Van Hage is a primarily a garden centre, but they have a lot more on offer, and as such it's…read moreactually not a bad place to go if you want a lazy, gardening-centric weekend!
First off, be prepared to spend a lot of money at Van Hage. Not because you'll be coming out with armfuls of stuff, but because you need a second mortgage to walk through the door. No, it's not that bad, but it is pricey, much more so than your small independent nurseries but on a par with places like Homebase for the price of bedding plants and staple gardening gubbins.
Where the prices really start to ramp up is with the more specialist plants and the extra stuff they stock. There's not a lot you can't buy at Van Hage. Every plant you can think of is available, from £1.99 BOGOF bedding plant 6-packs right up to huge palms and trees costing £1000 each - I'm not kidding. There's the usual array of gardening equipment too, and a separate section selling every type of mower or cutting device imaginable.
Then there are chocolates, gifts, BBQs (Weber and Outback etc), books, crockery and cutlery, giftwrap, clothing, cut flowers, home furnishing, firepits and chimneas, outdoor furniture, bird feeders and seeds etc, a gigantic range of pots, indoor and out, sheds and garden buildings, fencing and all kinds of other stuff. Most of it is high quality and carefully chosen, so if you're into having a garden a bit different from everybody else then you'll be happy here.
Café VH is worth a visit, but again, it's pricey. They do neat little trays for kids and a pick'n'mix menu with fresh fruit, some organic bits and pieces and kid friendly lidded cups with straws. They sell a range of hot and cold food and there is something for everyone. Lots of seating inside and out means you'll always have somewhere to sit, although it does get pretty busy at times.
If you do have children with you there are two other places worthy of a visit to stop them from getting bored. The first is a large selection of animals. There are caged ones, including Marmoset monkeys and meerkats, and a big open area containing goats, rabbits, ducks and other things. There are also birds, lizards, guinea pigs and others. You wander around the paths, and every now and then there are feed dispensing machines to let the kids give the animals their dinner. There are animal fact sheets for the kids to take away and colour in too.
Next you can go to the miniature railway. It doesn't run every day I don't think, so best to check before you visit if it's a must-do on your trip. My little boy is Thomas the Tank Engine mad, and to him, that's who he's riding on (or James if it's the red one that day!). There is plenty of room on the open carriages and it does two loops, taking a slightly different route each time. There are various ornaments and plants dotted around the track so something for the kids to look at too. The steam and tooting of the engine add to the ride and it's actually quite a cool thing to take your little one on, to break their day up!
There is also a shop next to Café VH that sells a lot of local produce, much of it organic or sustainably farmed. It's not just fruit and veg in here though, there are drinks, snacks, breakfast cereals, tinned food, dairy and bakery products - all sorts of stuff.
On summery days there is an ice cream van parked out the front too, so if that's your bag then get yourself a 99 and sit on one of the many benches or walls out front and soak up the sun. They also have a HUGE car park, and they need it, weekends at this place are astonishingly busy.
Christmas is another period where Van Hage comes alive. They have a Father Christmas grotto to take the kids, and a magnificent indoor area with blacked walls and all manner of lights, ornaments, and all things Christmas. Again, very pricey for some of it but going to Van Hage at Christmas is one of those modern day things you have to do if you live nearby! They also have mechanically driven Polar Bears in displays which the kids love.
