If you are after autumn colour, the Castle Howard Arboretum has just landed a bit of national recognition. The Press Association has named it one of the top 12 gardens in the UK to visit this autumn, so it is worth a trip while the leaves are turning.
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It is a proper walk-around space: 120 acres in the heart of North Yorkshire, put together in the 1970s and now home to more than 7,000 trees from across the world, with lakes, woodland glades and wildflower meadows. The autumn draw is the colour, with bronze oaks, golden beeches and fiery red Japanese maples. It is described as one of North Yorkshire's most spectacular spots for autumn colour, and the 'Autumn Colour at the Arboretum' season runs from today right through to Sunday 15 November.
There is a family angle here too, and it is not just the trees. The arboretum runs one of the UK's most successful red squirrel breeding programmes, and the enclosure is open every day from 9.30am to 4pm. A young male, named David after Sir David Attenborough, has joined the group, and a new female, Cinnamon, arrived from the Welsh Mountain Zoo and is available to see from early October. Since the programme began in 2023, 15 kits have been born and released into suitable locations in Wales. The enclosure itself was designed and built entirely by the arboretum's staff and volunteers during 2021 and 2022, and it covers 2,500 square metres.
On the practical side, the arboretum opens from 2 March until late November, with opening times that shift with the seasons. Today, Thursday 1 October, the courtyard is open 9.30am to 5pm, the grounds 10am to 5pm with last entry at 4pm, the house 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3pm, and the arboretum itself 10am to 5pm with last entry at 4pm. Admission is £13.50 for adults, £8 for juniors aged 12 to 16, free for under 12s, and £39 for a family ticket covering two adults and two juniors. Most people spend two to three hours there, and dogs on a lead are welcome, with an 11-acre off-lead area for them to run. There is a café with seasonal food, a gift shop, a baby changing facility and two disabled parking spaces by the Visitor Centre, and parking is free. If you need to check anything before you set off, the number is 01653 648680 and the email is enquiries@castlehowardarboretum.org.
Beyond the walk, there is a bit of a programme on over the coming weeks. A Fungi Foray and Fungi Fest fall on Saturday 17 October, a watercolour workshop on autumn trees on Monday 19 October, pilates, movement and wellbeing from Tuesday 20 October to Monday 23 November, nature workshops on Saturday 24 October, and an Artist and Maker Fair on Saturday 28 November. The squirrel talks run up to Saturday 31 October, which is also when the chance to meet David Attenborough and Cinnamon wraps up. The arboretum is part of the wider Castle Howard Estate, so if you want to make a full day of it, the baroque house and gardens are nearby, and the whole site is dog-friendly. For a quieter alternative, Ray Wood is another historic garden in the area, with nearly 800 species of rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias.
Published Date
1 October 2026
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