Morning
Stubbins Estate and Holcombe Moor, Padiham, Lancashire
Take a bracing walk across the Stubbins Estate and Holcombe Moor. An important green lung to the North Manchester conurbation, the area is noted for its moorland bird species.

Lunch?
Reward yourself with a bite to eat in the tea-room at Gawthorpe.

Afternoon
Take an afternoon visit to Gawthorpe Hall, an Elizabethan gem near Padiham in the heart of Lancashire. Gawthorpe resembles the great Hardwick Hall, and is very probably by the same architect, Robert Smythson. There are many notable paintings on loan from the National Portrait Gallery, and an unparalleled collection of needlework assembled by the last family member to live here – Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. The wooded grounds and riverside location offer delightful summer walks.

Extra day?
If you’re staying in Lancashire for a few days, why not visit Rufford Old Hall near Ormskirk? One of Lancashire’s finest 16th-century buildings famed for its spectacular Great Hall with an intricately carved ‘moveable’ wooden screen and dramatic hammerbeam roof. It is rumoured that Shakespeare performed in this hall for the owner, Sir Thomas Hesketh. Rufford contains fine collections of 16th and 17th-century oak furniture, arms, armour and tapestries.

©NTPL/ Matthew Antrobus

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.

• Stubbins Estate and Holcombe Moor
• Gawthorpe Hall
• Rufford Old Hall