Hampshire &amp; Isle of Wight


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exbury-gardens-new-forest"><a aria-label="Exbury Gardens (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.exbury.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Exbury Gardens</a>, New Forest</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1124" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/11/Autumn-Exbury-Gardens.jpg" alt="Autumn colour at Exbury Gardens Hampshire" class="wp-image-38887" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/11/Autumn-Exbury-Gardens.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/11/Autumn-Exbury-Gardens-800x599.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/11/Autumn-Exbury-Gardens-1000x749.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/11/Autumn-Exbury-Gardens-768x575.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Exbury Gardens, Exbury, New Forest</figcaption></figure>



<p>Always a showstopper, Exbury Gardens is pure autumn magic. The 200-acre woodland bursts into a blaze of fiery colour at this time of year, with the famous acer collection stealing the spotlight in brilliant shades of crimson and scarlet. The Nyssa and Oxydendrum trees – stars of Exbury’s National Collection – turn on the charm too, glowing in gorgeous tones of orange and gold. Everywhere you look, the gardens shimmer with the rich reds, burnished oranges and buttery yellows that make autumn at Exbury such a spectacular seasonal spectacle.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sir-harold-hillier-gardens-romsey"><a aria-label="Sir Harold Hillier Gardens (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/hilliergardens" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sir Harold Hillier Gardens</a>, Romsey</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/09/2-Sir-Harold-Hillier.jpg" alt="Harold Hillier Gardens arboretum autumn colour autumn walks Hampshire" class="wp-image-19706" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/09/2-Sir-Harold-Hillier.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/09/2-Sir-Harold-Hillier-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/09/2-Sir-Harold-Hillier-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/09/2-Sir-Harold-Hillier-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/09/2-Sir-Harold-Hillier-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in autumn.</figcaption></figure>



<p>This beautiful 180-acre garden and arboretum was established in the 1950s by – you guessed it – the nurseryman Sir Harold Hillier. He gifted to Hampshire County Council in the 1970s. Catch a few leafy snaps as you stroll through Acer Valley. You&#8217;ll find an atmospheric valley of Japanese and other maples and shaded by mature oaks. Look out too for the golden reflection of branches overhanging the lake. Très tranquille.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-vyne-sherbourne-st-john-near-basingstoke"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Vyne (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/the-vyne" target="_blank">The Vyne</a>, Sherbourne St. John, near Basingstoke</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="983" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/The-Vyne-lake-in-autumn-National-Trust-Images-Virginia-Langer11012019-07-1-min.jpg" alt="The Vyne National Trust Hampshire autumn colour" class="wp-image-28761" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/The-Vyne-lake-in-autumn-National-Trust-Images-Virginia-Langer11012019-07-1-min.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/The-Vyne-lake-in-autumn-National-Trust-Images-Virginia-Langer11012019-07-1-min-800x524.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/The-Vyne-lake-in-autumn-National-Trust-Images-Virginia-Langer11012019-07-1-min-1000x655.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/The-Vyne-lake-in-autumn-National-Trust-Images-Virginia-Langer11012019-07-1-min-768x503.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/The-Vyne-lake-in-autumn-National-Trust-Images-Virginia-Langer11012019-07-1-min-801x525.jpg 801w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: The Vyne in autumn. National Trust Images, <em>Virginia Langer</em>.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Often overlooked in favour of the Tudor mansion itself, <a href="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/the-vyne-basingstoke/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Vyne</a>’s extensive gardens and woodlands are great fun to explore. The trails are also not too taxing for littlies to walk around. Rustle through fallen leaves looking out for ancient oaks. Bright red American liquidambar trees change to yellow and orange as the seasons shift. And beautiful autumn colour is reflected beautifully in the lake here.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mottisfont-near-romsey"><a aria-label="Mottisfont (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mottisfont</a>, near Romsey</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Mottisfont-house-and-lawn-with-autumn-leaves-National-Trust-Images-Jonny-Norton-1-min.jpg" alt="Mottisfont in autumn Romsey Hampshire National Trust walks" class="wp-image-28419" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Mottisfont-house-and-lawn-with-autumn-leaves-National-Trust-Images-Jonny-Norton-1-min.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Mottisfont-house-and-lawn-with-autumn-leaves-National-Trust-Images-Jonny-Norton-1-min-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Mottisfont-house-and-lawn-with-autumn-leaves-National-Trust-Images-Jonny-Norton-1-min-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Mottisfont-house-and-lawn-with-autumn-leaves-National-Trust-Images-Jonny-Norton-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Mottisfont-house-and-lawn-with-autumn-leaves-National-Trust-Images-Jonny-Norton-1-min-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Mottisfont, Hampshire. National Trust Images, <em>Jonny Norton</em>.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Another National Trust big-hitter, spot striking reddish orange and yellow autumn leaves on the trees at <a href="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/mottisfont-near-romsey/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mottisfont</a>. You can&#8217;t miss the National Collection of plane trees, including the colourful (and vast) great plane. Chestnuts, hornbeams and the acid green-turned-golden leaves of two magnificent tulip trees also put on a colourful show. Fancy helping out? After a kick around, gather big handfuls of crunchy autumn leaves (satisfying). Deposit them in leaf bins and Mottisfont&#8217;s gardeners will add them to the estate&#8217;s compost mix. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-osborne-house-east-cowes-isle-of-wight"><a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/osborne/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Osborne House</a>, East Cowes, Isle of Wight</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/Osbourne-House-in-Autumn-1000x667.jpg" alt="Osborne House East Cowes in Autumn gardens Isle of Wight" class="wp-image-28756" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/Osbourne-House-in-Autumn-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/Osbourne-House-in-Autumn-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/Osbourne-House-in-Autumn-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/Osbourne-House-in-Autumn-788x525.jpg 788w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/10/Osbourne-House-in-Autumn.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: English Heritage Osborne House, East Cowes, Isle of Wight</figcaption></figure>



<p>Autumn colour lasts late into the year at Queen Victoria&#8217;s Osborne House. With her beloved Prince Albert, she loved taking walks and grow vegetables with the children. Together, the couple planted hundreds of trees &#8211; a perfect place for a woodland walk. During autumn many species of rare and unusual fungi can be seen opening up on the lawns and among fallen leaves.</p>


Glorious Hampshire gardens for autumn colour

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