Hartland Abbey & Gardens
Hartland Abbey & Gardens
4
About
Only one mile from Hartland Quay, Hartland Abbey lies across a narrow, sheltered valley which winds its way to the spectacular Atlantic Coast. Within a designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ visitors may wander around the beautiful gardens and grounds which lead to the rocky cove. Peacocks and guinea fowl roam at will, whilst donkeys and Black Welsh Mountain sheep graze the Old Deer Park.Hartland Abbey is the lived-in family home of the Stucley family. Although it was built in the 12th century, remaining as a monastery for 400 years and passing through the female line three times, it has never been sold. Consequently, it contains collections of pictures, furniture and porcelain which have accumulated over many generations. The story of the Abbey mirrors local and national history at every turn. It has a friendly and lived-in atmosphere, so often absent in many of our nation’s historic houses, a point continually remarked upon by those who visit us.
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- Mims F4 contributionsStunning place. Well worth a visitHad a lovely day at Hartland Abbey. Throughly enjoyed a walk to the beach and strolling though the grounds. The Abbey is steeped in history and is just beautiful. The food in the cafe is good value and of high quality. All staff very friendly. Would recommend a visit if in Devon.Visited May 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 4 May 2023
- MarpleTravellerMarple, United Kingdom1,169 contributionsGem on the Hartland PeninsulaThis is a gem of an estate on the Hartland peninsula. The opening times are limited so planning is essential. The estate is very spread out. Parking is by the house and walks are advertised to the coast and walled gardens. The coast walk is about 3 miles round trip and it’s steep heading down towards the cliff with sea views. The Walled Garden is a about a 20 minute walk from the car park and if you want to walk off the drive used by cars, steep in places. Having said that the views are great. If you can take your time it’s worth doing. The house which is still a home is open 2-5 m and worth visiting.Visited May 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 19 May 2023
- boyd1952Newton Aycliffe, United Kingdom948 contributionsHidden secretWow hidden away down quite narrow lanes it opens out in front of you. Parking on grassed area & supervised. Nice walk down to the beach unfortunately tide was in so no beach. House very cosy & can Tel lived in loved house. Guides in rooms very knowledgeable & pleased to tell you all about rooms & family.Visited June 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 13 June 2023
- Kelly M2 contributionsPricey but very prettyBeautiful place, very picturesque. Loved the wall gardens, the grounds, the tea rooms everything. Little but expensive and curious now as to why I had to pay full price when I couldn't go into the house as it was closed? Shouldn't I have paid a bit less then?? Apart from that it was a very nice lovely day. £6.50 for a cup of tea and a cake is slightly dear but its fine as you are on holidays and sitting in such beautiful surroundings.Visited June 2023Travelled soloWritten 21 June 2023
- Jason SCornwall, United Kingdom159 contributionsExpensive foodStunning house in a picturesque location. The tea room was quaint ( and of a bygone age ) but the cakes were dry and £9.95 for a cream tea is nothing short of outrageous.! My advice would be to enjoy the house and grounds but make sure you bring your own lunch - it will save you a small fortune.Visited July 2023Written 14 July 2023
- DiddyGreen9 contributionsGreat family day out.Fantastic family day out. House and grounds were amazing. Lunch at the cafe was delicious and was generous portions. Walk to the beach was lovely and the kids loved skimming stones and rock stacking.Visited July 2023Travelled with familyWritten 22 July 2023
- JohnUKLondon, United Kingdom1,032 contributionsInteresting but presented in an old fashioned way.A lovely house but we felt it could be better presented. The first room had permanent wooden barriers that made it like a museum - and it looked like the furniture had been pushed in to make room for it. The guides were all very friendly and knowledgeable. Most rooms were only viewed from the doorway or from a tiny roped off area. No photos were allowed which is so out of date now- most houses allow it. The basement was a museum of bygones.Visited July 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 26 July 2023
- RachelPlymouth, United Kingdom23 contributionsA must for allbut especially Malory Towers fansA filming location for many film and television series, Hartland Abbey is a wonderful place to visit. The walled garden is absolutely beautiful, and there are glorious views on the other side of the house down the valley and towards St Nectans Church. Still family owned and lived in, it has a friendly, happy atmosphere. The tea shop has the most delicious cakes! If you are a BBC Malory Towers fan this place is magical, but there is something for everyone here.Visited August 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 17 August 2023
- Lisa c6 contributionsGreat day outMyself husband & fur baby staffie visited here whilst on holiday we had a lovely day . The grounds are beautiful & would love to have a garden as beautiful as the walled garden area such a wonderful array of exotic plants / flowers . A visit to the tea rooms is a must the cakes are all home made in a way that you just don’t see anymore I actually asked the lady to come out of the kitchen to complement her on her wonderful cakes 🍰. You are able to walk down to a beach area which is about a mile & half lovely walk however the actual beach is very difficult to access due to very large rocks / pebbles which could prove treacherous if a trip or slip occurred but lovely views once there . Lovely day out only disappointment was not seeing inside the house as obviously our dog wasn’t allowed would recommend a visit 😊Visited September 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 19 September 2023
- AndrewSt. Albans, United Kingdom6,594 contributionsMake sure you allow plenty of time for your visitThere was much more to do and see at Hartland Abbey then we had allowed time for. Next time we would allow time to walk along to the beach (c.1 mile) and also to visit the walled garden. However, we were able to purchase some the produce of the walled garden which we ate that evening. Still the family home of Hugh and Angela Stucley, so the Abbey House and Gardens have only limited opening hours / days – best to check before arriving. The old kitchens tearoom served some lovely homemade cakes. As we did not allow sufficient time our visit was limited to the house, café and a walk around the bog garden, fernery, and the shrubbery. Note to self: next time assign half a day for a visit and not two hours!Visited July 2023Travelled with familyWritten 14 March 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.0
409 reviews
Excellent
212
Very good
108
Average
48
Poor
21
Terrible
20
Andrew
St. Albans, UK6,594 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
There was much more to do and see at Hartland Abbey then we had allowed time for. Next time we would allow time to walk along to the beach (c.1 mile) and also to visit the walled garden. However, we were able to purchase some the produce of the walled garden which we ate that evening.
Still the family home of Hugh and Angela Stucley, so the Abbey House and Gardens have only limited opening hours / days – best to check before arriving.
The old kitchens tearoom served some lovely homemade cakes.
As we did not allow sufficient time our visit was limited to the house, café and a walk around the bog garden, fernery, and the shrubbery.
Note to self: next time assign half a day for a visit and not two hours!
Still the family home of Hugh and Angela Stucley, so the Abbey House and Gardens have only limited opening hours / days – best to check before arriving.
The old kitchens tearoom served some lovely homemade cakes.
As we did not allow sufficient time our visit was limited to the house, café and a walk around the bog garden, fernery, and the shrubbery.
Note to self: next time assign half a day for a visit and not two hours!
Written 14 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robin G
Truro District, UK121 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
Had planned to visit here for our last day of what has been a wonderful time in N Devon. First up trying to find entrance fee. This is a closely guarded secret on their web site. It was only by following a link here on TA I found out. I was pretty shocked to find it was £15.50 and you could only go into the house from 2:00. I looked at the reviews and found so many recent ones commenting on the entrance fee and high cost in the tea room as well as all the dont do this notices everywhere. Thank you Trip Advisor for allowing honest reviews to help us decide. Well as noted above in these days of stretched budgets we will be giving it a miss. Just in contrast 2 days ago we went to Clovelly. 8.75 Lovely day out. Cafes at bottom were a bit pricey but cafe at top quite reasonable and we enjoyed a cream tea overlooking the bay.
Written 27 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nick S
Long Newton, UK57 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
The previous reviews seemed good, so my wife and I visited here during our tour of Devon and Exeter. The reviews were wrong. We paid £15 each to get in. The Abbey itself was in ruins and the "exhibition" inside consisted of a couple of walls of posters with tenuous links of the location being used on old films , some photos of the battle of Khartoum , some family history, 2 old wheelchairs and some even older pots and pans, all unlabelled. One tiny positive, it was a nice walk to a small beach which took about an hour there and back.FYI, the search on Trip Advisor shows the location as Stoke which is wrong.
Written 20 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa c
6 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
Myself husband & fur baby staffie visited here whilst on holiday we had a lovely day . The grounds are beautiful & would love to have a garden as beautiful as the walled garden area such a wonderful array of exotic plants / flowers . A visit to the tea rooms is a must the cakes are all home made in a way that you just don’t see anymore I actually asked the lady to come out of the kitchen to complement her on her wonderful cakes 🍰. You are able to walk down to a beach area which is about a mile & half lovely walk however the actual beach is very difficult to access due to very large rocks / pebbles which could prove treacherous if a trip or slip occurred but lovely views once there . Lovely day out only disappointment was not seeing inside the house as obviously our dog wasn’t allowed would recommend a visit 😊
Written 19 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tony_harrison2
Great Malvern, UK82 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
Very overpriced. The gardens are a) A shrubbery which is a boring walk through a series of shrubs. None of them labelled, none of them of particular botanical interest. And b) A walled garden which is some distance from the shrubbery and not really worth the effort to go and see it. The house although dated as an abbey from the 11th century is now a fairly boring family home holding none of that history.
The tea rooms were shambolic and service very slow. Once again everything seemed expensive although when we finally got our sandwiches they were quite good but at almost £10 for four triangles so they should be.
£15.50 entrance fee is way too high for what is on offer.
The tea rooms were shambolic and service very slow. Once again everything seemed expensive although when we finally got our sandwiches they were quite good but at almost £10 for four triangles so they should be.
£15.50 entrance fee is way too high for what is on offer.
Written 14 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hannah Louise J
Nottingham, England, United Kingdom4 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
House is run down, tickets overpriced and god forbid you want to read and look at anything for yourself, you’ll be spoken at in every room every corridor with no consideration that you may want to just look for yourself. Utter waste of time and money.
Written 22 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel
Plymouth, UK23 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
A filming location for many film and television series, Hartland Abbey is a wonderful place to visit. The walled garden is absolutely beautiful, and there are glorious views on the other side of the house down the valley and towards St Nectans Church. Still family owned and lived in, it has a friendly, happy atmosphere. The tea shop has the most delicious cakes! If you are a BBC Malory Towers fan this place is magical, but there is something for everyone here.
Written 17 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tourist1361
Naestved, Denmark41 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
I only visited the walled gardens which were nice but average and definitely NOT WORTH paying £15 for!
As I didn't want to see the house I got a price reduction on the entrance fee but it was still really expensive!
As I didn't want to see the house I got a price reduction on the entrance fee but it was still really expensive!
Written 11 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnUK
London, UK1,032 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
A lovely house but we felt it could be better presented. The first room had permanent wooden barriers that made it like a museum - and it looked like the furniture had been pushed in to make room for it. The guides were all very friendly and knowledgeable. Most rooms were only viewed from the doorway or from a tiny roped off area. No photos were allowed which is so out of date now- most houses allow it. The basement was a museum of bygones.
Written 26 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DiddyGreen
9 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Fantastic family day out. House and grounds were amazing. Lunch at the cafe was delicious and was generous portions. Walk to the beach was lovely and the kids loved skimming stones and rock stacking.
Written 22 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
david t
Greater London, UK6 contributions
What is the entrance fee
HartlandAbbey
Bideford, UK
Thank you very much for your enquiry. All information on opening times and entrance fees are on Our Hartland Abbey website under the pull down menu Information and then Visitor Information 2018.
Full adult price for entry to the historic house, gardens, grounds, woodland walks, exhibitions, shop, Tea Room etc is £12.50. Entry to the gardens, grounds, exhibitions, shop, Tea Room etc is £9. All entrance charges for children, disabled visitors and family tickets etc are on our Visitor Information 2018 page.
Many thanks for contacting us.
Car parking is included in these prices
Robert S
Torquay, UK2 contributions
what time and days open
ChrisPanks
London, UK91 contributions
Maybe a bit late answering, Robert. Sorry.
From their website:
Sunday to Thursday inclusive
House 2 – 5pm (NB last admission to house 4.15pm). Gardens 11 – 5pm.
Tea Room open 11 -5pm
The gardens are a bit of a walk uphill from the house. OK if you're mobile but if you're not up for trekking around don't turn up too much before the house opens at 2pm or you'll be hanging around. It's worth getting there in time to have a cuppa and cake, though.
Have a nice trip.
Chris.
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Claim your listingHARTLAND ABBEY & GARDENS: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Hartland Abbey & Gardens
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