The UK has so many fascinating places to see and experience. Living in the UK gives me a unique opportunity to seek experiences off the typical tourist route, and I’m really looking forward to sharing them! Leonardslee Gardens is the perfect example of a beautiful and eccentric day out that you’d miss if you stuck within London’s borders.
I had been wanting to visit Leonardslee Gardens for a while, and finally declared it the event of the day for UK Mother’s Day last weekend. (Not to be confused with US Mother’s Day in May).
I love a garden anyway, but Leonardslee is truly like no place I’ve ever been. Yes, the gardens are gorgeous and full of all sorts of fascinating plants. They are also currently home to a beautiful collection of sculpture art, which seems to have been placed with great care to show off both the pieces themselves and the surrounding landscape.
We started our afternoon with a visit to a quirky highlight of Leonardslee Gardens – the wallaby enclosure. Your confusion makes sense, and you did read that right. There is a colony of wallabies living at Leonardslee Gardens. This group stems back to a group brought here from Tasmania in the late 1800s.
A group of breeding pairs, as well as some adorable joeys, can currently be found in the wallaby enclosure. We arrived just before feeding time, which occurs each day between 12:00 and 12:15pm.
In addition to the breeding pairs, there’s an unknown number of wallabies living semi-wild across the gardens and perhaps beyond. I spotted some footpaths outside the garden boundaries and can only imagine the shock of stumbling upon a wallaby whilst on a forest hike.
If the wallabies aren’t quirky enough for you, Leonardslee Gardens also has a fascinating dollhouse museum depicting an English estate and market town. As we were entering we passed a couple who decided to go for another round to find more details they’d missed on their first look. There are so many details, so definitely worth a look if you enjoy fascinating tiny things.
Continuing our trend of delightful surprises, I wasn’t expecting to find a Michelin-starred restaurant on property. We stuck to ice cream for refreshments on this visit, but I look forward to visiting Interlude for a future special occasion. The afternoon tea menu looks divine as well.
Leonardslee Gardens is an eccentric and beautiful escape. I am already pondering my next visit, and wondering if I need yet another membership. I was also pleased to see that dogs are allowed to visit. For visiting details, check out their website here. You can also get a hit of sculpture and wallabies by following them on Instagram, @leonardsleegardens.
