by Dartington Trust | Aug 15, 2022
Following the sad news of the death of James Lovelock, Deep Ecology Fellow at Schumacher College Dr Stephan Harding shares his reflections on his friendship with the creator of Gaia Theory. Stephan told Will Kemp how his friend’s work related to his own research, the life of the College, where he was one of the first teachers over 30 years ago, and the broader learning community at Dartington.
Dartington Trust is a unique place - a centre for progressive learning in arts, ecology and social justice, based on a beautiful 1200 acre campus near Totnes in Devon. Find out more about us, check out our latest events, or browse our rich collection of news, blogs and features.
More Posts by Dartington Trust >>If you are a member of one of the following gardens, you qualify for a reduced price on your Dartington ticket:
Want to suggest another Garden for us to partner with? Contact us at membership@dartington.org.
Click ‘BOOK NOW’ and add tickets to your basket as normal; your membership discount will apply automatically during checkout.
Choose a concessionary ticket type during checkout if you are:
Please note that if you qualify for free gardens entry via one of the below criteria, you will need to book tickets on arrival (online booking unavailable).
Solo Membership: £35.00
Solo Membership (concessionary): £25.00
Solo Membership plus parking: £65.00
Solo Membership (concessionary) plus parking: £55.00
Joint Membership: £60.00
Joint Membership (concessionary): £50.00
Joint Membership plus parking: £90.00
Joint Membership (concessionary) plus parking: £80.00
Family Membership, One Adult: £50.00
Family Membership, One Adult (concessionary): £40.00
Family Membership, One Adult plus parking: £80.00
Family Membership, One Adult (concessionary) plus parking: £70.00
Family Membership, Two Adults: £75.00
Family Membership, Two Adults (concessionary): £65.00
Family Membership, Two Adults plus parking: £105.00
Family Membership, Two Adults (concessionary), plus parking: £95.00
After 4pm film: Full Price £9 / Concessions £7.50 / Under 16 & Full Time Student £6.50.
Before 4pm film: All tickets £6.50.
BarnKids: Over 15 £6 / Under 15 £4.50 / Family ticket £20.
Special Events: All tickets £10.
Concessions: Available to over 65s, full time students, and people in receipt of Universal Credit. Please provide proof of eligibility at time of purchase, or at time of collection. Holders of Dartington Membership can also enjoy discounts on most Barn Cinema events.
If you are:
…you are entitled to a £10 concession on all our Membership packages. Just select the relevant option during the checkout process, and we will be in touch to confirm your eligibility.
We are a partner garden for Silent Space, and we invite you to take some time during your visit to sit or walk in silence – to engage more deeply with the gardens and with yourself.
As this is a managed environment, you will occasionally be aware of essential maintenance – another element of the gardens’ soundscape. Please respect the quiet time of other visitors.
More info at silentspace.org.uk
Please note the following changes to our regular opening hours on Monday 19 September.
Welcome Centre: Open with reduced cover between 11am-3pm
The White Hart: Open at 5pm for normal service till finish
The Green Table
Barn Cinema Café Bar
Cider Press Centre
Dartington Trust Shop in Totnes
Box Office and Barn Cinema
Dartington Gardens
Christmas Eve: Open 12 – 5pm, serving lunch & drinks
Christmas Day: Closed
Boxing Day: 12 noon till 10pm (last orders at 9.30pm), serving lunch & dinner
27 – 30 Dec: 12 noon till 10pm, serving lunch & dinner
31 Dec: Closed
New Year’s Day: 12pm till 10pm, serving lunch & dinner
2 Jan: 12 noon – 4.30pm, serving Sunday Lunches
All suggested course levels are a minimum requirement to participate in the class.
Open: Accessible to all, including complete beginners. You don’t need to be able to read music or play an instrument to participate.
Intermediate: Aimed at instrumentalists or singers working to a minimum standard of grade 3 or equivalent. You need to be able to read music to take part.
Intermediate+: Aimed at experienced musicians who play to a high standard, approximately grade 6 and above.
Advanced: Specifically designed for advanced musicians pursuing a career in music but open to anyone of the right standard. There’s an application process for these courses – full details can be found here.
Flexible Rebooking Policy
In the event of cancellation due to government guidance on coronavirus restrictions, the customer has the flexibility to move the booking to alternative available dates within 18 months of the start date of their holiday (the ‘flexible rebooking policy’) with no additional charges. If the customer chooses a date where the same accommodation is only available at a higher price, the additional prevailing rate for the stay will be due. The flexible rebooking policy is only available for cancellations related directly to government changes in coronavirus restrictions.
If you’re looking for a more affordable accommodation option at Dartington…Does camping on a medieval estate with uninterrupted views of Haytor sound tempting?
How about relaxing on a simple, car-free campsite, where a morning dip in the beautiful River Dart is just a short walk away – or simply taking it easy and rolling out of bed for a nice hot shower?
At Camp Dartington we have this and more. Stay on our heritage site and enjoy our super chilled campsite, a calendar of exciting cultural events, our grade 2* listed gardens, our 14thC Barn Cinema and loads of great places to eat and drink.
If you are a postgraduate student at our on-site ecological learning institution, Schumacher College, you will automatically receive free membership for each academic year you attend (2019-20 academic year onwards).
If you are enrolled, you do not need to do anything – you’ll receive your membership pack when you arrive.
Please be aware that from the 1st of May, we will be increasing our parking charges and changing our parking system to number plate recognition.
We have taken the difficult decision to raise parking charges, as part of a range of initiatives designed to raise revenue, investment and donations to Dartington. As you know, being a charity, we offer a lot here for free – not least access to the beautiful woods and gardens. A small increase in parking fees helps us keep the estate open to all and contributes to funding our wide array of projects.
From the 1st May, the new parking charges will be:
They will continue to apply only from 9am-6pm. If you visit here regularly, there is the option to become a Dartington Member and buy an annual parking permit. Find out more here (from 1 May).