National Trust on the Great West Way®

Great West Way, a multi-modal route from London to Bristol, can be travelled by bike, road, rail, canal or on foot, making it the first of its kind. The new touring route travels through six counties from London to Bristol and encompasses 500 miles of navigable routes along waterways, a railway, the A4 and walking and cycling trails. Find out about the seven National Trust places you can find on the Great West Way and eight more which are within easy reach of it.

Visiting this autumn

We’ve reopened the places you love, safely and in line with government guidance. You no longer need to pre-book at many of our places in England, although some smaller places may still require booking ahead. Please check the property webpage before you travel.

St Peter's church overlooks the garden at Dyrham Park
Dyrham Park   South Gloucestershire

Dyrham Park

Situated near Bath, this ancient parkland is full of magnificent trees and view points with extensive vistas that stretch as far as the Welsh mountains. The garden is home to sumptuous planting, formal areas and peaceful wooded terraces.

Book now to visit Dyrham Park
Autumn views of the Newark lakeside
Newark Park   Gloucestershire

Newark Park

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 colour in autumn.

Book now to visit Newark Park
Tyntesfield house showing through autumn leaves
Tyntesfield   North Somerset

Tyntesfield

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.

Book now to visit Tyntesfield
Autumn colours frame the Palladian Bridge
Prior Park Landscape Garden   Somerset

Prior Park Landscape Garden

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.

Book now to visit Prior Park
An overgrown arch in the Kitchen Garden at The Courts Garden in Holt, Wiltshire
The Courts Garden   Wiltshire

The Courts Garden

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

Book now
A view of Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire in the autumn
Lacock   Wiltshire

Lacock

Lacock Abbey, a quirky country house built upon the foundations of a former nunnery, located within its own woodland grounds at the heart of a Wiltshire village.

Book now to visit Lacock
The garden at Avebury Manor
Avebury   Wiltshire

Avebury

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.

Book a visit to Avebury
Rocks at Cheddar Gorge
Cheddar Gorge   Somerset

Cheddar Gorge

Within easy reach of the Great West Way, Cheddar Gorge is one of England's most iconic and spectacular landscapes. At almost 400 feet deep and three miles long, this is England’s largest gorge, and with its weathered crags and pinnacles, one of our most spectacular natural sights.

Explore Cheddar Gorge
Hawthorne in berry with Stonehenge in background
Stonehenge Landscape   Wiltshire

Stonehenge Landscape

Within the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, the National Trust manages 827 hectares (2,100 acres) of downland surrounding the famous stone circle. Walking across the grassland, not far from the Great West Way, visitors can discover other prehistoric monuments, including the Avenue and King Barrow Ridge with its Bronze Age burial mounds.

Find out more
A view across the lake at Stourhead in autumn
Stourhead   Wiltshire

Stourhead

At this world-famous landscape garden with magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, and rare and exotic trees. The autumn colours are particularly spectacular.

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

Stourhead
The east court garden at Montacute House
Montacute House   Somerset

Montacute House

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.

Book now to visit Montacute House
Barrington court herbaceous border in autumn
Barrington Court   Somerset

Barrington Court

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.

Book now to visit Barrington Court
The Apostle garden and the house at Lytes Cary Manor
Lytes Cary Manor   Somerset

Lytes Cary Manor

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.

Book now to visit Lytes Cary Manor

Great West Way® 

Great West Way® will take travellers through some of England’s most picturesque countryside, thriving market towns and chocolate box villages. It covers three UNESCO sites, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and England’s most iconic attractions.

Great West Way®