Many people’s New Year’s Day walks may have to be scrapped as a popular garden in Surrey has announced it will be closed due to the strong winds which are expected to hit the county. RHS Garden Wisley will be shut to the public due to the “strong winds in the morning”, a spokesperson confirmed but added the garden’s winter light show will remaining open later in the day.
A yellow weather warning has been put in place which covers all of Surrey from midnight to 3pm, with The Met Office forecasting winds of up to 60mph on Wednesday, January 1. In light of this, the garden has said it made the ‘very difficult decision’ to close on the first day of the year.
An RHS Wisley spokesperson said: “This is to ensure the safety of all our visitors, staff and volunteers. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment this is likely to cause.”
While it was announced RHS Garden Wisley and Plant Centre will be closed, the statement made sure to specify that the garden’s RHS Glow winter light show will be going ahead as it has throughout the winter.
The spokesperson added: “Unfortunately, due to strong winds in the morning, we have made the very difficult decision to close RHS Garden Wisley and Plant Centre on Wednesday 1 January. RHS Glow will be going ahead as normal.”
RHS Glow light show is a winter event at the gardens where a section of the site is transformed into an illuminated landscape which provides an ‘enchanting’ stroll for visitors. The event also includes an array of festive markets stalls which offer winter foods and souvenirs. RHS Glow is expected to stay open for customers until January 5 2025. Tickets for this winter event can be purchased on the RHS website.
Those who planned to visit RHS Garden Wisley are not the only ones who have to alter their New Year’s Day plans, as the forecast for the first day of the year has led to other events across Surrey being postponed. Most notably, the Brooklands Museum annual New Year Classic Gathering, which has been moved to Saturday, January 4 due to the weather.