Large trees on the Archery Lawn at Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan

Where to go · Vale of Glamorgan

Forest bathing at Dyffryn Gardens

A National Trust garden near St Nicholas with a 22 acre arboretum of trees from around the world.

Dyffryn Gardens is a National Trust garden of 55 acres at St Nicholas, a few miles west of Cardiff, designed by Thomas Mawson around Dyffryn House. Alongside the lawns, walled kitchen garden and glasshouse is a 22 acre arboretum: woodland made up of trees from all over the world. It is a gentler, more tended kind of woodland than a wild wood, which makes it an easy place to slow down among big trees.

Most visitors stay around the house, the Great Lawn and the walled garden, so head for the arboretum if you want quiet. Some areas of it may be closed, but many routes stay open. Wheelchairs and a mobility scooter can be borrowed free. Parking is free, there is a café, and toilets are spread across the garden. Entry is charged, and National Trust members go free.

Practical

Managed by
National Trust
Parking
Free car park
Terrain
Garden paths and grass
Nearest station
Cardiff Central, about 7 miles
Facilities
Café, shops, toilets in several areas, free wheelchair and mobility scooter hire
Opening and entry
Admission charge (National Trust members free); daytime opening hours
Official page
nationaltrust.org.uk

Last updated 4 November 2026. Paths, parking and access can change, so check before you visit. Spotted something out of date? Please let us know.

Guides nearby

A guide within 15 miles of Dyffryn Gardens

More woodlands in Vale of Glamorgan

All venues in Vale of Glamorgan
Wooded area within Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, near Penarth, in summerCosmeston Lakes Country ParkQuarry lakes, meadow and woodland near Penarth, with easy level pathsSnow among the trees in Hensol Forest, Vale of GlamorganHensol ForestMixed forest around a quiet lake north of Welsh St Donats, with plenty of pathsPorthkerry Country Park in its valley near BarryPorthkerry Country ParkSheltered wooded valley under a railway viaduct, running down to a pebble beach

Photos: Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Dominic Nelson (CC BY-SA 4.0); Hensol Forest, Guy Butler-Madden (CC BY-SA 2.0); Porthkerry Country Park, Mick Lobb (CC BY-SA 2.0).