National Trust to re-open gardens and parkland from 3rd June

National Trust has announced the re-opening of their gardens and parkland to the public from Wednesday 3rd June.

Since lockdown restrictions eased towards the end of May, National Trust have been gradually re-opening car parks to their sites across the country, but now they're taking a step further to open up their much-loved gardens and parkland too. This comes with the latest guidelines from the government that we can now spend more time in outdoor spaces and meet in groups of six, whilst maintaining the 2m rule. 

The National Trust plan to phase the re-opening gradually from Wednesday 3rd May and to ensure that visitors can visit safely, they will be introducing a booking system so that everyone can have the space they need to safely enjoy the parks, gardens and surroundings.

The National Trust will continue to add new gardens and parks that are re-opening weekly on Fridays, so please do keep an eye on their website to check when your local park or garden will be opening. To find out more about the National Trust and keep up to date with their latest statements, click here.

A National Trust spokesperson said: "We knew that once we started a gradual opening of our gardens and parklands, tickets for our places would be very popular; particularly with such fine weather. With 5.8million members and about 70,000 tickets available in this first week, some of the initial 29 gardens and parklands have reached capacity very quickly, but more will be available next Friday for the following week, and we will also be reopening more of our places.
 
“We’ve made careful decisions about which gardens and parklands can open, and we have limited their capacity to ensure everyone can adhere to social distancing to maintain the safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers, which remains our top priority.
 
“On Thursday, a day before our booking system opened, we emailed the two million members for whom we had email addresses to make them aware the booking system was opening, and we’re delighted that well over 90% of our tickets have been booked by our members. Unfortunately, charity tax law does not allow us to give exclusive access to members. We’re sorry if some have been unable to book in this first phase, but more slots will be available every Friday, and over the coming weeks more places will gradually start to reopen.
 
 “We are so thankful that our members and supporters have stood by us as we work through these unprecedented times, and we ask for their continued support as we make this gradual transition a success so we can get back to offering nature, beauty and history for everyone.”

Looking for local National Trust Parks and Gardens near you? Here's a list of the closest National Trust Parks and Gardens to you in Swindon!