Britain's Finest - Events

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.

Bring the family to Wisley this half term and see the garden in its early summer splendour. There will be planting and daily activity sessions and a family garden trail to follow. Included in normal garden admission.

The day will be full of fun for all ages and packed with a programme of all sorts of activities, entertainment, and games throughout the day.  Watch the exciting Clovelly Cup yacht race across the bay, starting at 12pm.  Enjoy live music, street entertainments, event-themed arts & crafts, mermaid storytelling, Punch & Judy, face painting and stalls selling delicious food.  Free entry for under 16s who come in maritime-themed fancy dress costumes!

We are delighted that Leeds based artist Rachel McNaughton will be kicking off our 2024 series of art exhibitions with her watercolours which are always well received by our visitors.

Her central focus is flowers and over the years she has moved away from botanical accuracy to a more expressive style.

The exhibition space is open during the regular garden opening times. It is free to visit the exhibition and tearoom, but there is a charge if you wish to explore the garden.

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!

As symbols of mystery, desire, danger and wealth, orchids have inspired countless works of art, literature, film and fashion. Their complexity, diversity and rarity have fascinated scientists and obsessed the rich.

In this Old Laboratory exhibition at RHS Garden Wisley, discover beautiful botanical artworks and rare books from the RHS collections, and find out how our different perceptions of orchids - as aphrodisiacs, carnivorous predators, and mass-market commodities - have evolved over time. Included in normal garden admission.

60's, 70', & 80's event with 2 course meal

Join Colchester Zoo as they celebrate their charity, Colchester Zoological Society and the vital conservation work that they undertake in the UK and worldwide.

From meeting members of the Animal Care Team, to learning how to be a ranger on UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve, there will be lots of chances to find out about their work.

They will also be hosting their very own Conservation Festival on 29th May where you'll be able to find out more about conservation efforts around the world and in the UK.

Round 1 of the FIA/FIM European Championships is one of Santa Pod's most prestigious Drag Race meetings. This hugely popular extravaganza features over 200 teams and 17 classes of cars and bikes including the sports F1 class – 11,000bhp Top Fuel Dragsters accelerating 0-100mph in less than 1 second, making this event unrivalled for both the quality and quantity of racing.

As well as the Drag Racing there's fun for all the family with a full line up of entertainment suitable for kids and adults alike, this is the ultimate family day out! Camping available onsite so come for the weekend.

New for 2024 - The Main Event will host a Live Music Stage with Bands playing after racing on Friday, Saturday & Sunday evenings! Day Tickets will be valid until midnight!

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.

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.

Did you know... the Aldabra Giant Tortoise can live up to 150 years!

Join Colchester Zoo as thy share all things smooth and scaly with a range of reptile inspired activities. From the humid habitat of the Komodo Dragons to the brightly coloured Emerald Tree Monitor Lizard, find out more about these incredbile animals and how the Zoo cares for them.