Sir Harold Hillier Gardens from Hayling Island: a winter garden, champion trees and Christmas lights near Sandy Point

If you want one big garden day out during a winter stay at Sandy Point, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey is hard to beat. It is a 180 acre garden and arboretum with more than 42,000 trees and shrubs, one of the largest Winter Gardens in Europe, and, according to the Gardens, more registered champion trees than any other garden. It is open every day through the winter, apart from Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and in late November and December it adds a Christmas craft market, a jewellery exhibition, festive lunches and the after-dark Light Up Christmas trail.

The Gardens sit at Jermyns Lane, Ampfield, near Romsey SO51 0QA, about 2 miles north-east of Romsey. From Wittering Sands, our exclusive-use house at 14 Wittering Road, Hayling Island PO11 9SP, it is about 39 miles, or roughly an hour by car, almost all of it on the A27 and M27. That makes it a proper day out rather than a quick hop, so this guide covers what to see in winter, opening times and tickets, the Christmas events, children, older relatives and dogs, and what to pair it with.

Who was Sir Harold Hillier?

Sir Harold Hillier was a plantsman from a nursery family. His grandfather, Edwin Hillier, started a small florist and nursery in Winchester in 1864, and his father, Edwin Lawrence Hillier, was a world authority on conifers. Sir Harold was born in 1905 and in 1953 he established the Gardens and Arboretum here, setting out to bring together the most comprehensive collection of trees, shrubs and hardy plants in the UK. He corresponded with gardeners and nurserymen all over the world, and plants gathered from places such as Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Mexico still grow here.

In 1977 he left the Gardens in the sole trusteeship of Hampshire County Council, and they are run today as a charity for horticulture, conservation, education and recreation. In 1997 they were added to the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. Sir Harold died in 1985.

At the heart of the Gardens is Jermyn's House, now the Garden Restaurant and Tea Rooms. The Gardens' history page traces the name back to a Farmer Jarman, who was reprimanded by the manorial court in 1724. The house was a smallpox hospital and inoculation centre in the 18th century, served as the local Home Guard headquarters in the Second World War, and the Hillier family moved in in June 1953, the day after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

What is there to see in winter?

Winter is a genuinely good time to visit. Highlights listed by the Gardens include:

• The Winter Garden: opened by Lord Heseltine in 1998 and extended in early 2014, it now covers around 4 acres and is described as one of the largest Winter Gardens in Europe. It has more than 800 different plants chosen for winter beauty: coloured bark and stems from willows, dogwoods and birches, scent, foliage and around 500 cyclamen planted as ground cover. In January and February the Gardens' National Collection of witch hazel adds colour and fragrance.
• Champion trees: more than 600 trees here are registered as champions with the Tree Register of the British Isles, meaning the biggest, or sometimes the only known, example of their kind in the country. Look out for the Dawyck Purple beech, a weeping Norway spruce, the Chinese fir Abies chengii and a Dawn Redwood grown from seed collected after its first sighting.
• A tree planted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, a rare maple hybrid.
• The Centenary Border, which the Gardens call the longest double mixed border in the country.
• The Pinetum, planted in the mid 1960s and once known as Little Switzerland, plus the Gurkha Memorial Garden with Nepalese plants between the Himalayan Valley and Jermyn's House.
• Snowdrops: if you come back in January or February, more than 20 different snowdrop varieties flower here.

The Gardens also grow more than 200 threatened plant species as part of their conservation work, so even on a grey day there is plenty to read about on the labels.

When is it open?

• Winter (25 October 2026 to 3 January 2027): open daily 9.30am to 4pm.
• Closed: Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
• Spring (4 January to 20 March 2027): open daily 10am to 5pm.
• Last entry: one hour before closing. The main car park gates are locked when the Gardens close, so do not linger in the car park.

The Gardens say they may occasionally close individual areas for maintenance or visitor safety, so check visitor notices before you set off, especially after stormy weather.

How much are tickets?

Prices on the Gardens' ticket page, correct from April 2026 to March 2027, including a voluntary Gift Aid donation:

• Adults: £18.25
• Concessions (visitors with a disability, students and over 65s): £17
• Children 5 to 16: £5.50, and all children must be with an adult
• Under 5s: free
• Family (2 adults, 2 children): £43

Prices without the Gift Aid donation are a little lower (adults £16.59, family £39.09). No pre-booking is needed for day admission. Essential carers go free. RHS members can use the partner garden benefit in January, February and November (Member 1 only), and a Gardener's World Magazine 2 for 1 card is valid on adult Gift Aid tickets from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027.

What Christmas events are on in 2026?

• Artful Christmas Weekend, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November, 10am to 4pm: a market of handmade ceramics, jewellery, fine art, printmaking, textiles, glass and woodwork from local makers, with free family festive craft activities and live music. The market is free, but normal garden admission applies.
• Winter Jewels, 25 November to 3 January, 10am to 4pm: the annual selling exhibition of the Wessex Group of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery. Free to the exhibition; it closes at 3pm on Christmas Eve and on the last day.
• Festive lunches, 1 to 23 December, 12 noon to 2pm: served in the decorated Jermyn's House. Two courses are £32.50 and three courses £39.50 per person, including tea or coffee and a mince pie. Booking is essential, with a £10 per person deposit, and normal garden admission applies. Allow about 10 minutes to walk from the Visitor Pavilion.
• Live music: the events calendar lists Flautissimo on 6 December and Achoiring Voices on 13 December.
• Light Up, 26 November 2026 to 1 January 2027: see below.

What is the Light Up Christmas trail?

Light Up Trails return to the Gardens with an after-dark Christmas light trail, which the organisers describe as multi award-winning. Every ticket includes the full trail, which the Gardens say has eight all-new zones this year, plus a food and drink village.

• Dates: selected dates between 26 November and 1 January, then open daily from 15 December (closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day).
• Times: timed entry slots every 15 minutes from 4.30pm to 8pm.
• Tickets: booking is essential, through lightuptrails.com, not the Gardens. Prices vary by night. On the official ticket page adult tickets ranged from £22 to £27 and family tickets (2 adults, 2 children) from £69 to £89 when we checked, with the busiest Super Peak nights at the top of the range. Under 2s go free.
• Parking: free, directed by the traffic team across the Gardens car park, the Hillier Nurseries car park and an overflow car park, and spaces cannot be reserved. Allow extra time to park before your entry slot.
• Dogs: registered assistance dogs only.

From Sandy Point it is about an hour's drive each way, so an early evening slot followed by supper on the way home works well. It pairs with a Christmas and New Year stay, and for a light trail much closer to the house, see our Staunton Country Park and Farm guide.

Where can you eat?

There are two places, both open 9.30am to 3.30pm in winter and closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day:

• The Courtyard Café in the Visitor Pavilion at the main entrance: light lunches, cakes and hot drinks, with children's bug boxes and hot options such as fish fingers and sausages.
• The Garden Restaurant and Tea Rooms in Jermyn's House, in the middle of the Gardens: a main menu, children's menu, traditional roast lunches on Sundays and afternoon tea, which needs pre-booking. You need a garden ticket to eat here.

Picnics are welcome at the outdoor tables and picnic areas, but not inside the cafés. Highchairs are available.

Is it good for children?

Yes, and under 5s go free. The Gardens have a treehouse, the Hill Top Adventures trail of eight timber play features for climbing and balancing, a Super Snake swing, a wobbly bridge over the stream, bamboo tunnels in the Bog Garden and an education garden with sensory planting and a library corner. The Gardens also mention pigs in the Woods of the World, which help clear scrubland. Paths are buggy friendly and there are accessible toilets with changing facilities. Most of the day is outdoors, so pack wellies and waterproofs. It suits February half-term too, when the snowdrops and witch hazels are out.

Is it accessible for older relatives?

It is one of the easier big gardens for mixed ages:

• A large network of accessible paths, with recommended route plans and a downloadable map.
• Mobility scooter and wheelchair hire: two scooters for a three-hour morning or afternoon session at £3.95, pre-book on 01794 368787.
• A volunteer buggy shuttle between the Visitor Pavilion and Jermyn's House, daily from 11.30am to 3.30pm, weather permitting, on a donation basis.
• Accessible toilets throughout, benches and covered seating, and accessible access to all the eateries.
• Free parking, with Blue Badge bays near the Visitor Pavilion. There is no parking at Jermyn's House itself.

That makes it a good choice for a milestone birthday weekend with three generations.

Can you bring a dog?

No. Dogs are not allowed in the Gardens, with the exception of registered assistance and support dogs, and the same applies on the Light Up trail. If the dog is coming on holiday with you, leave this one for a dog-free day or pick a dog-friendly alternative such as West Dean Gardens, where dogs on a short lead are welcome. Our dog-friendly Hayling guide has more ideas closer to the house.

How do you get there from Sandy Point?

• By car: about 39 miles and roughly an hour. Cross the Langstone bridge, take the A27 west onto the M27, then head north through Romsey to the Gardens. Use SO51 0QA for satnav. Parking is free on site, and there are two Type 2 electric vehicle charging points by the Visitor Pavilion (normal charging fees apply). With a group of up to nine, two cars is the simplest plan.
• By public transport: the nearest station is Romsey, about 2 miles away, and the Stagecoach 66 bus between Winchester and Romsey stops at Hillier Arboretum near the entrance. From Hayling it is a long trip by public transport, so the car is much easier. Our getting to Hayling from London guide covers the trains to the island.

What else could you combine it with?

You are already halfway across Hampshire, so it is worth pairing. Mottisfont is on the other side of Romsey, and Winchester is a short drive north-east for the cathedral and the city. The New Forest is just to the south-west, and east of Winchester you have Marwell Zoo and Hinton Ampner. Back on the island, our winter walks and birdwatching guide covers walks from the door, and the Around Hayling guide covers beaches, pubs and more. A November weekend is a good time for a quiet visit.

What are the stay details?

Check-in at Wittering Sands is from 4pm and checkout is by 10am. The house sleeps up to nine across four bedrooms and five beds, with 3.5 bathrooms. Children are welcome, and infants under 2 are welcome too, with a travel cot and highchair on request. Well-behaved dogs are welcome at the house, kept off the beds and sofas. The house is for the booked guests only and does not allow parties or events. The minimum stay is usually 3 nights, and the booking calendar shows the minimum for your dates.

Rates vary by season and length of stay. The live calendar shows the current figure for your dates; this guide does not indicate availability.

How do you book?

Check the live booking calendar for current dates and pricing. If you want to talk through the group, dogs or travel plans, get in touch.

Opening times, prices and events can change. Check the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens pages on the Hampshire County Council website and the Light Up Trails website before you travel.