Garden adventure trail turning RHS Garden Harlow Carr into a living storybook of The Wind in the Willows, included with standard garden entry.
The Wind in the Willows: A Garden Adventure is running at RHS Harlow Carr from 14 February until December 2026. It's a garden adventure trail with family activities that follow the characters' adventures across the grounds, turning the garden into a living storybook. It's not just here in Harrogate, though; the trail is running across all five RHS Gardens: Wisley, Bridgewater, Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall and Rosemoor.
The whole thing is a collaboration between the Royal Horticultural Society and the publisher Farshore, part of HarperCollins. It marks the 95th anniversary of E. H. Shepard's iconic illustrations for Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, and the 50th anniversary of the illustrator's death. The project sits within the RHS's 2026 theme of biodiversity, which encourages curiosity about wildlife, and it also ties in with the National Year of Reading 2026. The Shepard Trust and the RHS's Head of Public Engagement, Elin Simonsson, are among those behind it.
Farshore is also bringing the world of the book to new readers with two titles published in 2026: The Adventures of Portly the Otter: Untold Tales from The Wind in the Willows by M. G. Leonard, illustrated by Polly Dunbar, and Messing About on Boats: Mindful Moments from The Wind in the Willows. If you're heading out with the kids, these are two more ways to keep the story going after you've finished the trail.
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As for the practicals, the trail is included with the standard entry fee to the RHS Gardens, so there's no separate ticket to buy. It's free for RHS Members and children under 5, and children aged 5-16 are £6. Harlow Carr is at Crag Lane, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, HG3 1QB.
