York Gate Garden — Local services in Leeds

This is more of an observation than a moan due to the nature of the layout of the gardens. On 3.6.23 my wife & I visited the gardens. The gardens are well set out and have a large varied amount of well cared for plants, however what lets the venue down is that when we parked up on the main car park there was no signage as to where to pay for entry, at the time of entry there was no one in attendace in a little hut upon entry to the gardens from the car park. I went into the cafe to ask for advice as to where payment could be made. I was directed to a building nowhere near the entrance. For a disabled person and carer the way to the payment building has two sets of steps and uneven gravel. There was no signs or barriers to stop us from just wandering around the gardens had we decided to do so however we did pay. As above the site is not disabled friendly so anyone with a wheelchair or a walking frame will have a great deal of difficulty getting about, even anyone who is not good at walking then York Gate gardens is not for you. There is no warning on the web sites to advise that it is not suitable for the disabled. Unfortunatly as is the way of some buisnesses they have gone the lazy way and chosen to go card only payment, had it been down to me I would have...

York Gate is a delightful one-acre Grade II National Heritage Garden created by the Spencer family. It delights with a succession of linked gardens (or "rooms"as they are known) which take their design inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement and were developed thanks to the horticultural skills of its owner Sybil Spencer and developed between 1951 and 1994. Each individual "room" has its own beauty and interest, with a wealth of plants, shrubs and trees, some immediately recognisable, others much more exotic! There are several water features and unusual structures and stonework, a meadow with beehives plus varied and intricate pathways linking the different "rooms". I was fortunate to visit as part of a National Trust garden volunteer's group and had the benefit of a guided tour given by the affable and knowledgeable Head Gardener, who explained how the garden has evolved and continues to do so. There is also a cafe, shop and plant nursery on the site. It is most definitely worth a visit and cannot fail to impress...

Visited the garden on 3rd September. Although it only has limited parking we had no problems finding a space. We were greeted at the entrance by a friendly and informative guide who gave us a brief overview of the gardens and amenities. As it was close to lunchtime the first stop was the cafe. This has a large seating both inside and in the garden. The food was good, we both had Paninies which were very good and at a good price. The facilities are spotlessly clean. You can visit the cafe without having to pay entry to the garden. The garden although is only 1 acre the design crams in so many small gardens and walkways it seems so much larger. The planting and hard landscaping is wonderful and is well worth the visit. Price is £7 which is very reasonable and even better is part of the gardeners world 2 for 1 ticket offer. The annual price is also a very cheap option at only .£30. There is also a shop and also plant sales again at reasonable prices. I would highly...