We visited Kew Gardens for the first time last week. It had been on my wish list of ‘places to visit’ for a while and with the reopening of the Temperate House I just couldn’t wait any longer. We drove in from the south west and stayed at The Boston Manor Hotel which made travelling to Kew easy by bus and train. We set off at 9.30am so we could use our concessionary bus pass, took the train from Brentford station to Kew Bridge and arrived about 10.10am just after opening time. With the train ticket we were able to get a 2 for 1 entrance ticket.
Our first stop was The Hive and then down the long border to Victoria gate where we booked ourselves on the 11am introductory tour. Being fairly fit and not wanting to miss anything we declined the train and tried to see as much as possible on foot
We were very impressed with the Palm House and Temperate House but both were a little too warm to stay in for too long at a time but the Waterlily House and The Princess of Wales Conservatory were a delight.
The Pagoda is beautifully restored and the Tree top walkway gave us stunning views and a bit of a breeze – nice to sit at the top and feel the gentle sway of the structure.
Of course we tried to do too much and there were areas we didn’t visit. I would have liked to spend more time in the botanical art Galleries and the Royal Kitchens had closed by the time we got there but we left having thoroughly enjoyed our day out.
The voluntary Guides who do the tours are very enthusiastic and we found the staff very helpful.
My only complaint is that when the gardens are open til 7 pm why start closing so many of the buildings and cafes so much earlier.
Would love to make a return visit in cooler weather.
