Terms for RHS Gardens admission and tickets

Read here for Glow event ticket terms and conditions

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Last updated: November 2022

Terms and conditions

These terms apply to RHS Garden Bridgewater, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, RHS Garden Rosemoor and RHS Garden Wisley (the ‘RHS Gardens’ or the ‘Gardens’). 

In these terms, anyone accessing the Gardens or buying tickets is referred to as ‘you’ and The Royal Horticultural Society is referred to as ‘RHS’, ‘we’ or ‘our’.

Admission to the RHS Gardens
Adult Learning courses and workshops
Food and Drink ‘Experience’ Packages
Tickets for Garden entry
Purchasing e-tickets
Data Protection

Admission to the RHS Gardens

• For opening dates and times, please check the RHS Gardens pages
• In exceptional circumstances (for example, heavy snow, ice or high winds), we may need to close the Gardens (or parts of them). You can check before visiting by calling the Garden or checking our website
• The last admission to an RHS Garden is one hour before the Garden’s advertised closing time
• For non-members, you may only re-enter the RHS Garden with a ticket that is valid for the day of your visit
• Occasionally, we may need to amend or cancel advertised events at the RHS Gardens. If you are visiting for a specific event or garden feature, please check in advance with the Garden or on the RHS website to ensure there have been no changes or cancellations

Refused entry or requirement to leave

 We may refuse you entry, or require you to leave, an RHS Garden. This is at our absolute discretion, but examples of where this might apply include if we consider:
 

• Your conduct may adversely affect the plant collection or RHS property, or risk the safety of staff, volunteers or visitors
• You use threatening, abusive or insulting language or behave in any way that disturbs the peace or the enjoyment of other visitors
• You are, or you appear to be, under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Items not permitted and searches

You must not bring any of the following into an RHS Garden:
 

• Any weapons, fireworks, smoke bombs, glass bottles, blades, flammable liquids or other items that may cause injury
• Skateboards, rollerblades, rollerskates, bikes, scooters or other forms of personal transport (excluding those for disabled visitor access, such as wheelchairs and personal mobility vehicles)
• Balls, frisbees, balloons or any other similar item
• Pets or animals (except registered support dogs)
• Musical instruments or sound systems, without our written agreement

The RHS may conduct searches of visitors and their belongings to ensure that forbidden items are not brought into the Gardens, and RHS property is not taken from the Gardens.
 

Conduct in the Gardens

To make the Gardens enjoyable and safe for everyone, we ask you to:
 

• Avoid standing in planted areas
• Respect the plant collections by avoiding pulling, digging, removing or tearing plants or trees
• Keep mobile telephone volumes low
• Respect other visitors by not playing loud music that will disturb other visitors
• Not filming or taking photographs of the RHS Garden for public broadcast, commercial purposes or student projects without the RHS’s consent
• Not throw any article which could injure or annoy other visitors
• Adhere to signage throughout the RHS Garden

Personal Property

There are no facilities for the storage of luggage at the RHS Gardens. Buggies and pushchairs left unattended are at their owner’s risk and any items left unattended may be removed for security reasons. The RHS accepts no responsibility for damage to or loss of personal property brought into RHS Gardens.
 

Photography and Recording at RHS Gardens, including CCTV

The RHS or other authorised parties may carry out photography, and video recording in the RHS Gardens, which may capture visitors. By entering the Gardens, you agree that:
 

• these images may be used in any promotional, advertising or publicity material in any format whatsoever
• copyright in these materials rests with the RHS or such authorised party

The RHS carries out CCTV recording and monitoring for the purpose of crime prevention and public safety.  By entering the Gardens, you also agree that:
 

• CCTV recordings may be used for evidential purposes in the event of a health and safety incident or where a criminal offence has been committed
• CCTV recordings may be shared where necessary for the above purposes or where required by law, with the police, our insurers and legal representatives in connection with a criminal investigation, claim or legal proceedings

Plants on show

The planting displays at RHS Gardens are dependent on the weather, temperatures and other natural conditions. Therefore, the RHS cannot guarantee which plants will be looking their best at the time of the visit. If you are visiting to see a particular plant, please contact the RHS Garden before visiting.
 

Courses and workshops

• To attend courses and workshops at RHS Gardens, booking is essential. Please show your online reservation and reference number at the garden entrance on the day of your course or workshop
• Course fees are non-refundable and non-transferable after a cooling-off period of 48 hours after booking
• The RHS reserves the right to cancel an event, in which case you will be fully refunded for your ticket booking. We regret that the RHS is not liable for any expenses incurred due to a cancelled course or workshop
• Courses and workshops require a minimum number of places to be sold in order for them to go ahead. If this minimum is not achieved by a week before the event, we reserve the right to cancel the event and refund any tickets booked
• If a tutor is unavailable to run their course, a suitable replacement tutor will be sought and you will be contacted. If we are unable to find an appropriate substitute, we will refund your booking
• For any other enquiries relating to your course or workshop, please contact the RHS Garden where you are attending the course:
   
  • Wisley, [email protected]
  • Bridgewater, [email protected]
  • Harlow Carr, [email protected] 
  • Hyde Hall, [email protected]
  • Rosemoor, [email protected]

Food and Drink ‘Experience’ Packages

• ​If you have booked a package that includes food or drink (such as afternoon tea, brunch or picnic), it is your responsibility or the responsibility of the gift recipient to contact the relevant RHS Garden caterers to book the day and time of the catering package. This must at least four days before the visit. The RHS cannot guarantee availability on any specific date
• There are restrictions on the times certain meals are served and catering outlets within the RHS Gardens have different opening times to the Gardens. Please check the RHS Gardens pages for more details
• Unless cancelled by the RHS, or where separate terms and conditions apply, requests to refund pre-booked food and drink packages will only be considered where at least 48 hours’ notice is given to the RHS by email or telephone

Tickets for Garden entry

Tickets must be bought or obtained directly from the RHS at the Garden entrance or through the RHS website.  

Tickets remain the property of the RHS at all times.
 

Classes of Ticket Holders

• An Adult is a person aged 17 years or over
• A Child ticket is valid for a person aged from 5 years to 16 years (inclusive).  Children aged 4 years or under are admitted free. Children will not be admitted without an adult
• A Family ticket is for two adults and two children aged from 5 years to 16 years (inclusive). Additional family child tickets with the discounted rate are available at the garden entrance on arrival
• Discounts on the standard adult admission prices are available for groups of 10 adults or more and are available by contacting the garden directly by phone, post or email in advance of your visit. See the Groups page for more details

For each wheelchair user, visually impaired visitor or visitor whose disability necessitates a carer, one companion is admitted free of charge. This companion ticket can be obtained at the garden entrance.
 

Ticket Resale

You must not resell, auction, donate (other than to a named gift recipient), offer for sale or advertise tickets for sale on the internet or elsewhere.

We may refuse to sell or distribute tickets to individuals, companies or agencies who we suspect have resold, or intend to resell tickets in breach of these conditions.

You must not use tickets as prizes in promotions, hospitality or travel packages, auctions, lotteries or competitions (including charity auctions, lotteries or competitions) without our written consent.
 

Voidable tickets

The RHS may void any ticket obtained in breach of these conditions, or which in our reasonable opinion is being used or intended for use in breach of these conditions. If we void a ticket, you may be refused entry, or the ticket may be cancelled without notification. No compensation will be provided for void tickets and you are not entitled to a refund.

Any person seeking to access the Garden without a ticket, or with a void ticket, may be required to leave.
 

Purchasing e-tickets

Our Online Ticket Agent sells and issues tickets through our website for entry to the Gardens (e-tickets).  They are: Merac Ltd, Barbican Centre, Lustleigh Close, Exeter, EX2 8PW.

Once your booking is confirmed, the e-ticket(s) will be sent to the e-mail address specified. It is your responsibility to check that the booking information you submit is accurate before purchasing. We are only responsible for issuing e-tickets using the information that you provide.

At the time of purchase, we will provide you (and if specified, the recipient of the ticket) with a booking reference number. Please keep this separate from the e-ticket. If an e-ticket is lost or deleted, you will need the booking reference number to access the RHS Garden.
 

e-Ticket Validity and Refunds

• Once an e-ticket has been purchased, the relevant RHS Garden and the dates of entry cannot be changed
• e-tickets are non-refundable except if the Garden is closed for the full day on the specified ticket date or in circumstances outlined in our refund policy below. A closure of a Garden or part of it due to unusual circumstances will be set out on the RHS website
• e-Tickets are only valid for entry during the period specified on the ticket. As the ticket is for a specified period, you do not have any right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations

Garden admission using an e-ticket

On arrival at the RHS Garden, you must present either:
 

• A legible print-out of the e-ticket or
• The e-ticket on a mobile phone, together with a copy of the reference number in case of poor mobile reception at the Garden entrance.

If you are unable to show your e-ticket or the booking reference number but still wish to enter the RHS Garden, the RHS may charge you for another ticket at the rate stated at the Garden entrance.

The RHS may change ticket prices without prior notice and prices may vary through different sales channels (e.g. on the website and at the Garden entrance).

If you hold an e-ticket but wish to purchase additional tickets at the Garden entrance, the rates will be as stated at the Garden entrance.

Once you have left the Garden, there is no right of re-entry and the e-ticket will be void.
 

Refund Policy

If the entire Garden is closed for the whole of the day of your planned visit (and if your ticket is valid at any other time, you are unable to come during that time ), then a refund will be paid to the original purchaser of the tickets. The maximum refund payable will be the face value of the ticket(s) for the day concerned.
 

Refund conditions

• Refunds will only be made to the original buyer of the tickets
• If a Garden is closed on your planned day of visit, you should email the relevant RHS Garden within seven days of the day of your planned visit to arrange a refund:
  
  
  • For Wisley, [email protected]
  • For Bridgewater, [email protected]
  • For Harlow Carr, [email protected]
  • For Hyde Hall, [email protected] 
  • For Rosemoor, [email protected]

Wherever possible, refunds will be made automatically by RHS or Our Online Ticket Agency, using the original payment method.
 

• Ticket holders will not be eligible for refunds if tickets were not purchased from the RHS or Our Online Ticket Agency.  For example, tickets purchased through unauthorised ticket agencies or exchange websites are not refundable
• Other than as set out in this refund policy, the RHS is not liable for loss or damage of any kind incurred by a purchaser of e-tickets, such as for travel expenses, car parking fees and catalogues. Nothing in these terms excludes or restricts liability for personal injury or death due to negligence

Promotions and offers

• For any promotions or discounts, please read the applicable terms and conditions before purchasing e-tickets. Many promotions are only redeemable at certain times and can’t be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount
• The RHS may decline any promotional voucher

Data Protection