A FAVOURITE Yorkshire garden opens its gates to the public again for charities in 2024.

The part-woodland garden of Lyn and Phil Short at 5 Hill Top, Westwood Drive, Ilkley, LS29 9RS will again welcome visitors on Wednesday, May 29 and Sunday, June 2, from 11am to 4pm on both days. Admission will be £4.50 per person, with children under 16 free, but no dogs, please.

There will be home-made cakes and refreshments available, and a good plant stall will be on-site. Payments can be made electronically or by cash on the day, but tickets can also be pre-booked in advance on-line via the National Garden Scheme (NGS) website. The various NGS charities, including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Carers Trust, The Queen’s Nursing Institute and Parkinson’s UK, along with many more, benefited by over £3.4 million pounds last year, thanks to the efforts of many private gardens across the country, and this particular Ilkley garden has now raised over £20,000 since opening for NGS.

Last time, more than 400 people visited the site over the two days.

The owners ask visitors arriving by car to park responsibly on Wells Road, Westwood Drive and Queens Road to avoid inconveniencing neighbours and through traffic. The 961 bus service passes the end of Hill Top during week-days. This 2/3rd acre garden features large trees, as well as shrubs, ferns, flowers and lawn, with a natural stream (Spicey Ghyll), two wooden bridges, Victorian gravel pathways and steps, a large rockery and a summerhouse with views over Ilkley, the Moor and Wharfedale.

Some of the steps are steep, but there are easier pathways around much of the garden. Tables and chairs are provided on the patio and lawn for guests to enjoy their refreshments after their tour of the garden.