Pre-booking Statement
Pre-booking is strongly advised to guarantee your entry over these key periods:
- Autumn: Tue 01 Oct - Sun 17 Nov 2024
- Christmas: Sat 21 Dec 2024 - Wed 01 Jan 2025
When visiting outside of these periods, we will continue to operate a pre-booking system for those who wish to use it but this is optional.
Subject to availability, tickets will be available to book online up to 30 minutes before the admission time slot or in person on the day of your visit.
Forestry England and The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum will regularly review these dates so for up-to-date information and to prebook, please visit forestryengland.uk/westonbirt or fowa.org.uk/prebook
Members please continue to show your active membership card or purchase confirmation email to Visitor Services to gain access into the arboretum at all times; along with your prebooking confirmation if applicable. Please note that the barriers at the Welcome Building are no longer in operation.
FAQs
Why is it necessary to have pre-booking at all?
The pre-booking system ensures that we can guarantee sufficient parking, avoid congestion on the roads and reduce the risk of traffic accidents. Nearby residential areas are not therefore adversely impacted by our presence. We can also guarantee no wasted journeys and efficient processing at the Welcome Building.
The booking system:
• helps us control the number of people coming to enjoy Westonbirt Arboretum.
• spreads visitors more evenly.
• reduces the risk of congestion and having no parking available.
• allows for direct communication for planned and unforeseen changes.
• it helps us ensure we can have the right amount of people to offer help and serve customers in the restaurant and shop.
• protects the trees and footpaths from concentrated footfall.
• improves the visitor experience at peak times
Therefore, at busy times, to allow for better management of the site and facilities, we will be advising visitors to pre-book for guaranteed entry. We appreciate your patience during these times.
Do I need to prebook?
Pre-booking is no longer essential but we strongly advise pre-booking over these key dates:
- Autumn: Tue 01 Oct - Sun 17 Nov 2024
- Christmas: Sat 21 Dec 2024 - Wed 01 Jan 2025
Can I still pre-book if I want to?
If you would like to pre-book you can do so here.
How will I know whether I need to pre-book?
Our website will be constantly updated, and we will also communicate with you via emails and social media. To keep up to date, please sign up to our newsletter.
Why do members have to book when you bring pre-booking in for those periods?
With 37,000 members, during our busier times, pre-booking helps with parking and to reduce the risk of congestion on the roads. Keeping pre-booking for these times is a practical decision with many benefits to members, visitors, volunteers, and staff and is in place, to ensure the longevity of Westonbirt Arboretum. We appreciate your patience during this time.
Why is it necessary to have pre-booking at Christmas?
The period between Christmas and New Year is often our second busiest time of the year, yet it occurs at a time when we can rarely use our overflow field due to poor ground conditions, so we are limited to using our existing hard surface parking which is no more than 500 spaces. For this reason, we believe pre-booking will enable us to manage the traffic and car park effectively at this time.
What if I have access requirements and timeslots are tricky for me / the person I care for?
Accessible Admission Tickets permit flexible entry to the arboretum between 9:00am and 4:00pm. These tickets are available for visitors with accessibility needs that may find arriving at Westonbirt within a fixed time slot prohibitive. Find out more
How do I book a mobility scooters and wheelchairs?
Mobility scooters will be pre-bookable online. We recommend pre-booking to avoid disappointment, however you can also book by phone with our customer relations team on 0300 068 0400 or, if available, pick one up when you arrive. Please be aware, these will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. You do not need to pre-book your ticket to book a scooter. Find out more