Jane's Midlife Journey

Careys Secret Garden is a hidden 3.5 acre Victorian Walled Garden on an estate in the Purbecks. You can visit the garden at your own pace, take a guided tour or attend a variety of events, workshops and family friendly activities.

How to get to Careys Secret Garden

The garden is on the outskirts of Wareham, 15 miles west of Bournemouth.

By Bus

The estate is rather remote. The 40 Breezer Bus stops at Northmoor Link Road. Alternatively, there is a train station in Wareham. Both these are around 1.5 miles from the garden.

Parking

There is free on site parking. Note: The car park is around a 200 metre walk from the garden itself along a chipping path. If you have mobility issues, there is an alternative drop off point.

Opening Times

The Secret Garden is open from 10 am until 4 pm between Wednesday and Saturday and from 11 am until 3 pm on Sunday. The garden opens for the season on 1 April.

Price

General garden admission costs £11.50 for Adults, £4.50 for children age 5 to 12 and free for children under 5.

Details

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden is surrounded by walls on three sides and divided into several sections including:

Rose Garden

The focal point of the garden is the Rose Garden with over 100 roses, which grow in concentric circles around a copper sculpture and water feature. We visited early in the season when there wasn’t much in bloom, but Orla was fascinated with the giant egg.

Food Forest

In the Food Forest, you will find a range of plants and trees that can be used for their fibres, fruits, roots and flowers, such as nut trees, fruit bushes and log piles injected with mushroom spawn.

Stumpery

The Stumpery is a fun area made from stumps collected from around the estate. There are are also willow arches and dens for children to play in.

Meadow & Orchard

The Meadow & Orchard is planted with fruit trees, while more exotic fruit grows against the wall. We loved the rather beautiful steel osprey sculpture.

Herb & Tea Garden

In the Herb and Tea Garden, they grow culinary and medicinal herbs plus plants used to make tea. Orla really enjoyed smelling the plants here, with chamomile and lemon balm among the favourites.

Arid Garden

The Arid Garden showcases plants from around the world, such as olive and almond trees.

Nursery Beds

Plants propagated on site in the Nursery Beds are available for sale.

The Berlin Wall

In a clearing in the woods, between the garden and the car park, is the rather random sight for a garden in rural England: Several sections of the Berlin Wall.

Ospreys

There are a pair of Ospreys nesting in a tree located in a field just outside the garden. Southern England’s first pair of nesting Ospreys in 200 years have recently returned from Africa for the fifth year in a row. You can observe their activities via a nest camera, which transmits to a screen in the cafe.

Osprey Tours

It is also possible to book an Osprey Tour to the nest viewing platform, with the opportunity to learn more about the ospreys and the Poole Harbour Osprey Project. Tickets cost £25 for adults and need to be booked in advance.

Facilities

The Secret Salt Pig Coffee Shop

The Secret Salt Pig Coffee Shop offers a small selection of refreshments including hot and cold drinks, cakes and pastries. Indoor and outdoor seating is available.

We took a picnic and there were several benches and seating areas spread around the garden.

Gift Shop

There is also a small Gift Shop inside the coffee shop.

Toilets

Orla’s favourite part of our visit was a trip to the compost Toilets, which are located just in front of the walled garden.

Events

Garden Tours

Guided Garden Tours are offered twice monthly on Thursday mornings. Tours are including in the ticket price.

Yoga

Yoga classes take place in the garden on Saturday mornings between April and September from 9 am until 10.15 am.

Other events include craft fairs, bee keeping, perfumery workshops, basketry, urban foraging and mushroom growing. Check out the events list here.

The Secret Garden for Children

Orla loved exploring the garden. Many of the plants are edible, so she spent plenty of time sniffing herbs as well as hunting for mushrooms and checking out the exotic fruits (and carnivorous plants) growing in the greenhouse.

There’s also a nature trail with plenty of interesting facts for older children. And a mud kitchen to keep younger children entertained. (Wearing a colander on your head is optional!)

Parent & Toddler Group

A weekly Parent & Toddler Group takes place on Friday mornings plus the first Saturday of each month. Sessions include a welcome circle, woodland: ‘go find’, crafts, songs and stories. The group costs £12.

Other family friendly events include Moth Mania and Buzzfest.

• Updated: April 2026

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.

For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth with young children, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers here.