South West

Some of the places we care for in the South West need to be booked in advance, with several offering guided tours or introductory talks. Read on to find out more.

Whether you’re looking for fuel to kick-start a ramble on the coast, or are returning from a gentle stroll in the woods, you’ll find these kiosks, cafés and tea-rooms are great places to stop for a treat. What's more, every visit you make and piece of cake you buy helps us carry on looking after special places for everyone to enjoy, for ever.

Near Torpoint, the garden at Antony is home to playful topiary, intriguing sculptures, fountains and sweeping views over the water. In summer, the garden is blooming with roses and impressive displays of wisteria.

The 18th-Century house of silver grey stone is a beguiling mixture of the formal and informal. It's believed to be one of the finest surviving Queen Anne buildings in the West Country.

Glorious Cornish garden with valley views and an expansive estate to explore. The garden features terraces, ponds and orchards with 150 local apple varieties.

The Tudor house, perched high above the River Tamar, is decorated with tapestries, arms and armour, pewter, brass and old oak furniture. The house has now re-opened with a limited number of rooms.

An ancient and atmospheric estate with a medieval garden rich in archaeology and wildlife. In the walled King's Garden, cloud-like box hedges follow neat paths where you can wander and breathe in the perfume of highly scented roses and lavender.

This Victorian watermill and workshops nestled in a wooded valley is an atmospheric reminder of the recent past when corn was ground here for the local community. We're welcoming visitors back to the ground floor of the mill, including the shop, bakery and water wheel.

At the very heart of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site sits the great beam engine in Taylor's engine house, originally powered by high-pressure steam boilers introduced by local hero Richard Trevithick. On a guided tour you'll discover the whole dramatic story of Cornish mining.

Peaceful and playful valley garden near Falmouth, where big leaves and exotic flowers thrive in the jungle-like lower valley and sun-loving specimens enjoy the upper banks. Colourful wild flowers are currently covering the grassy banks above the maze and bring vibrant colour to the garden for visitors to enjoy.

This unusual 14th-century yeoman's farmhouse has a wavy slate roof and over 600 years of history. The name dates from the Victorian period when it briefly held a licence to be the letter receiving station for the district.

Nestled between the moors and the sea, Trengwainton is a garden of contrasts that nurtures an award-winning plant collection. A gentle stream runs through the centre while winding, wooded paths climb to an open terrace with sea views. Ten sections of walled gardens include a kitchen garden built to the dimensions of Noah’s Ark.

A working beam engine running on steam where mining history comes to life: learn of Levant's industry and tragedy. You can visit the buildings at Levant by booking a guided tour. Levant Mine sits on the cliffs of the industrial and dramatic 'Tin Coast', part of the Cornish World Heritage site.

An estate with maritime views and woodland walks, near Truro. Explore the meandering paths through the garden, leading to exotic plants and herbaceous borders.

A tranquil small but varied garden complete with Elizabethan knot garden, wild meadow and orchard.

The Elizabethan manor house with fine interiors remains little changed by the advances in building fashions over the centuries, thanks to long periods under absentee owners.

This quirky 18th-century, 16 sided house with fascinating interior decoration and collections was built for two spinster cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter, on their return from a grand tour of Europe in the late 18th century. It contains many objects and mementoes of their travels. Outside, enjoy gentle walks and stunning views across the Exe estuary to the east Devon coastline.

On the edge of Exmoor there are over 20 miles of footpaths to explore on the estate, plus pleasure grounds and a Victorian garden to discover. The Carriage Museum in the stables has a vehicle for every occasion from cradle to grave, showcasing innovations in travel. The ground floor of the Carriage Museum has reopened.

Tranquillity and history meet at this ancient gem in the Tavy Valley landscape, with gardens, meadows, orchards and woodlands to explore. Follow over 700 years of footsteps; from the Cistercians who built the Abbey, to seafarers Grenville and Drake who changed the shape of the house and the fate of the country.

High above the ancient woodlands of the Teign Gorge stands Castle Drogo. Inspired by the rugged Dartmoor tors that surround it, the castle was designed and built by renowned 20th-century architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. The garden is colourful in all seasons, and there are miles of pathways to explore in the Teign Gorge.

In this RHS accredited garden viewpoints give enticing glimpses out to sea, paths weave through glades past tranquil ponds, and tender plants thrive in the moist and sheltered coastal valley.

The house is imbued with Art Deco elegance. It was the country home of the D'Oyly Carte family, and now you can travel back in time to the Jazz Age by visiting the ground floor.

Set in a landscape of rolling hills and orchards, Compton Castle is a gem of a garden, where roses, apple trees and calm pools are waiting to be discovered.

Home to the last set of working Victorian water-powered forge tools in England, Finch Foundry is the doorway to Dartmoor's industrial past with a lovely garden. Get an insight into the life of workers in the 19th century and learn about the enterprising Finch family.

At Greenway, the blooms of summer flowers, walled gardens, river views and romantic woodland combine to make up 'The loveliest place in the world' in the words of Agatha Christie. The relaxed and atmospheric Georgian house is set in the 1950s, when Agatha and her family would spend summers and Christmases here with friends, and is home to their extensive collections.

The deepest river gorge in the South West, with 30m high waterfall, Lydford Gorge gorge is filled with wildlife, plants and trees that enchant the senses.

A hidden paradise of subtropical gardens, Overbeck's is tucked away on the cliffs above Salcombe. The garden is bursting with colour, filled with exotic and rare plants and surprises round every corner.

A peaceful retreat set within the beautiful Devon countryside near Bovey Tracey, Parke is open with no need to book to visit. Take a short stroll around the garden, or a longer more strenuous walk through the woodlands and along the river to the medieval weir.

A 19th-century garden and parkland near Tiverton, with woodland walks and acres of tenanted farmland where you may even spot Exmoor Horn sheep. The formal and woodland garden is one of the finest and most varied plant collections in the country.

Inside you can discover the 19th century manor house, built for a former Tiverton MP. Knightshayes is a rare example of the work of William Burges, whose lavish designs have always inspired extremes of opinion.

A glorious landscape garden surrounded by parkland, a stone's throw from Exeter, beautiful year-round with rhododendrons, magnolias, champion trees and formal lawns. Explore winding paths, climb an extinct volcano, discover an Iron Age hill fort and take in distant views towards Dartmoor. Indoors, the ground floor of the friendly Georgian house has reopened, along with the fashion exhibition upstairs.

At Saltram there's a secret garden to lose yourself and parkland with riverside and woodland walks. Strolling through this precious green space on the outskirts of Plymouth, you can almost forget that the city lies so close.

Famous for red squirrels, wildlife and Scouting, Brownsea Island is dramatically located in Poole Harbour, with views across to the Purbeck Hills. Thriving habitats including woodland, heathland and a lagoon create a unique haven for wildlife.

This tiny isolated cottage in the heart of Dorset was the home of an extraordinary man: T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia. He furnished the rooms of his rural retreat to his personal taste and they are much as he left them, giving an insight into the complex personality of the writer, warrior and friend of Thomas Hardy.

Now a romantic ruin, this fairy-tale fortress in an evocative survivor with 1000 years of history. Fallen walls and secret places tell tales of treachery and treason. Panoramic views across the Purbeck countryside.

Will sitting at Hardy's desk inspire you to write? Max Gate was the house Hardy designed and lived in, and where he wrote some of his best novels including Tess of the d'Urbevilles.

The cottage in Higher Bockhampton near Dorchester where Thomas Hardy was born has changed little since the family left and is evocative of 19th-century life in rural Dorset.

Cradled in a beautiful Cotswold valley rest the remains of one of the grandest Roman villas in Britain. See extensive mosaic floors, hypocaust systems and bath house rooms in a tranquil setting, with plenty of opportunities for walks, relaxation and reflection.

Arts and Crafts-inspired garden with intricately designed outdoor spaces in the rolling Cotswold hills. Explore the maze of narrow paved pathways and discover secret gardens, delightful vistas and colourful planting.

Tudor hunting lodge set proudly in an estate on top of the Cotswold escarpment, looking down into the Ozleworth valley and to the Mendips beyond. The quaint gardens and sprawling parkland are filled with summer blooms.

The architecture of Newark House reveals its intriguing history, with a quirky collection of furnishings and impressive views completing its homely feel.

The garden of this Cotswold manor house is the perfect place to unwind and explore hidden vistas, quiet corners and unexpected delights. Inside are Charles Wade’s eclectic collections. He was an architect and artist who dedicated his life to collecting; thousands of objects are laid out for you to see just as he intended. Booking essential for the manor.

A rare and beautiful survivor, explore the canals in this Dutch water garden near Gloucester; the only restored one in the country.

Home to a walled White Garden, Rose and Iris Garden and Lily Garden which were influenced by Gertrude Jekyll, with playing fountains, vibrant colours and intoxicating scents.

Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote some of his best works in his three years living in this 17th-Century cottage. Coleridge Cottage has a rich and fascinating history, from a humble Georgian home, to its transformation into ‘Moore’s Coleridge Cottage Inn’ during the Victorian era.

The house has reopened for guided tours.

Dramatically sited on a wooded hill, Dunster Castle is a place of dramatic vistas and subtropical gardens near Minehead in Exmoor. The terraced garden displays varieties of Mediterranean and subtropical plants leading to the tranquil riverside wooded garden below.

With 1,000 years of history the castle has plenty of great stories to tell. The last family to live here, the Luttrells, moved in in 1376 and out in 1976, and changed a medieval stronghold into a comfortable family home.

A beautiful Arts and Crafts garden of 'rooms' containing a magical collection of topiary and herbaceous borders. Tranquil walks on the estate take you along the River Cary.

The intimate medieval manor house was originally the family home of Henry Lyte, where he translated the unique Niewe Herball book on herbal remedies.

A beautiful and intimate 18th-century landscape garden in Bath, undergoing a major restoration on its historic dams. Set in a sweeping valley above Bath, it's a place of magnificent views and lawns to relax on, with one of only four Palladian bridges in the world.

One of the few Elizabethan houses in England to have retained its setting within a compartmented garden, Montacute is complete with herbaceous borders, a magnificent fountain, orchard and parkland.

The house is a masterpiece of Elizabethan Renaissance architecture and design, with towering walls of glass and glowing ham stone.

A place of floral beauty, tranquillity and innovation, Tintinhull Garden is a gardener's paradise. Glittering pools, secluded lawns, colourful borders and clipped hedges provide the perfect spot to relax and unwind, not far from Yeovil.

Extensive garden and parkland, just a stone's throw from Bristol. Terraces, a rose garden, an empty lake, woodland, champion trees and the kitchen garden balance faded beauty and function with an abundance of nature.

This ornate Victorian Gothic Revival house with bespoke architecture reflects the devout Anglo-Catholic beliefs of the Gibbs family who called this house home. The ground floor and chapel are open.

At this world-famous landscape garden with magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, and rare and exotic trees, spring bulbs, rhododendrons and azaleas are all creating colourful displays.

Stourhead house was one of the first grand Palladian-style villas to be built in England.

You can wander through the grounds and garden of this country house with monastic roots, once home to William Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of the photographic negative.

Explore the first floor of the Abbey, built upon the foundations of a former nunnery, the cloister court, and the museum which celebrates the achievements of former Lacock resident, William Henry Fox Talbot, famous for his contributions to the invention of photography.

At Avebury, the world's largest prehistoric stone circle partially encompasses a pretty village as well as Circles Restaurant. Archaeologist Alexander Keiller excavated at Avebury in the 1930s, and there is a museum bearing his name. Avebury Manor, on the edge of the village, was transformed in a partnership between the National Trust and the BBC, creating an experience that celebrates and reflects the lives of the people who once lived here. The Manor has reopened for guided tours. The Manor garden is made of 'garden rooms' each with a different character, from formal lawns to orchards, topiary and kitchen gardens.

Romantic Arts and Crafts garden near Melksham with terraces, topiary houses, gazebo, lily pond, roses and views across the spring-fed fishpond. This charming 15th-century manor house sits peacefully in the countryside, complete with a moat, barns, gatehouse and delightful parish church.

Charming English country garden full of variety, with peaceful water gardens, herbaceous borders, organically shaped topiary and an imaginative use of colour and planting.

This 18th-century Queen Anne townhouse in Salisbury's historic Cathedral Close has reopened with introductory tours, focusing on the architecture and the setting of Mompesson. Inside the house explore the entrance hall, dining room, large drawing room and small drawing room. These rooms have been redisplayed to highlight interior features such as the beautiful plasterwork.

This small manor house is hidden away near Braford-on-Avon. It was built over three centuries, has late Gothic and Jacobean windows, decorative plasterwork and fine period furniture to discover.

We look forward to welcoming you to the coast and countryside around the South West. We care for beautiful countryside, from Cornwall's sandy beaches to Dorset's heathland, and you can help us to keep them safe and enjoyable by following a few simple guidelines during your visit and observing the Countryside Code.

No overnight camping or parking is allowed at the places we care for. More information on why we don’t permit visitors to stay overnight at our car parks can be found here.

With more people than ever enjoying our coast and countryside places, we’re asking for your help in looking after them during your visit. Please help us protect wildlife and landscapes by following the Countryside Code, which includes taking any litter home with you and not lighting a barbecue or campfire.

Here's our pick of the most beautiful, tranquil, exciting and inspiring gardens in the South West to walk through as summer takes hold. Come sunshine or showers, these special places are filled with fresh air and tranquillity.

Explore the diverse landscape of the South West on foot. Here's a selection of great walks by county, taking in coastline, hillforts, woodland, countryside and more across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Navigate through these to find your local walk, perfect for exploring the great outdoors this summer.

Check out the places to explore as a family in each county in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire this summer.