Whether you’re looking for a beautiful place to enjoy a socially distanced walk or want to explore the heritage of an English country house, Cambridgeshire offers endless inspiration.
With the weather warming, now couldn’t be a better time to take in the region’s many rural retreats.
But which country houses and gardens should be on the itinerary for your upcoming Cambridge trip?
Wimpole Estate
With a 20-acre garden and a further 350 acres of parkland to explore, Wimpole Estate is a must-visit. The estate offers so many stunning points of interest, thanks to the landscaping genius of Bridgeman, Capability Brown and Repton, including its Chinese Bridge and avenue of elms. Its Iron Age roundhouses also demonstrate the working estate’s fascinating 2,000-year history.
Travel back in time with a visit to Wimpole’s formal gardens too. Most of the gardens date back to the 17th century, and you can roam its rose garden, Dutch garden, and the 19th-century pleasure grounds to explore landscaping through later eras.
At this time of year, in particular, Wimpole Estate comes to life with endless varieties of daffodils, narcissi, snowdrops, orchids, and violets – delivering stunning sight after stunning sight.
Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill
You may have missed out on Anglesey Abbey’s famous snowdrop display, but there’s still so much to love from April right through to October.
The Abbey itself has come a long way since its humble beginnings as Great British Gardens explains:
“The Abbey may have started out as a hospital in 1135 but by the early 13th Century had been converted into an Augustinian priory. In this remote spot, a small community of monks followed their quiet life of prayer and contemplation until the priory was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536. The priory ruins form part of the present house which was built in the 17th century.”
The man credited with bringing this now spectacular site back from the brink is Lord Fairhaven.
From the age of 30 he worked on the derelict house and its equally deserted grounds to create a home that he could be proud of.
Years later, its Jacobean-style house, stunning gardens, and working mill are among the National Trust’s best-known sites.
Chippenham Park
Chippenham Park is an award-winning, family-friendly garden with a very colourful past. You can explore and celebrate its 300 years of history throughout the estate, which has been a part of the same family since 1791.
Along with its house and formal gardens, Chippenham Park’s lakes, canals, and parkland also mean there’s plenty to admire from season to season and all the more reason to add it to your Cambridge bucket list.
Elton Hall
An extensive and utterly romantic estate that is another family affair – it’s been in the Proby family for 400 years – is Elton Hall House and Gardens.
Just a stone’s throw away from Peterborough, the part-gothic house is a feast for eyes, while the unspoilt parkland is the perfect place to get back to nature.
Its gardens have been recently restored, so there’s plenty more to see. Not to mention a stunning rose garden, herbaceous garden and lily pond to explore.
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