The Pines Garden is our main site and open to the public from Wednesday to Sunday each week.
Garden visiting hours
Summer Hours (April – October)
| Wednesday - Sunday | 10am - 4pm |
|---|---|
Winter Hours (November – March)
| Wednesday - Sunday | 10am - 3pm |
|---|---|
Tea rooms
Summer Hours (April – October)
| Wednesday - Sunday | 10am - 4pm |
|---|---|
Winter Hours (November – March)
| Wednesday - Sunday | 10am - 3pm |
|---|---|
| Wednesday | 10am - 5pm |
|---|---|
|
Thursday |
10am – 5pm |
|
Friday |
10am – 5pm |
|
Saturday |
10am – 5pm |
|
Sunday |
10am – 5pm |
We are closed on Mondays and Tuesday mainly for maintenance purposes but also to allow for research or schools-based work to take place.
How to reach us
Our main site, The Pines Garden, is located 4 kilometres from the train station of the neighbouring village, Martin Mill.
Whilst we do not currently provide a collection service for visitors, accessible taxis are available and the train station has a pay phone.
Visitors can plan their journey ahead by car or public transport using a journey planning website, simply by entering our postcode, which is CT15 6DZ to get directions.
Please beware we have limited parking (c.25 spaces in St. Margaret’s Road) and that on days the Pines Calyx is hired out then an “events parking” notice will be in place, prioritising spaces for hirers. Some further parking (c.10 spaces) is available in Beach Road. There is also a free car park in St. Margaret’s-at-Cliffe (1.6 kilometres away) and pay & display parking at St. Margaret’s Bay beach car park (250 metres away.)
In addition to walking from St. Margaret’s-at-Cliffe (see ‘Reaching us by bus’) it is possible to to reach us by using the Kings Charles III England Coastal Path or ChalkUp21 Trail – from the Dover or Deal directions – as they share the same route through the Pines Garden site (and pass the front door of The Pines Tea Room directly!) Further information on these options can be found in the Walking Routes section of this website.
Various buses operate between Deal and Dover (via St. Margaret’s-at-Cliffe); service times vary, however, and we recommend you check Live Bus Times & Timetables | Stagecoach (stagecoachbus.com) for further details.
Visitors can alight at the “Bay Hill” bus stop, which is the closest to the garden, being approximately 300 metres away. You can then reach us by public footpath (alongside the road) and more than 200 steps leading down to the site entrance.
EXPLORE FURTHER
The garden is also one of 50 Geosites within the Cross-Channel Geopark comprising chalk landscapes of the Kent Downs and Nord pas de Calais.
The Pines Garden is managed using regenerative principles and includes wildflower meadow and hugelkultur beds as part of this. We also grow produce that is used in dishes served both in the Pines Tea Room and Pines Calyx
Whilst the Pines Garden is designed as a place of peace and tranquility it does include a few thought-provoking items: a facade designed by Sir Christopher Wren, statue of Winston Churchill, a labyrinth, reed-bed filtration system and The Pines Calyx among them.
The Pines Calyx, Europe’s first events venue designed on a “cradle to cradle” basis, is available for hire. It is made from locally rammed-chalk, recycled fishing nets, yoghurt pots and fanbelts among other things and features two circular rooms topped with Catalan-vaulted roofs. The venue is available to hire for training events, corporate awaydays, art events & performances, workshops, meetings and more besides. Please contact [email protected] to discover more.
From 2025 The Pines Calyx will reopen as a wedding venue. All weddings are arranged through our partners Boutique Weddings Kent.
We are also home to the St. Margaret’s Museum, which is set to undergo a modernisation in future and includes space for education events as well as temporary expansion of Pines Tea Room covers.