Helmsley Walled Garden, North Yorkshire

We’ve been meaning to pay a visit to Helmsley Walled Garden for a while now. We love the fact that you can bring your dog along with you, as many similar formal gardens in the area don’t allow dogs. The only rule is that dogs have to remain on the lead, which is pretty reasonable!

Admission is £7.50 per adult, under 16’s free. You have to use the local pay & display car park, which is charged at an affordable rate. So it’s probably best that you put the postcode for the car park into your satnav if you’re not familiar with the area (YO62 5AT, you’re welcome). You then take a footpath to the entrance of the gardens. It’s probably about a 2-5 minute walk, depending on which end of the car park you use. It’s a pleasant walk, you pass through a picnic area so perfect if you wish to bring your own lunch along.

The garden has a lovely structure, feeling very secluded; it made for a peaceful visit. You can’t hear much besides birdsong and the odd distant conversation. The ruins of Helmsley Castle overlook the gardens and if you wanted to, you could visit the castle grounds afterwards are they too are dog friendly. In fact, the majority of Helmsley is dog friendly so you could easily make it a full day out. There’s plenty of choice for places to eat & ample shops to browse through. There’s even a shallow stream in the town centre, perfect for letting your 4 legged friend cool of if needs be. We met many dogs (and LOTS of cockapoos) on our trip to Helmsely.

Of course, no garden is complete without flowers, and here was no exception. There was an abundance of bold, colourful flowers and plants. You could even buy a large variety of plants too. A great place to visit if you’re looking for inspiration to spruce up your own garden.

The Vine House Cafe is nestled right at the entrance of the gardens (and you don’t actually have to pay the admission fee if you’re just using the cafe). The menu offered some very wholesome choices, with some of the ingredients coming from the garden itself. The eggs from my open sandwich were laid by the free range hens who take residence in the garden. The cafe was very busy, so obviously a popular one with the locals. I can see why too. The food was very tasty and they offered a different, more unusual choice to your typical bog-standard cafe.

Now of course, the moment you’ve all be waiting for. Please enjoy the following collection of photos, demonstrating Piper’s love of posing prettily amongst the flowers.

And of course, Teddy:

I especially loved the water features dotted around the garden. The sound of running water is always so tranquil. Very much a perfect location if you’re looking for a relaxing day out with the dogs.

Thanks for reading! Let us know if you decide to take a visit. Or perhaps you’ve been before?
E & P x