If you’ve just had the pleasure of joining the National Trust you’ve more than likely sat either looking at the website or leafing through the handbook wondering what’s the best place to visit first. There are plenty of choices but here are some of the ones that you should think about visiting as soon as you get the chance. Bear in mind that this are spread out all over the country so some of them might be a bit of a project to get to. Still, that’s what holidays are for though aren’t they?
These are some of the best examples of landscapes that the National Trust has to offer and you can guarantee that their grounds staff work just as hard as Grounds Maintenance Gloucestershire firm gloucestershiregroundsmaintenance.co.uk/services/grounds-maintenance to keep the areas looking pristine
- Stourhead in Wiltshire. One of Lancelot “Capability” Browns greatest hits (we won’t have heard the last of him on this page) this a rolling wood land and sculptured natural park. It has grottos and two huge temples dedicated to the Greek Gods, people that the Victorians were well into. Take a nice circular walk around this one anytime of the year and you won’t be disappointed. Don’t bother visiting the house just use your time in the garden.
- Prior Park in Bath Spa. Another one for Capability Brown, this one saw him really live up to his nickname. This wasn’t just a garden design job this was a major engineering project as well. There is a very fancy Palladian bridge, one of only a few left in the world and a lake that had to be forced into the property via gravity.
- Mount Stewart near Newtownards North Ireland. You’ll have to cross the Irish sea for this beauty but its well worth the visit. This has the wooded landscape garden to roam about in but it is its formal garden that is worth of more dwell time. You can see the floral red hand of Ulster, now done out in geraniums as opposed to roses and the harp and jockey topiary. There is an Italianate sunken garden to rest in plus some of the most unusual stone statues including see no evil monkeys, Do Do’s and Noah’s Ark.
- Biddulph Grange Garden near Stoke on Trent Staffordshire. Another landscaped Victorian spread but with a very clever twist. The owner wanted to create a tour of the botanical world and he got plant hunters throughout the world to bring him back specimens to try and grow.
- Nymans and Sheffield Park Gardens near Haywards Heath. So close to each other that you can easily do both, Nymans is a very formal garden set out like rooms of house. Compare this to the landscaped splendour of Sheffield park where you can just walk around and lose yourself in its summer majesty. For these two Summer is the recommended time.