Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway, Southampton

Exbury Gardens, Steam Railway and Playground

Recently we were lucky to be gifted a press trip to Exbury Gardens near Southampton. It was a no obligation gift so I’m free to give an honest review!

For ease of writing, I shall put the blog in to two parts: this one is about the Gardens and Steam Railway and you can read about the playground here in part 2.

For those of you that are new to my reviews, we don’t have a car and so are really restricted to where we can normally visit. Exbury Gardens falls in that category, it is between 2-3 hrs from Winchester (depending on time of day) by 4 different modes of transport and only in the summer months - so not somewhere we would normally consider going. Happily for this occasion, we managed to get a lift from my parents in law who drove over from Wiltshire. Thank you to them!

We loved Exbury Gardens and my girls aged 4 and 5 were really keen on the rock garden, they enjoyed climbing up the big boulders. We only really had the time and energy to visit Yard Wood (as well as the Steam Railway and playground). Worth noting that if they run ahead and climb up the boulders, at one point it brings you to the Steam Railway track which doesn’t have a barrier. The train goes pretty safely but it is good to be aware of where your kids are!

There is something about walking around beautiful, well cared for natural surroundings that just brings peace to the soul and this was no exception. The heat was intense (33 degrees) and I am not a hot weather person, but I felt these gardens were the perfect place to be even in such hot weather.

The grounds were in immaculate condition, as were the facilities. Social distancing was working well which helped make the visit a pleasurable experience for us.

My girls loved the Steam Railway and my 5 year old said it was the highlight of our trip to Exbury Gardens.  The Steam Railway takes about 20 minutes and is a loop allowing you to see more of the gardens than you might manage when walking with little feet.

The standard cost of an adult ticket to Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway is £12.50 and for kids over 3 it is £4.95 (under 3s are free). Steam Railway tickets are a standard £5.50. Membership starts at £45 for a one adult family and includes one steam railway trip per visit.

I personally think these prices are great value for money as it is clear where your money is going, maintaining the gorgeous gardens, I pay similar prices for membership to Hillier Arboretum in Romsey.

If you plan which day you visit well, you can even make the most of the fun and educational activities they offer for children and adults. Coming up this month they have 

- Make a mini garden
- Bird box making
- Falconry day
-Donkey day
- Reptile Academy
- Botanical Bar

Exbury Gardens also has a play area with equipment for all ages, click here to read the review.

Dogs: As long as they are on short leads they are welcome!

In conclusion, we really enjoyed being at Exbury Gardens - even in the 33 degree weather and thought it was a great place to go with grandparents as there is something for all ages. It is pricey, but it is good value for what it is. If we lived close by or had a car, it is definitely a place I would consider becoming a member of, I do hope we can go back at some point and spend a bit longer there, there are apparently 20 miles of trails and we can’t have covered more than 10% due to the heat and little legs with us.

Have you been to Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway? Are you a member? What do you think of it? I’d love to hear. Join the conversation over on my Facebook page or Instagram.

Planning a trip? Go and check out the Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway Website for more Info.

About the Author:I (Evie Winter) am a local Mum, photographer and blogger as well as a former childcare professional.
I passionately believe all children should be given access to safe, good quality playgrounds, and with that in mind I have been reviewing local Winchester playgrounds to encourage people to visit them. I have been going in my spare time with my young children, and I’ve done my best to research and give the correct information. If you have any suggestions or corrections, please send a polite email to hello@eviewinter.com.
Many Thanks. Evie