High summer, butterflies and cream teas at Trimstone Open Gardens
Trimstone Manor near Ilfracombe is hosting two days of open gardens on August 8-9 for Butterfly Conservation – drop in for a cream tea and a walk around the delightful grounds
Enjoy high summer, cream teas, stunning butterflies and tranquil surroundings with a special two day Open Gardens at Trimstone Manor near Ilfracombe this August.
The Manor is opening its gardens for Butterfly Conservation on Saturday and Sunday, August 8-9 from 10am to 4pm.
Set within quiet countryside, Trimstone is easily accessible from Ilfracombe or Barnstaple and offers well-established gardens where guests are welcome to stroll at their leisure to take in the shrubberies and what is believed to be North Devon’s only Japanese-inspired Garden.
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Plus, with a collection of poultry, peafowl and emus there’s an opportunity to make some feathered friends too – the peafowl freely roam the grounds and the emus admired safely in their enclosure!
Homemade cream teas and drinks are available. The suggested entry is a minimum donation per adult of £5, which goes straight to Butterfly Conservation.
Trimstone, owned by Philip and Helen Milton, is home to many species of butterflies and visitors are invited to see how many different types they can spot, as well as the odd day-flying moth too.
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Hannah Rowsell at Butterfly Conservation said: “Philip and Helen have been valued members of Butterfly Conservation for over 30 years and I am so grateful to them for taking part in this year’s open garden event.
“It is clear from their support that protecting vulnerable species of butterflies and moths means so much to them and their wish to share their beautiful gardens with visitors is a sign of their generosity and passion for nature.”
Devon has 39 resident butterfly species and August is still a good time to spot them – plus an incredible 668 species of macro-moth and 1,084 species of micro-moth have been recorded.
Sadly, both are under threat from loss of habitat and the use of insecticides, yet they play a vital role as pollinators and if too many are lost, other wildlife and even human food production will suffer.
More than two-thirds of native butterflies have suffered declines since the 1970s, with many species vanishing altogether from areas where habitat has disappeared.
Owner Philip Milton said: “For the eager, Trimstone will be setting some humane moth traps on Friday and Saturday nights and it is proposed that at 9.30am each morning, we shall talk through what we have found. The moths will be kept carefully and available, we hope, for visitors to enjoy over the two days too.
“If anyone wants to stay over at Trimstone, so they can inspect the traps on Friday and Saturday evenings too, they must contact the Hotel to check room availability.”
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There is no need to book, simply go along on the day from 10am and register at the bar. Parking is available on site and dogs are welcome but are requested to be kept on short leads due to the resident birds and wildlife. Drinks and cream teas will be available. Wheelchair access is limited in places.
For more information about Butterfly Conservation and how you can help, such as by establishing insect-friendly areas in your own garden, please visit https://butterfly-conservation.org
The charity is running its Big Butterfly Count until August 9 – visit the website to take part and do your bit.
For more information on the Trimstone Open Gardens and directions, please go to https://butterfly-conservation.org/events/open-gardens-2026-trimstone-devon or call 01271 879852.