as lizards, Kingfishers, Nightingales and various butterflies and dragonflies.