National Trust Winter Gardens and Walks

Walks And Walking - National Trust Winter Walks

You can't quite beat the icy cold air from an embracing Winter walk. I always think you should do every walk at least four times so that you get to see the surroundings, countryside, forest or landscape in all its year round beauty. The snow adds that extra bit of excitement to any walking route whether it be a woodland walk in Epping Forest, a waterfall country walk in Wales or a long trek across Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.

The Forest Way is a favourite walk of mine that leads from Epping Forest all the way up to Hatfield Forest. Hatfield Forest is a rare surviving example of a medieval royal hunting forest and is now owned by the National Trust. The National Trust have a huge list of nationwide Winter gardens that make great locations for a good Winter walk where you can blow away the cobwebs and enjoy a refreshing walk in a frosty garden.

Winter Walks - Walks And Walking

The National Trust's Top Ten Winter Gardens

The Stourhead Estate in Wiltshire is set around a huge lake with plenty to see and do including classicial and gothic buildings, woodlands, a mystical grotto and a unique circular temple dedicated to Apollo

Dinefwr Park and Castle is located in Carmarthenshire and dates back to the 18th-century with five walks across the estate with the rare and historic White Park cattle grazing in the medieval parklands.

Anglesey Abbey, Garden and Lode Mill is situated in Cambridgeshire and offers an atmospheric Emperor's Walk and over 150 species of plant in its Winter Garden.

Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire offers over 3,000 acres of green space and makes a great day out for long distance walkers with the longest lime tree avenue in Europe.

Dunham Massey is located in Cheshire and is the largest Winter Garden in the UK with over 700 different species of plant and over 1,600 different types of shrub.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden is situated in Yorkshire and is a World Heritage Site that offers extensive ruins of the Cistercian abbey, elegant temples, neo-classical statues, canals and moon shaped ponds of the Royal Water Garden.

Killerton in Devon offers far reaching views of Dartmoor and Haldon Hill as well as an Ice House and the Bear's Hut summerhouse

Mottisfont is situated in Hampshire and is a newly created Winter Garden inspired by the River Test with over 5,000 new plants and species of shrub.

Rowallane Garden in County Down offers an enchanting garden, walled garden, Pleasure Grounds and a very enjoyable walk around the famous Rock Garden Wood.

Stowe Landscape Garden is situated in Buckinghamshire offering wide open spaces, wooded valleys, and ornamental lakes, spectacular views, hidden corners and over 40 temples and monuments.

For more details of The National Trust's Top Ten Winter Gardens click here.

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