Located in the parish of Westleigh, Tapeley Park sits high on a hill overlooking the River Torridge and the North Devon coastline. Home to the Christie family for two centuries, Hector Christie is the current custodian of the estate.
Tapeley Park is located between Bideford and Barnstaple, near the village of Instow. Visitors can follow brown tourist signs from the A39 onto the B3233 (please note if you use the post code in Sat Nav you will be directed to the incorrect entrance). The Tapeley Garden entrance is just beyond the turning sign posted to Westleigh Village, coming from the Bideford direction.
GARDEN OPENING HOURS: Our gardens are now open to all visitors and will be open Sunday 29th March until Thursday 29th October 2026 on Sundays to Thursday 10.00am to 5.00pm.
No need to book a slot for the gardens – just turn up and purchase your tickets from the Gift Shop
Adults £8.50
Children £6.50 Under 5’s Free
Seniors £7.00
Family Ticket (2 Adults and up to 3 Children) £22.00
Friends of Tapeley Season Ticket – Adult – £35.00, Child – £15.00
Group prices on application
Family friendly, dog friendly (on leads).
Disabled facilities
If you use a wheelchair (manual or electric) or a walker there are parts of the garden which may not be suitable, for example the walk through the wood to the lake and across the fields to the monument statue.
We offer disabled parking (located by the Pay Hut) which are not too far from the gardens which offers seating, and the toilet facilities are close at hand.
There is a lovely Tea Room which is accessible with indoor and outdoor seating – garden admission charges apply to use this facility – now open to all visitors from Sunday 29th March until Thursday 29th October 2026. Our opening times are Sunday to Thursday 10:00am – 5.00pm.
Address:
Tapeley Park
Instow
North Devon
EX39 4NT
Tapeley Park
Instow
North Devon
EX39 4NT
Whatthreewords: padding.makeovers.return
Telephone:
01271 860897
(or contact the Estate office 01271 342558)
01271 860897
(or contact the Estate office 01271 342558)
See our Facebook Feed for the Latest News
Four from the Tearoom table! It's not just the gardens that make Tapeley a memorable visit. The @the_garden_box_devon team are joining Rob in the The Tea Rooms at Tapeley for pop-up sessions every Thursday and here's a taster of what's on offer.![]()
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Lunch menu mains:![]()
- 50/50 Plate - An equal measure of haloumi and falaffel with all the trimmings for that 'sunny' feeling.![]()
- Heart warming Minestrone - homemade hearty soup with some serious chunkage. ![]()
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And for dessert (or snack reward!)?:![]()
- Lemon & Rosemary Polenta cake (gluten and dairy free).![]()
- Decadent chocolate cake (gluten and dairy free).![]()
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Feast this Thursday lunchtime (book ended by some excellent strollinga round the Tsspeley Park gardens!
How do you say Spring is here without saying Spring is here?...![]()
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Well anyway, it's springing by the day! With a spell of dry weather, sunny days, reasonable temperatures (though layer up as that wind can still be brisk), Tapeley Park gardens is a great day out for nature lovers.![]()
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#naturelovers #spring #visitgardens #northdevon #tapeleyparkgardens
The Italian Terraces hit their full glory in a couple of months, but there are already hints of the majesty waiting in the wings. This specimen for example! There's white and then there's Iberis white... ![]()
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Also known by the delightful name of 'Candytuft', the purity of the palette needs to be seen up close to be fully appreciated. This plant has been bringing a dash of brightness to the Middle Terrace rockery for the past 50 years. ![]()
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As its name implies this is a native of the Medieterranean (as in Iberia) and the Candy part of Candytuft, is said to be a reference to Candia, which was a kingdom on the island of Crete for a short period in the 13th century.![]()
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#Italianterraces #Tapeleyparkgardens #gardens #Spring #VisitNorthDevon #Instow
The whiff of Bear's Garlic is in the air! Many of the woodland spaces at Tapeley are awash with the pungent waft from the plant better known as Wild Garlic (and sometimes also known as 'Ramsons').![]()
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It grows from March to June and is a wild relative of chives. Every part of the plant is edible - from leaves to stem to the striking white flowers which are particularly flavorful. ![]()
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This plant was an important fixture in Celtic, Viking and European traditions. Revered for its numerous beneficial qualities - edible and medicinal - it also had a place in folklore as a spring tonic which could protect against vampires! ![]()
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A favourite of modern day foragers, it does however have some poisonous look-alikes, which can grow near it. The advice of experts to pickers is to smell every leaf - if it doesn't smell of garlic, it's not OK to eat. ![]()
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#wildgarlic #tapeleyparkgardens #visitnorthdevon #instow #barnstaple #bideford
Let's talk some more about lizards! On the left a legless lizard in the form of a Slow Worm. On the right the lizard find we shared a couple of weeks ago which we now know to be rather special.![]()
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First lizards first... This is a great time of year to find a Slow Worm, especially on a warm day - this one was skittering across Italian Terrace steps. Often found in garden compost bins or under pieces of undisturbed wood they are not only harmless but beneficial - they feast on pests as slugs and snails before they get to feast on your plants! ![]()
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Second lizard tale... A couple of weeks ago we shared the lizard photo from the permaculture garden in a post. But not just any lizard according to a visting ecologist. It was in fact a 'Wall Lizard,' which is a non-native variety. It's believed there are only around 20,000 in the UK, mostly in pockets of South England.![]()
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One theory put forward for its existence at Tapeley is that lizard ancestors may have arrived via one of the many exotic plants brought to the gardens over the years. Why haven't we identifed them before? Always handy to have a visiting expert's eye... now we know, we know! ![]()
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#lizard #slowworm #garden #Tapeleyparkgardens #spring #daytrip #visitnorthdevon #instow
