Before you go
- Access
- Public
- Last updated
- 12 May 2026
- Evidence
- showpiece · 2 sources · How this place is checked
- Access note
- Dogs on a short lead are welcome at the Garden, however please note that dogs are not permitted inside the Benmore Fernery. Free car and coach parking is available as well as bicycle racks.
- Opening times
- Open daily from 1 March - 31 October, 10am - 5pm.
- Visitor information
- rbge.org.uk/visit/benmore-botanic-garden
Access can change with seasons, opening hours, and estate rules. Check the best available visit link before you set out. Seen a change?
Share an access updateRedwood species here
Dominant and unmistakeable. The avenue was planted in 1863 from Californian seed.
Over 150 trees in the main avenue
Notable trees
The Grand Sequoia Avenue
avenueNotableA notable avenue of giant sequoias planted in the 1860s, forming a processional canopy on the approach through the garden.
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Share what you foundAbout this place
The giant sequoia avenue at Benmore is one of the defining redwood experiences in Britain. Planted in 1863 by the then-owner Piers Patrick, the trees were grown from seed collected in California just a few years after the species was first described to Western science.
Victorian enthusiasm
When the giant sequoia was introduced to Britain in 1853, it caused a sensation. Victorian landowners competed to be among the first to plant the new species, and many of the finest Victorian estates established sequoia plantings in the 1850s and 1860s. Benmore's avenue, with over 150 trees, is among the most ambitious.
The trees today
The trees are now over 160 years old and have grown to sizes that would have astonished their planters. The tallest in the avenue exceed 40 metres, with trunk diameters approaching two metres. By sequoia standards these are still young trees — in California, sequoias routinely live for 2,000–3,000 years.
Garden setting
The avenue is just one part of Benmore's remarkable tree collection. The garden sits in a steep glacially-carved valley and is managed by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The collections extend well beyond conifers to include one of Britain's finest collections of rhododendrons and a productive tree nursery.
Visiting
Benmore is accessible from Dunoon on the Cowal Peninsula. The garden is open April to October and charges a modest entrance fee. The sequoia avenue can be walked in its entirety in under 30 minutes, though most visitors spend several hours exploring the wider garden.
Background and notes
Research notes: The planting date of 1863 is well documented and consistent across RBGE sources. Tree count varies slightly by survey — 150 is a reasonable working figure. Heights cited in some sources as "up to 50m" may refer to isolated specimens; 40m is a more conservative and defensible figure for typical avenue trees.
Sources
- Benmore Botanic Garden | Royal Botanic Garden EdinburghOfficial/access sourcerbge.org.uk
- Benmore Botanic Garden — Royal Botanic Garden EdinburghOfficial/access sourcerbge.org.uk
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