Emmetts Garden tickets: £15 now, £11 from 1 November

Emmetts Garden is the National Trust’s hilltop garden above Ide Hill, about fifteen minutes from Sevenoaks by car. After Knole and Chartwell it is the third big National Trust day out within easy reach of the town, and it beats both on two practical points. Parking is free and included in admission, where Chartwell charges £6 a car. And it opens every day, closing only on 24 and 25 December (National Trust, Emmetts Garden).

The other date worth knowing is 1 November. Admission drops from £15 an adult to £11 for the winter, and the garden starts closing at 4pm instead of 5pm from 26 October. Before that comes the Autumn Festival, 9 October to 1 November, the garden’s biggest event of the year.

Every figure below comes from the National Trust’s own Emmetts pages, checked on 24 September 2026. Where the Trust does not publish something, we say so rather than guess.

Emmetts Garden key facts

What a ticket costs, and why 1 November matters

Emmetts charges by season, which is unusual among the Trust places near Sevenoaks. From 1 March to 31 October an adult pays £15.00, a child aged 5 to 17 pays £7.50, and a family of two adults and up to three children pays £37.50. From 1 November to 28 February the same tickets are £11.00, £5.50 and £27.50 (National Trust, Emmetts Garden).

The Gift Aid versions cost about 10% more: £16.50 for an adult in season, £12.10 in winter. Under 5s and members are free year round, and there is nothing to pay for parking.

During half term the fairground adds to the bill if your children want it. A wristband is £10 a day, or £12 combined with the £3 trail booklet (National Trust, Autumn Festival).

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What it means for you: a family of four pays £37.50 until 31 October, £61.50 if both children do the half term fairground and trail, and £27.50 from 1 November. The winter visit is the cheapest by some way, but the day is shorter and the festival will be over.

The garden: what you are paying to see

Emmetts is an Edwardian garden laid out in the late 19th century by Frederic Lubbock, a plant collector influenced by the gardener and writer William Robinson. It stands on one of the highest spots in Kent, with views out over the Weald, and holds rare trees and shrubs gathered from around the world (National Trust, Emmetts Garden).

The Trust divides it into five areas:

• the Rock Garden, alpine plants set among imitation mountainsides and streams
• the Rose Garden, a formal early 20th-century garden of pink and white roses framing the views
• the North Garden, specimen plants grown in bog, shade and rock conditions
• the South Garden, an extensive tree and shrub collection, much of it from plant-hunting expeditions
• the Woodland, including a pinetum, which fills with bluebells each spring

Autumn is the garden’s second high season after the bluebells. The Trust’s own picks for colour are the winged spindle tree, the Japanese maples and the katsura, nicknamed the candyfloss tree for the sweet smell its leaves give off as they turn (National Trust, Autumn Festival).

One warning from the Trust worth repeating: the garden and its surrounding woodland are a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and foraging is illegal. The fungi are often poisonous and are to be looked at, not picked.

The Autumn Festival: market, talks and a fairground

The Autumn Festival runs 9 October to 1 November 2026, and most of it is included in normal admission. The exceptions are ticketed and sell in advance. The programme, from the Trust’s festival page:

• Autumn Fair Makers Market, Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October, 10am to 4pm. Craft and food stalls under a marquee in the meadow, free with admission. The Sommi Pizza van serves wood-fired pizza on the Saturday and Sunday.
• Music on the Meadow, 10 and 11 October. Medway Concert Brass on the Saturday and Biggin Hill Concert Band on the Sunday, at noon and 2pm both days. Bring your own blanket or chairs.
• Autumn Talks weekend, Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October. Garden designer Adam Frost (£25), horticulturist and presenter Frances Tophill (£22) and Danny Clarke, the Black Gardener (£15), headline a marquee programme that also covers folklore, meteorites, medicinal mushrooms and seed conservation, with individual talks from £10. A Saturday day pass is £55 and a Sunday day pass £25. The Saturday magic mushrooms talk is 18+ only.
• Guided autumn walk, Sunday 18 October, 11.45am, £10. Not included in the day pass.
• Photography workshops, 14 or 27 October, 9.30am to 1pm, £35. The price includes garden entry, a hot drink and cake; bring a camera with a short-range zoom.
• Fun-Gus family activity trail, 9 October to 1 November. £3 a booklet from the Visitor Centre, no booking, prize on completion.
• Children’s fairground, 23 October to 1 November, 10am to 4pm. Carousel, swing boats and teacups for ages 2 to 8; last ride starts 3.30pm. £10 a wristband, £12 with the trail booklet.
• Halloween workshops, 29 October to 1 November. Spooky woodcraft (whittling a mushroom keyring, ages 8+, £8, four sessions a day, pre-book) and free drop-in spiderweb weaving for ages 2+.

How the festival compares with everything else on locally that fortnight, including Chartwell’s ghost hunt trail and the Riverhill Pumpkin Festival, is on our Halloween events page.

Taking children

Emmetts is better set up for children than its plant-collection billing suggests (National Trust, Emmetts Garden):

• a wild play area near the tea room, with a climbing frame, play net, balance beams and tunnels
• a toy cupboard by the meadow, with equipment to borrow free
• picnic tables in the meadow, so you do not have to buy lunch

The paths are another matter. They are steep in places and the woodland path is uneven and unsurfaced, so a buggy takes some pushing. Our round-up of every option for a day with children is the things to do with kids page.

Dogs

Emmetts is the most dog-friendly of the Trust gardens near Sevenoaks. Dogs on short leads are welcome in every part of the garden, and the Old Stables Tea Room has two designated dog bays in its seating area, which is rare for a Trust café (National Trust, visiting with your dog). How that compares with Knole, Chartwell and the district’s pubs and woods is on our dog friendly Sevenoaks page.

Getting there, and the walks

By car from Sevenoaks, take the A25 west to Sundridge, turn left onto Church Road and follow the Sundridge Road south for 1.5 miles; the entrance is on the right. From the M25 leave at junction 5 and it is about 4 miles. Sat nav TN14 6BA, and parking is free (National Trust, Emmetts Garden).

Without a car:

• On foot: half a mile up from Ide Hill village, or the 3-mile Weardale walk from Chartwell, for which the Trust produces a guide leaflet
• By train: Sevenoaks station is 4.5 miles away and has a taxi rank; Penshurst is 5.5 miles
• By bus: on Saturdays, Surrey County Council’s bookable Surrey Connect shuttle links Oxted station with Chartwell, Quebec House and Emmetts. Book between 30 minutes and 7 days ahead on 0300 123 7751 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or through the Surrey Connect app

The best free walk is the 2.5-mile Toys Hill and Emmetts circular through Ide Hill, which costs nothing because it runs around the garden rather than through it. It is in our family walks guide.

If the hill is a problem

The garden is on a slope and the Trust is honest about it: steep paths, steps, and an uneven woodland path. What it provides (National Trust, Emmetts Garden):

• a volunteer-run buggy from the Visitor Centre up the steepest slope; phone on the day to check it is running, and it cannot carry electric wheelchairs
• a Tramper all-terrain mobility vehicle, pre-booked on 01732 868381, option 2
• a limited number of outdoor wheelchairs to borrow, and a map of the accessible route from the Visitor Centre
• accessible toilets by the Visitor Centre and next to the tea room, a Braille guide, and induction loops in the Visitor Centre and tea room

Frequently asked questions

How much does Emmetts Garden cost? £15.00 an adult, £7.50 a child and £37.50 for a family until 31 October 2026, then £11.00, £5.50 and £27.50 from 1 November to 28 February. National Trust members and under 5s are free (National Trust, Emmetts Garden).

Is parking free at Emmetts Garden? Yes. Parking is included in admission for everyone, with seven accessible bays and a motorcycle and bicycle area (National Trust, Emmetts Garden).

Do you need to book Emmetts Garden? No, just turn up; there are no timed tickets. Booking only applies to some Autumn Festival extras: the talks, the woodcraft workshop, the guided walk and the photography workshop (National Trust, Autumn Festival).

Are dogs allowed at Emmetts Garden? Yes, on short leads in all areas of the garden, and in two designated bays of the Old Stables Tea Room seating (National Trust, visiting with your dog).

Is Emmetts Garden open in winter? Yes, daily except 24 and 25 December. From 26 October 2026 it opens 10am to 4pm, with the café closing at 3.30pm, and winter admission of £11 an adult applies from 1 November. The Trust’s calendar is currently published to the end of December (National Trust, Emmetts Garden).

Is Emmetts Garden wheelchair and buggy friendly? Partly. The garden is on a hillside with steep paths and steps, and the woodland path is unsurfaced. A volunteer buggy, a pre-bookable Tramper and loan wheelchairs are available, and there is a mapped accessible route (National Trust, Emmetts Garden).

Sources

• Opening times, prices, parking, dogs, facilities, access and directions: National Trust, Emmetts Garden
• Autumn Festival programme, dates and event prices: National Trust, Autumn Festival at Emmetts Garden
• Dog rules and tea room bays: National Trust, visiting Emmetts Garden with your dog

All figures checked on 24 September 2026. If you find one that has changed, tell us and we will correct it.