Online booking for Powerscourt gardens
POWERSCOURT Gardens have been open since May 18, with rising numbers of people going there for outings as restrictions ease.
‘We are delighted to welcome back all our visitors, especially members of our local community and those in the greater Wicklow area. Nature and the outdoors provide a wonderful antidote to the stress and anxiety of the last few months,’ said managing director Sarah Slazenger. ‘The gardens are now in bloom and we hope that people will enjoy being immersed in nature at the gardens and the waterfall in all their summer glory over the coming weeks.’
They are advising visitors to the gardens to pre-book their tickets online, to facilitate social distancing and to guarantee entrance.
The areas and facilities open on the Estate include the gardens, from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., seven days a week, with last entry at 5 p.m.; the waterfall, the same hours; the Garden Pavilion, 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Sundays.
Avoca Food Hall is also open, with outdoor takeaway coffee and treats available. The Riverwalk is available to annual members and the golf courses to golf members. Social distancing is being facilitated, with hand sanitising and other safety measures in place.
Powerscourt is running a competition for those booking online, with free annual family membership up for grabs. They are also offering a discount of 25 per cent to HSE employees.
Over the months since closing their gates, Powerscourt has been putting work into preparing signs and other procedures for re-opening.
The garden continued to grow, so maintenance continued in recent months.
While operation guidelines from Fáilte Ireland are still being prepared, the team at Powerscourt are using their own initiative based on national guidelines, their knowledge of the site, and at all times consideration for safety of staff and visitors.
They also ensured that lines of communication were kept open between the Estate and the community, as well as staff members waiting to return to work.
The annual Tulip Festival meant that there were beautiful tulips on the grounds which nobody would get to see. So Powerscourt arranged to have them delivered to local nursing homes in April, with the help of bikers ‘Bravo Charlie Tango - Bikers Coming Through’.
Powerscourt is giving all visitors who pre-book tickets online to the gardens a chance to win an exclusive ‘Powerscourt in Bloom’ summer prize.
The prize includes one year membership, and a bespoke hanging basket. The draw will run for the months of June and July.
Go to powerscourt.com.