Westonbirt - The National Arboretum, in the South Cotswolds, is one of the most magical and important tree gardens in the world. With over 600 acres of picturesque historic landscape, 17 miles of paths to explore, and 16,000 trees - some of the oldest, rarest and largest of their kind in the UK.
 
Westonbirt provides a natural woodland playground for children. Discover stepping stones, balancing beams and den-building areas hidden in the woodland.
 
Hot and cold locally sourced food is available throughout the year. Visit the Courtyard Café for outdoor tasty snacks and lunchtime meals, or Maples Restaurant for delicious lunchtime hot meals. There are benches amongst the trees for picnics.
 
Visit our Plant Centre, selling a wide range of trees and plants including the unique Heritage Collection, and a good selection of books and gardening accessories. Browse through the Forest Shop, offering a unique range of handcrafted gifts, many from the local area.
 

Westonbirt , The National Arboretum, has fantastic natural resources which bring out the child in many visitors - young and old alike. But they also have some specific facilities designed especially with our younger visitors in mind...

Exploratree
From crawling through a giant trunk tunnel to sitting in a leafy hammock or looking down on the world from our birds nest tree home our new Exploratree play area for young children and toddlers (five and under) is about providing fun hands-on engaging activities that connect families with trees. As such the new area does not set out to be a 'typical' play area with the usual play equipment. Instead we are trying to encourage self-discovery, curiosity and spontaneity. So why not come and take an inspirational journey through the different parts that make up a tree – roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and seeds....

Naturally Playful
Explore the Old Arboretum and discover the different play zones hidden amongst the trees. Build your own home or explorer's den and imagine an adventure, or balance across, duck under, clamber over and follow the roots wherever they go. Skip, hop or step along our log pathways, climb in, hide, and plan your next expedition in a tree fort, and find the troll bridge to see if he's at home. Whilst 'Naturally Playful' has been designed with older children in mind (5-11 year olds), children of all ages are enjoying discovering the play zones. Download your play map, or pick one up on site from the Great Oak Hall information point, from 10am - 4pm.
Playing through the seasons

We have developed 4 seasonal play booklets that you can download. Each booklet has a variety of play activities that will enable you to discover, create, build and imagine as you explore any woodland.

Bird room and Education Centre
As well as being where we carry out most of our family events, the Education Centre contains a number of interactive displays and 'touch tables' as well as our bird viewing area. These are very popular with families. The Centre is open every weekend and during the holidays.

Further information
Westonbirt - The National Arboretum is an outdoor venue, so suitable clothing and shoes for walking on grass should be worn. Some parts of the woodland away from the paths are not suitable for buggies.

Opening times
Open every day of the year
Open: 9am weekdays, 8am weekends Close: 8pm summer, 5pm winter, or dusk if earlier

Standard admission prices 2010 :
Adult £6-9
Child £2-4
Children under 5 admitted free   
Group rate available for 10+ people booking in advance.
Membership available.

Accessibility
We pride ourselves in being a site that has excellent facilities for our disabled visitor and hope that everyone can enjoy the beauty of our environment.

We have a bay of disabled parking spaces which are only a few steps away from the main facilities.

Electric scooters and manual wheelchairs can be found at the visitor services building next to the Great Oak Hall and are free of charge. Due to a limited number, these must be booked in advance: 01666 881 218

There are two disabled toilets on site.

All the hard paths are accessible to wheelchair and electric buggy users and there are 17 miles of these throughout the arboretum. Trails off the paths are accessible depending on weather conditions and can be unsuitable in wet conditions due to mud.

However due to the terrain we do not advise the use of three wheel electric scooters.

Refreshments available on site
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum has a choice of places to eat on site including: The Maples Restaurant, The Courtyard Cafe and a Picnic Area.

Maples Restaurant
The restaurant is situated in a beautiful building next to the main carpark. There are indoor and outdoor eating areas which overlook the beautiful view of the downs. You can enjoy one of the delicious hot lunchtime meals which are made using local ingredients or taste some of the homemade cakes available all day. Drinks and snacks are served all day from 10am-5pm.
To contact Maples Restaurant please ring 01666 880558

Courtyard Café
The Courtyard cafe is located next to the Forest Shop and sells a selection of tasty snacks and hot and cold drinks. Seating is all outside with some tables and benches being under cover. The cafe is open daily from March to December. 10am-5pm.

Picnic Area
Enjoy a picnic amongst the trees, using our picnic benches and tables close to the main parking area.

Other food facilities
There is a microwave available in Maples Restaurant for heating baby food and milk.

Retail
We have two great shops at Westonbirt, the Plant Centre and The Forest Shop.

The Forest Shop
When visiting the Arboretum, why not stop by the Forest Shop where you'll find something for all of the family. With our aim to support local suppliers, you'll find everything from regional pickles and preserves, to hand-crafted wooden bowls & boxes.For the kids, there is a whole nature corner full of books, toys and educational items.
Whether you are looking for a gift, or wanting to take a memory home of your visit, you'll always find something unique at the forest shop.

The Plant Centre
The Plant Centre at Westonbirt is proud to have a reputation for stocking a wide range of top quality plants, some of which are rare or unusual. Our speciality is quite naturally Acers, but there is more to the Plant Centre than these special plants. Inside the Plant Centre shop we stock a wide range of Johnsons and Franchi seeds, greetings cards, books, garden essentials and bird products. Our friendly staff are always pleased to help our customers choose the right plant for their needs.

Toilet Facilities   
There are three toilet locations on site.
* A large toilet facility is next to the Great Oak Hall in the old arboretum. Baby changing and disabled toilets can also be found here.
* A single toilet with these facilities can also be found next to Maples Restaurant.
* We also have a toilet facilities at the entrance to silk wood which is also at the back of The Plant Centre.

Directions
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is situated in Gloucestershire on the A433 approximately 3 miles south west of Tetbury. Look out for the brown signs.
From M4 (approx 15 mins)
* Exit Motorway at Junction 18
* Take the A46 north towards Stroud
* After a few miles turn right onto the A433 (signed Cirencester) . Continue on this road for approx 3 miles and the Arboretum is on your left.
From M5 (approx 20mins)
* Exit at Junction 13 onto the A419 (towards Stroud) Take the A46 (towards Bath)
* After going though Nailsworth, come to traffic lights at X-roads
* Turn left onto A4135 to Tetbury
* In Tetbury, turn right on the A433
* Continue on this road, passing through Doughton, for approx 3 miles. The Arboretum is on your right.

www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt