Britain's Finest - Events

Our civil ceremony & wedding breakfast rooms will be dressed and will be available to view as well as the luxury Garden Pavilion, outdoor Woodland Pavilion and our beautiful bedrooms & suites!

An action packed weekend of family Drag Racing entertainment including Nitro Funny Cars, Jet Car Show and National Drag Racing classes headlined by 200mph Pro Mods. Plus all things powerful off -track including monster trucks, stunts, sideshows and more. Make this bank holiday one to remember and come along to the three day extravaganza that is Festival of Power! We have an action-packed line up of family drag racing entertainment with all things powerful on and off the track. Explosive track action comes in the form of nitro-burning 10,000 horsepower Funny Cars as well as the crowd thrilling side by side Jet Car shootouts! The entertainment off-track is just as spectacular with an array of stunt and exhibition demonstrations including the ever popular car-crushing Monster Trucks, dazzling family entertainment and multiple 2-wheeled mayhem!

The Gidleigh Park Estate Team takes immense pride in their Kitchen Garden, while Executive Chef, Chris Eden, champions the use of all its produce.

Your day commences at 10.00am with a welcome coffee before embarking on a guided tour of the Kitchen Garden. Following this, savour a glass of wine and indulge in a delightful vegetarian three-course lunch crafted from the garden's fresh vegetables and herbs. Finally, conclude with coffee and petits fours to round off the experience.

We are delighted to welcome artist Jerry Scott to our exhibition space in our tearoom, here at Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens in May 2024. His paintings, collages and prints  aspire to be a feast for the eye: a distillation of all the fulsome sensations and emotions which I experience in response to the colours and textures of the world about me.

Admission to the tearoom and exhibition is free during regular opening hours 1pm to 5pm on selected dates. The art displayed will be available to purchase.

This is probably the most popular course we run here. The May course is sold out so this course is your final oppourtunity to create your own wire hen with Chris Moss.

Wire sculptor, Chris Moss, will be leading this day long course and will expertly guide you through making your own wire hen. It is a perfect step-up for people who have made smaller wire sculptures on the half-day workshops and now wish to make something more challenging, but also suitable for beginners

All materials are provided. Please bring a packed lunch.

Discover the art of crafting a stunning floral masterpiece using the freshest spring blooms and natural foliage with local florist Alison from Classic Flowers. Afterward, indulge in a delightful afternoon tea, perfectly paired with a glass of exquisite Bolney English sparkling wine.

Join us for a blooming afternoon of creativity, delectable treats, and sparkling conversations amidst nature's finest offerings.

Join Vanessa for a garden walk when she will show you the highlights of the garden in July. This will be an informal tour with the garden owner, Vanessa who will provide you with plenty of tips on the best plants to grow to give you beautiful borders throughout the year. You will also learn how the garden is managed for wildlife and Vanessa will highlight some of the many ways she has blended stunning planting with being a wildlife-friendly garden.

The walk is included in the garden admission for the afternoon, but is on a first-come-first-served basis. There will only be 12 places, so make sure you get on the list when you arrive at the hut!

Start is at 2:00pm prompt and will last about an hour, so plenty of time afterwards for refreshments and a visit to the plant nursery.

Our civil ceremony & wedding breakfast rooms will be dressed and will be available to view as well as the luxury Garden Pavilion, outdoor Woodland Pavilion and our beautiful bedrooms & suites!

Wander through the enchanting seasonal gardens of Buckland Manor with an exclusive tour led by our knowledgeable resident gardener, followed by a three-course lunch.

Begin your day with a warm welcome at the manor, where you'll indulge in delightful tea, freshly brewed coffee, and delicious biscuits, followed by a leisurely stroll through the gardens. Afterwards, enjoy a sumptuous lunch crafted from the finest homegrown produce complemented by a glass of wine, and to finish, coffee paired with delightful petit fours, leaving all your senses utterly satisfied.

Visitors can enjoy the beautiful late spring-themed bonsai displays as well as the tiny accent pots that are an essential part of any bonsai show. Featuring a range of bonsai in spring bloom, there will also be advice, talks and demonstrations on bonsai care for new and experienced enthusiasts, including pruning, wiring and creating your own accent pot. Plants and bonsai equipment will be on sale as well as the wonderful handmade pots. Included in normal garden admission.

We are delighted that renowned garden designer, Tracy Foster, is returning to Stillingfleet Lodge to lead this workshop where you will learn how to create a planting plan for your garden.

If you want to give your garden a makeover, this is the course for you. Learn how to make a planting plan that will turn an ordinary garden into something unique.

During the session you will find out how to:

• measure up your plot
• assess the site and soil
• draw to scale
• develop you plan.

A planting plan is a detailed document or drawing that specifies the arrangement and layout of plants in a particular area, such as a garden, landscape, or outdoor space.

Tracy will be sharing her expertise and tips on plant selection, such as choosing the right plants for your site, and the quantity of plants you will need and how densely they will need to be planted for the effect you want. There will also be consideration of where to place each plant, for instance to provide focal points, and also the seasonality of the plants to give interest throughout the year.

Once you have developed your planting plan, you will be thinking about planting it up and hope that you will be inspired by the many plants we have for sale in our plant nursery.

Tracy is a Chelsea Gold Medal Winning garden designer who has been creating beautiful gardens in the north of England and elsewhere since 2002. She is perhaps best known for ‘The Bronte Garden’ which one her an RHS Gold and the People’s Choice Award at Chelsea in 2012. She was also a awarded an RHS Silver for her ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ Garden in 2017.

All courses include entry to the garden plus welcome coffee and biscuits. Unless stated,  materials are provided and you will leave each workshop with plenty of reference information.

Meander through a carpet of bluebells in the ancient woodland at Gidleigh Park with our Estate Manager, Andrew Brimblecombe and Plantsman, Paul Grigg as your guides. With over 40 years of experience between them, they share their wealth of knowledge on the woodland, flora, and fauna along with a few handy gardening tips. The 107-acre estate is nestled in a valley within the natural beauty of Dartmoor and offers an abundance of different habitats.

Arrive from 10.00am for morning coffee before heading out at 10.30am for your walk. Return to a delicious three-course lunch with a glass of wine.