Morning
Arrive at Montacute House in Somerset, a glittering Elizabethan house, adorned with elegant chimneys, carved parapets and other Renaissance features – as seen in the film, 'Sense and Sensibility'. Wander round the extensive gardens – don’t miss the Orangery – and impressive landscape park at your leisure.

Visit the house to view contemporary plasterwork, chimney-pieces and heraldic glass. The magnificent state rooms, including a long gallery which is the largest of its type in England, are full of fine 17th and 18th-century furniture and surprisingly good surviving textiles, including an exhibition of 17th-century samplers.

Find out about Montacute’s interesting stories by chatting with one of our room stewards. Then take in Elizabethan and Jacobean portraits from the National Portrait Gallery (Montacute is one of only a few regional centres where the National Portrait Gallery collection is accessible outside London).

Lunch?
Head on to Barrington Court, another National Trust treasure in south Somerset. Begin your visit with a delicious lunch in Barrington’s restaurant.

Afternoon
Visit Barrington's enchanting formal gardens, influenced by Gertrude Jekyll and laid out in a series of walled rooms, including the White Garden, the Rose and Iris Garden and the Lily Garden. Don’t miss the working kitchen garden, with its espaliered apple, pear and plum trees trained along high stone walls.

If you have time, drop in to view the antique furniture for sale in Stuart Interiors. The Tudor manor house was restored in the 1920s by the Lyle family (of Tate and Lyle fame) and is let to Stuart Interiors as showrooms - a different kind of visit!

Visit the shop and take tea in the café or restaurant before departing.

Extra day?
If you have an extra day, why not take a trip into Dorset and enjoy a visit to Kingston Lacy, an elegant country mansion set in attractive gardens and parkland. Kingston Lacy is home to an outstanding collection of paintings and works of art accumulated by William Bankes.

Alternatively, try Hardy's Cottage, the birthplace of novelist and poet Thomas Hardy. Or take a trip to Clouds Hill, the rural retreat of TE Lawrence, or 'Lawrence of Arabia'.

Kingston Lacy
©NTPL/ Rupert Truman

When can you go?
Before visiting a property, we strongly advise that you check its opening times, as properties open on different days and at different times. This information is detailed on the individual property pages, which you can search for by finding a place to visit.

• Montacute House
• Barrington Court
• Kingston Lacy
• Hardy's Cottage
• Clouds Hill