Things to do · Tetbury
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum
The National Arboretum near Tetbury: 15,000 trees, a 300m treetop walkway, dog-friendly Silk Wood and a peak season of autumn colour.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Walker-friendly · Car-free
Come in autumn, book ahead in peak season, and bring the dog to Silk Wood, where it can run off the lead. Forestry England says the Treetop Walkway is fully accessible for wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
- Good: Dogs off the lead in Silk Wood
- Good: Treetop Walkway fully accessible for wheelchairs and scooters
- Good: Cheaper entry if you arrive by bus, train or bike
- Good: Free guided walks daily at 11am and 2pm
- Worth knowing: No dogs in the Old Arboretum or at events
- Worth knowing: Book ahead from late September to mid-November
About
Westonbirt, about 3 miles from Tetbury, is the National Arboretum, run by Forestry England: more than 15,000 trees and shrubs of about 2,500 kinds, with five national tree collections, in about 600 acres with 17 miles of paths. Robert Stayner Holford began the Old Arboretum in 1829 and bought Silk Wood, a working wood since the Middle Ages, in 1840. The Forestry Commission took it on in 1956.
The STIHL Treetop Walkway, opened in 2016, runs for 300m and rises up to 13.5m above the woodland floor, and is fully accessible for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. About two thirds of the arboretum is dog-friendly: dogs run off the lead under control in Silk Wood, go on a lead on the Downs (where they are welcome in the restaurant, the shop and on the walkway), and stay out of the Old Arboretum. Volunteers lead free guided walks through the Old Arboretum at 11am and 2pm every day.
It opens every day but Christmas Day from 9am, with last admission at 4.30pm. Its peak autumn season, for the maples, runs from late September to mid-November, when prices are higher and booking ahead is strongly advised. Visitors who arrive by bus, train or bike pay a reduced price, as do 19 to 25 year olds and students, a personal assistant goes free, and Friends of Westonbirt go free. There is a restaurant, a café and a shop, and wheelchairs and all-terrain scooters can be hired.
For a route, follow our walk through Silk Wood.
Opening hours and season
Closed, opens Mon 9, 09:00
| Mon | Opening | Restaurant | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 16:30 | 09:30 to 16:30 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 16:30 | 09:30 to 16:30 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 16:30 | 09:30 to 16:30 |
| Thursday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 16:30 | 09:30 to 16:30 |
| Friday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 16:30 | 09:30 to 16:30 |
| Saturday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 16:30 | 09:30 to 16:30 |
| Sunday | 09:00 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 16:30 | 09:30 to 16:30 |
Open every day but Christmas Day. Last admission 4.30pm, half an hour before closing. Peak autumn season 25 September to 15 November.
Facilities
- Restaurant, café and shopRestaurant and shop 9.30am to 4.30pm
- Dogs in about two thirdsOff lead in Silk Wood, not in the Old Arboretum
- Changing PlacesPlus wheelchair and all-terrain scooter hire
- ParkingMain car park with 21 accessible spaces; no EV charging
- ToiletsAccessible toilets on site
The details
- Time to allow
- Half a day
- Features
- Café · Restaurant · Shop · Parking · Guided tours · Bike storage
- History
- Old Arboretum begun by Robert Stayner Holford in 1829
- Parking
- Main car park at the arboretum, with coach and motorhome parking (no overnight stays). No EV charging.
- Without a car
- The 620 (Stroud, Tetbury, Yate, Bath) stops at the arboretum Monday to Saturday, as does the bookable Robin Bus. Kemble and Yate stations are about 20 minutes by taxi.
Photos
A glade in the arboretum 
The arboretum from above 
Maples in autumn colour Photo: Michael Dibb, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
Oak Avenue in summer Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Location
Accessibility
- Changing Places toilet
- Accessible toilet
- Step-free access
- Assistance dogs welcome
- Parking within 50 metres
21 accessible parking spaces. Wheelchairs, mobility scooters, all-terrain scooters and trike wheelchairs for hire. A personal assistant enters free. Sensory bag and visual story available.
Places to stay nearby
-
Hare and Hounds
Hotel · Tetbury
A hotel at Westonbirt near Tetbury, close to the National Arboretum, with the Gamekeeper's Cottage and its hot tub next door, and dogs welcome.
Dog-friendly · Hot tubs · Wedding venues
Verified Oct 2026
-
Whatley Manor
Hotel · Malmesbury
A country house hotel and spa with 23 rooms in 12 acres with 22 gardens at Easton Grey, near Malmesbury, with a Michelin-starred restaurant and seven dog-friendly rooms.
Dog-friendly · Wedding venues · EV charging
Verified Nov 2026
-
Angel Cottage
Self-catering · Tetbury
A holiday cottage for two on New Church Street in the middle of Tetbury, for short breaks or weekly stays.
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- Hare and Hounds 1.1 km away
- Beaufort Polo Club 1.2 km away
- Highgrove Gardens 2.7 km away
- The Cat & Custard Pot Inn 3.4 km away
Sights nearby
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St Catherine's Church, Westonbirt
Sight · Church · Tetbury
The former parish church of Westonbirt, south-west of Tetbury, now in the grounds of Westonbirt School beside the Holfords' great house: twelfth to fifteenth century, with Holford monuments including the effigy of Robert Stayner Holford, who began the arboretum.
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Beverston Castle
Sight · Castle or ruin · Tetbury
The ruin of a thirteenth-century castle at Beverston, west of Tetbury, built by Maurice de Gaunt and enlarged by the Berkeleys, twice besieged in 1644 and now part of a private house, its gatehouse, towers and moat seen from the lane and churchyard.
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St Mary's Church, Beverston
Sight · Church · Tetbury
Beverston's parish church beside the castle, west of Tetbury: a Norman church on a probably Saxon site, extended by the Berkeleys in 1361, with a pre-Conquest carving of Christ on the tower, a Tudor stone pulpit and a fifteenth-century screen. Grade II*.
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Cutwell Bridge, Tetbury
Sight · Bridge · Tetbury
A small packhorse and foot bridge of about 1622 on the old road into Tetbury from the south-west: one triangular stone arch about a metre high over a tributary of the Avon, with a long ramp. Grade II, on a public path the Tetbury town walk follows.