Trentham Gardens

My husband and i along with my son decided to take our 10 month old puppy Eddie for a walk in the gardens,he put his foot on glass on one of the paths.The staff offered no help my son and i had to take turns carrying my dog back to the car,it was a very deep cut and had sliced his paw right through.My son and i were covered in blood as it was pouring.The lack of care taken i find astonishing i feel this could happen to anyones dog or child.For 20 minutes walk my dog had to have a general anaesthetic ,stitches painkillers and antibiotics ,i also had a bill for £300 .I am aware this is a very popular place to walk your dog however i feel everyone needs to know the dangers

If you've never been to Trentham Gardens before, you won't know there's 4 main parts to it: The Gardens, The Shopping Centre, the walk around the lake, which skims The Monkey Forest border. The Monkey Forest is £6 for adults and £4.50 for children. The shopping centre is free as long as you don't buy! And the walk around the lake was free, and living 15 minutes or so drive away, I used to visit every other week to stretch the legs with friends. It's now £5 for adults or £3.50 for children to do the walk- the same walk, no improvements or changes that I've seen- but with this price you also get access to the Gardens (which were always charged), open 9am-4pm.

Now I do enjoy gardening as a hobby and visiting gardens mainly National Trust and touristy ones, I can spend a day just wandering round, taking photos and making notes and sketches. Trentham faired well with these attractions, but I'm a bit sore about paying for a walk that was free- in my opinion the gardens are worth visiting 4 times a year only to see the changes, and I can no longer justify going every other week to pay for the walk, so have found alternatives.

I was impressed to learn that Capability Brown had a hand in designing the landscape in the mid 1700s. You enter the gardens across a pretty bridge which is built across a river. Trenthams Gardens are formal style, Italinate, with a main walk, bordered by mixed perennial planting which means it's worth visiting once in each season to appreciate its full cycle. At the end of the main walk is a lovely view across the lake, with it's islands, you can see the walk (that was free).

To the left a pretty prairie area has been planted, best enjoyed in summer. To the right are several show gardens (some designed locally, a rather nice tropical themed one, and an eco one...), access to the lake walk an the trees surrounding it, and a children's play area. The play area was great fun for my 11 year old cousin, it's one of the chunky log style ones, with monkey bars, giant tyre swing, assault course, normal swings and slide.

In took me (my camera and notebook) a morning to go round everything the first time, including an hour in the play area with my cousin. The other 3 times I've been it's only taken 2 hours, and all I felt I gained was seeing the cycle of the planting- most impressive in my opinion was the contrast of colour and texture between the outside borders grasses and sedums. I took my parents who are not in any way interested in gardening, but enjoy a walk- they preferred the lake walk to the actual garden area. So that leads me to conclude that if you're interested in gardening- go for a visit, best in Summer if you want to see the prarie and show gardens at their best, and if you like near enough, try and go once each season to see the changes. If you're not interested in gardening- the walk is good around the lake, but not £5 good- get a local map and find one for free!

If you want to fill a day- with minimal driving, it's worth visiting the shopping centre too, and the Monkey Forest is good fun- for all ages!

This is a great place to go if you want to do some shopping, walking, having a coffee, a meal etc.

The shops are great and it feels like you are on holiday, there is also the main shop which is part of trentham estates.

The italian gardens are beautiful and great to walk around or just sit down and relax, this is one of my favourite places for taking photo's in stoke as I am a wedding & portrait photographer that also loves to take landscape & recreational photographs. There is also a lovely walk around the lake with a coffee bar half way around(near the Monkey Forest).

There is a Hotel, Franky & Bennies and they also have a massive venue for wedding fayres etc.

I visited Trentham Gardens recently with my two children, and I cannot believe how great they are for children! We spent the majority of the day at the adventure playground, which is really well thought out - my daughter played in the sand pit for over an hour! We also enjoyed the maze, and had a walk around some of the gardens. There was too much to do on one day, so we are planning a return visit!

Trentham Gardens was refurbished and completely renovated some years ago, and is now one of the most popular visitor attractions in the area. The Italian Gardens are lovely, but you have to pay to get in, so plan to make the most of your visit. There is a range of specialist shops catering to the needs of those wanting old fashioned sweets, pet clothing, paintings and other crafts, and are well worth window shopping even if you don’t want to buy. The Garden Centre is lovely - but has probably the most astonishingly expensive items I have ever seen in the Stoke-on-Trent area. A visit here is not to be missed, but keep you hands out of your wallet. The restaurant is nice - food is good but also on the pricey side. The Gardens also boast a Monkey Forest where the monkeys roam free and regularly hosts exhibitions in the grounds. Great fun for the family - but keep an eye on the costs!

NICE DAY OUT. THE GARDENS DOES HAVE AN ADMISSION CHARGE BUT THERE IS OFFERS.
THE GARDENS ARE BEAUTIFUL AND WELL WORTH PAYING TO GET IN

The gardens do have an admission fee which through careful looking or bundled purchases can be discounted. The gardens themselves are lovely and are nearby the monkey forest. This additional attraction helps to bring more things to do for you and you’re family while visiting there.

Trentham Gardens is a lovely family day out. The best feature for my kids is the bare foot path and they always insist on going round at least twice. The playground is nice, and will keep them busy for quite a while. If you really feel like treating them there are plenty of shops in the retail village, including a toy shop, a sweet shop and an ice cream parlour. It’s also the only place in Stoke that I know of were you can buy mead ( not for the kids though….).

Great day out, although if you go to the gardens it is expensive, so always best to make a day out of it to get best value. Take a picnic in summer, as there are plenty of grassy areas to sit, and also picnic benches scattered around.

Barfuss barefoot walk is good fun, especially if you have kids. Lockers available for shoes, £1 coin required for locker key.

Kids play area always seems good fiun for the kids.

New things being added all the time.

New maze is currently being grown so should be good for next year.

Good range of shops, from food to home to clothing and accessories. Good selection of cafes and places to eat/drink.

Plenty of parking, but gets busy at weekends and peak times.

Trentham gardens is such a wonderful place and one where you can quite happily spend the whole day and still want to go back there again the next as it is that nice. It can be made as romantic, dramatic or as family orientated a trip as you would like and I do think there is something for everybody there. I would recommend to everybody and here is why I always go back there.

Trentham is based in Stoke-on-Trent and it is a lovely area full of nice houses, nice pubs and of course Trentham gardens. The actual place is pretty easy to get to as it is just off a roundabout on the main road leading into Stoke. I would not say when you get there it will look special as it doesn’t but when you get though the entrance gates you will see why it is so lovely there and a major attraction for this area.

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Gardens:

From the name I am sure you can guess that there are quite a few gardens here to see including the relatively new Italian gardens. Now you do have to pay a small fee of a couple of pounds to gain access to the gardens but it really is worth it if you appreciate nice scenery and good walks.

The Italian gardens are very pretty with lots to see and have a nosy at. There is a lot to walk around and in the middle of Trentham gardens is a massive lake which provides some stunning scenery and you will often see a lot of wildlife around. I would say you could quite happily spend a couple of hours around the gardens and it is nice and relaxing to do.

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Lake:

There is a huge lake at Trentham that you can actually go and do some small water sports activities which basically involves huge pedalos but that is fun enough for me. They are only about £4 each and it is nice to do as it keeps you occupied and on a nice summers day there will be loads of people doing exactly the same thing.

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Walks:

Trentham gardens has so many walks around including a walk right up to a monument which takes a good couple of hours of hard walking aswell. There are walks along the lake, around the gardens and details for all of these are signposted but you can also ask in all of the information centres. I don’t think people expect this place to be as big as it is as it doesn’t look that big when you enter. I do think though if you do decide to go on a walk to take a picnic with you and some drinks as it is easy to get hot and bothered especially if you go on the walks that involve walking uphill.

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Monkey Forest:

This is a new part to Trentham and involves walking around a forest full of loose monkeys which is so nice to do. You can get there by walking along the lake which connects Trentham gardens with the Monkey forest and it is well worth doing. You can happily spend a couple of hours here which is excellent and if you like animals it is ideal as the monkeys are just adorable. Go in the summer to catch all of the baby monkeys.

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Travel:

While at Trentham there is a small train and a small boat which takes you from the gardens to the Monkey forest which are actually quite fun to take.

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Craft Shops:

This is relatively new to Trentham gardens and it is absolutely superb. There are so many including whole food shop, metal shop, jewellery shops, food court, natural world shop, craft shop, Whittards shop, outdoor shop and many more. There is so much to see and buy if I dare say it and I spent about an hour just skimming some of the craft shops so you could spend a lot more time there.

The craft shops are in little wooden huts so it fits well into the country theme and they are all clean and set out well so you can see everything.

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German Food and Drink:

At the moment there is a small German market there which sells food and drink and a few souvenirs so it is worth a quick look and I have to say that all of the food does smell delicious although I had just eaten so I didn’t get any.

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Visitor Centre:

There is quite a big visitor centre where you can get all of the information about the grounds and what is available to do for everybody while you are there. They will detail any events to take place and help you with any walks you want to go on.

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Food and Drink:

Around the craft centre there are many cafes where you can get a snack and drinks and also more importantly ice-cream on a hot day. May I say that the ice-cream is so delicious and I actually had two in the space of an hour.

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Getting Here:

You can get to Trentham by car and the address is as follows;

Trentham Gardens.
Stone Road,
Trentham
Stoke on Trent
ST4 8AX.

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Other:

Trentham gardens are often host to events and the main one is the graduations of Staffordshire University once a year. I had my graduation there and it was in such beautiful grounds it made the whole day so special.

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Verdict:

I do think that you should come and visit here if you get the chance as it is truly a wonderful place with lots to do and see. I think everybody would have an enjoyable time here.

Thanks for reading.

xxx
P.S. This has been posted on other sites but always by me katygriff

Trentham Gardens is a great place to visit with lots to do for all the family. There are plenty of shops selling a wide variety of different things. The prices are pretty expensive but it is recommended if you are looking for something a little bit different to the norm – it is particularly good if you are looking for gifts. There are plenty of good places to eat to choose from – although again the prices can be a little on the high side. If you want to save the pennies there are lovely walks to be had around the lake and gardens and parking is free. Trentham Gardens also hosts many events throughout the year and there is normally something to suit everyone. All in all a good day out.

Went here with the inlaws one very cold frosty day just before Christmas, what a find! Full of good cheer and of course the Potteries welcoming spirit. Lots of good shopping, local stuff too. Hugh gardening outlet, with indoor and out goodies. All the usual seasonal stuff too. You might think it’s another outlet, but not in the Potteries, they always do their own thing!

Trentham Gardens has grown and grown during the past few years and has been developed into an excellent all round family attraction.
There is large main shop selling a range of quality items such as home furnishings. These are not particularly cheap but considering many of them are hand made, the prices are very reasonable. There is also a cafe/restaurant selling everything from snacks to gourmet food.
Apart from the main shopping building there is also a number of log cabin effect shops outside which are well worth a visit, especially at Christmas when they tend to have themes such as a German Christmas market.

This place has had an amazing revival. I have experienced most of the new development and it is brilliant. To start with there’s the shopping village. Lovely log cabin style outlets ranging from Surf Wear to kids toys, pottery and jewellery to home goods – there’s even a store that sells clothes for your dog! Then there’s the garden centre – this is a garden centre+. Catering for all types of gardener they also have a huge range of home furniture, clothes, children’s toys, etc. Though beware – this place is expensive. There are lot’s of places to eat on the site – all of an excellent standard. If shopping isn’t your thing the main point is the restoration of the Italian Gardens – and they’re gorgeous. There’s even a barefoot walk! Or you can stroll round the lake and maybe be adventurous and visit the Monkey Forrest. I also believe there is an adventure playground up in the trees - though I haven’t been to that part of the complex. Plenty of parking, a hotel and marquee that holds craft or computer fairs. Altogether well worth a visit as something for everyone! I would have given it 5 stars had it not been for the garden centre being so expensive.

great for family day out. my sons loves it. beautiful gardens.

Trentham near Stoke consists of a little shopping village, beautiful gardens and a massive garden centre, in which you will find almost anything you could wish for. Some of the shops are a little on the expensive side, but it’s well worth having a look. Particularly interesting is the Country Larder, where you will find a range of yummy cheeses, oils and vinegars, along with many different store cupboard ingredients and frozen baked goods. Another favourite is the chain “Vom Fass”, which sells unusual spirits, vinegars and oils by the bottle, which can also be used for refills. Look out for special fairs too, such as the small but authentic German Christmas market! Overall, a great place for a day out, even if you are only window shopping!

This is a great day out for all the family they have now got newly built shops which range from sweet shops , candle shops and more .
They have the gardens which is great for a walk and a fantastic garden centre .
The grounds are pretty and staff are helpful

The Trentham estate is brilliant for a full day. First there is the monkey park, where you can get within a few yards of the monkeys and baby monkeys.Also they have the guides to tell you what they eat and what different noises they make stand for. They have a cafe and souvenir shop, also a picnic area.
Then you can go just up the road where you will find the main garden centre where they sell loads of different thinks. The staff are always happy and polite. The restaurant is brilliant and the food is great.

The trentham estate has a great selection of shops all set in a great surrounding. The shops include a lot of outdoor clothes shops and health shops as well as shops that are a little different to what you might find on a normal high street. There is also some lovely gardens to walk round which are themed around different things