UK GARDEN CENTRES

Fairhaven Gardens

FAIRHAVEN GARDENS

 

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The gardens at Fairhaven are a treat at any time of the year. They are probably best seen from spring to late summer when a series of plants come into flower. First to appear are camellias in March accompanied with huge displays of daffodils. This is followed by primroses and anemones and then bluebells. Not to be missed is the best display of candelabra primulas in the UK which appear in May and last until early June.

If rhododendrons and and azaleas are plants you appreciate then the various varieties at Fairhaven provide a spectacular display from late February to early June. The only way to describe them is spectacular.

Flowering continues throughout the summer with ligularia, giant lilies, philadelphus and iris being only a few of the cultivated plants. Just as fascinating is the huge variety of wild flowers which have been encouraged to grow throughout the gardens.

In autumn the wild flowers still provide lots of interest as well as foxgloves, white campion and herb robert. Best of all the trees take on their autumn colours in October and November. probably king of all the trees at Fairhaven Gardens is the King Oak which was a mere sapling at the time of the battle of Hastings in 1066.

Winter is a good time to take the family and the dog, if you have one, for a walk through the gardens and simply enjoy the scenery and the bracing weather. One of life's simple pleasures is to walk through a wooded area and kick the leaves on the paths, and at Fairhaven Gardens there are lots and lots of leaves!

DISABLED ACCESS
The pleasures of gardens like Fairhaven are often denied to wheelchair users because either access is not possible because of the terrain or because there is no-one fit enough to push the wheelchair. But Fairhaven have the problem solved! Firstly many of the paths are accessible by wheelchair and a reasonably fit person will find no problems pushing a wheelchair here.

The other alternative is use one of the motorised wheelchairs. They are simple to operate and provide access to much of the gardens. There is no set charge for hiring them although a donation to cover the costs will be much appreciated.

BOAT TRIPS
Highly recommended is a trip on the boat which takes you on a trip on the broads surrounding Fairhaven Gardens. You have the choice of a 20 minute broad trip for £3.75 or the longer St Benet's Abbey trip for £6.75 (children cost less). On many days these trips are sold out so it is definitely best to book when you enter the gardens. Not only are the views stunning but there are many opportunities for spotting the wildlife. We have taken both trips and can  recommend them highly. A limited number of dogs can

CAFE AT FAIRHAVEN GARDENS
The cafe serves teas, coffees, a delicious range of cakes, snacks and some basic main meals. We sampled the cheese ploughman's with two types of cheese, crisp salad, coleslaw, pickled onion and silver skins onions. A very filling meal of quality ingredients at only £5.95. If you want to fill up we can definitely recommend it and the bread roll was deliciously warm!

We also sampled a tuna mayonnaise baguette which was equally good. The quality of the food is tip top and value for money. much of the food is served to your table and the queues are minimal even at peak times. Full marks to the staff at this cafe.

You have a choice of three seating area, the main are inside plus two outdoor seating areas. The main area inside is pleasantly furnished with real wood tables and chairs and has a country kitchen look and atmosphere to it. The front outdoor area is spacious and has pleasant views. The rear outdoor area is a sun trap and looks onto the vegetable garden which produces some of the fare served in the cafe.

To sum up the cafe we would say you are getting top quality food in very pleasant surroundings at value for money prices.

GREEN CREDENTIALS
We won't go into lots of details about how environment friendly everything is at Fairhaven Gardens because there is so much to be written about what they are doing and how they do it to be kind to environment. This is best explained by clicking on the link to their website which is given below. Suffice to say, they make all their own compost, recycle water collected from the cafe roof and much, much more.

VIDEO OF FAIRHAVEN GARDENS
The video below was taken in October and definitely does not show the gardens at their best. It was taken by an amateur but does show some of the definite attractions.

WEBSITE
The Fairhaven Gardens website can be found here.

EMAIL ADDRESS
enquiries@fairhavengarden.co.uk

CONTACT DETAILS AND DIRECTIONS
Address
The Fairhaven Garden Trust,
School Road,
South Walsham,
Norfolk NR13 6DZ

Telephone
01603 270449

OPENING HOURS: FAIRHAVEN GARDENS

A view of the plants area

Second view of plants area

Another view

The King Oak

Bridges and beautiful views

Picnic area in the woods

The boathouse

Boat trips

Front of cafe seating

Rear seating area of cafe

Meal from the cafe