The Heritage Trail
Several days, one family, one guide
A private trail across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We plan the route, buy the entry passes and walk beside you from the first castle to the last garden.
What this is
A single guided day suits a family with one free afternoon. A trail is for a family with a week. The same guide stays with you throughout, so nothing has to be explained twice and the route can change on the second morning if the children have decided they prefer castles to gardens.
We plan the route and buy the entry passes in advance, which is what removes the queuing and the timed entry problems that spoil a self planned trip. You book your own hotel and your own driver, because families have their own preferences on both. Everything else is ours.
100England
24Wales
24Scotland
14Northern Ireland
How it is arranged
01
You enquire
Tell us your dates, who is coming and which parts of the United Kingdom interest you.
02
We plan the route
We build a route that fits the days you have, and tell you what is realistic.
03
A private proposal
You receive a written proposal and itinerary for your family alone, with the entry passes listed.
04
Confirmed
Payment is made in full and your booking confirmation follows.
Every place on the trail
162 places across the four nations. A trail uses a handful of them, chosen around your dates and how far you are willing to travel in a day. They are listed here in full so you can see what is possible before you enquire.
England 100 places
Country houses and gardens
- Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode MillHouse, gardens and working mill near Cambridge
- AveburyPrehistoric stone circle with a village inside it, plus manor and museum
- Basildon ParkGeorgian mansion seen in film and television
- Bateman'sRudyard Kipling's home
- Bodiam CastleClassic moated castle, best for children
- Carlyle's HouseSmall Chelsea writer's house
- ChartwellChurchill's family home, very popular
- Claremont Landscape Garden18th century garden with lake and amphitheatre
- ClaydonRococo interiors, Florence Nightingale link
- ClivedenGrand Thames side gardens, house is a hotel
- Emmetts GardenHillside garden near Chartwell
- Fenton House and GardenHampstead house with keyboard instruments and garden
- Greys CourtTudor house and walled gardens near Henley
- Ham House and Garden17th century riverside house at Richmond
- Hatchlands ParkGeorgian house with keyboard instrument collection
- Hinton AmpnerElegant house and gardens near Winchester
- HughendenDisraeli's home with wartime map room
- Ickworth EstateItalianate rotunda house and park
- Ightham MoteMoated medieval manor
- KnoleVast house with deer park at Sevenoaks
- MottisfontAbbey house and famous rose garden
- Nuffield PlaceHome of Lord Nuffield, Morris cars founder
- NymansGarden and romantic ruined house
- Osterley Park and HouseRobert Adam mansion with parkland
- Petworth House and ParkGreat art collection and deer park
- Polesden LaceyEdwardian house and gardens
- Quebec HouseGeneral Wolfe's childhood home, Westerham
- Rainham HallGeorgian merchant's house, east London
- Red HouseWilliam Morris home, Arts and Crafts
- Scotney CastleRuined castle in a lake, plus Victorian house
- Shaw's CornerGeorge Bernard Shaw's home
- Sheffield Park and GardenLakes and autumn colour, next to Bluebell Railway
- Sissinghurst Castle GardenWorld famous garden
- Standen House and GardenArts and Crafts family house
- Stowe GardensVast landscape garden with temples
- Sutton House and Breaker's YardTudor house in Hackney
- The VyneTudor house with lake and gardens
- Uppark House and GardenGeorgian house on the South Downs
- Waddesdon ManorRothschild French chateau and gardens
- West Wycombe ParkPalladian house, limited summer opening
- Wimpole EstateMansion, farm and parkland, good for children
- Winkworth ArboretumHillside arboretum with lake
Castles, abbeys and ancient sites
- 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and BattlefieldThe battlefield of 1066 and the abbey William built on it
- Audley End House and GardensJacobean mansion with Capability Brown park
- Dover CastleGreat medieval castle and wartime tunnels
- Down House, home of Charles DarwinDarwin's family home and garden
- Eltham Palace and GardensArt Deco mansion on a medieval palace
- Kenilworth CastleElizabethan castle and garden
- Old SarumIron Age hill fort and the first Salisbury
- Osborne, Isle of WightQueen Victoria's seaside home
- StonehengePrehistoric stone circle, timed entry
Royal palaces
- Buckingham Palace State RoomsState Rooms open to visitors in summer
- Hampton Court PalaceHenry VIII's palace and the maze
- Kensington PalaceRoyal residence and royal dress collection
- Tower of LondonCrown Jewels and the Yeoman Warders
- Windsor CastleThe King's residence, State Apartments and St George's Chapel
Royal and historic landmarks
- Canterbury CathedralWhere Thomas Becket was killed in 1170, and the destination of Chaucer's pilgrims
- Salisbury CathedralTallest spire in Britain and the best preserved original Magna Carta of 1215
- St Albans CathedralBuilt on Britain's oldest continuously used historic site, Roman Verulamium beside it
- Westminster AbbeyCoronation church of every English monarch since 1066, with the royal tombs
- Winchester CathedralLongest medieval nave in Europe, burial place of Saxon kings and Jane Austen
Great family estates
- Arundel CastleSeat of the Dukes of Norfolk
- Blenheim PalaceChurchill's birthplace, World Heritage Site
- Hatfield HouseElizabeth I's childhood home
- Hever CastleAnne Boleyn's childhood home
- Highclere CastleThe Downton Abbey house, opens some weeks only
- Leeds CastleCastle on two islands, strong for children
- Penshurst PlaceMedieval manor and gardens
Historic towns and villages
- BathGeorgian World Heritage city, Roman Baths museum
- CambridgeUniversity city on the river Cam
- Canterbury old townMedieval walled city around the cathedral
- LewesCounty town with castle and Anne of Cleves house
- Marlow and the Thames villagesRiverside Georgian town
- OxfordUniversity city of colleges and spires
- RyeCobbled medieval hill town
- SandwichOne of the best preserved medieval towns in England
- WinchesterAncient capital of England
- Windsor and EtonRoyal town and Eton College across the bridge
Coast and countryside
- Ashridge EstateAncient woods and the Bridgewater monument
- Box HillViewpoint and walks over the Surrey Hills
- Box Hill and the Surrey HillsViewpoint over the Weald
- Hindhead Commons and the Devil's Punch BowlNatural amphitheatre and heathland walks
- Leith HillHighest point in south east England, with a tower to climb
- Morden Hall ParkRiverside park with a historic snuff mill
- New ForestAncient royal hunting forest with wild ponies
- Runnymede and AnkerwyckeThe Magna Carta meadows on the Thames
- Runnymede and the Magna Carta memorialsMeadow of the 1215 Magna Carta
- Seven Sisters and Beachy HeadWhite chalk cliffs on the Sussex coast
- White Cliffs of DoverCliff walks above the Channel
- White Cliffs of Dover walkCliff top walk to the South Foreland lighthouse
Heritage spas
- Champneys TringThe original English health resort
- Cliveden House SpaSpa inside the Cliveden estate above the Thames
- Coworth Park, AscotDorchester Collection estate near Windsor
- Lucknam ParkCountry house spa near Bath
- Ockenden ManorSmall Tudor manor spa, West Sussex
- Pennyhill ParkLarge spa with many pools, Surrey
- South LodgeSpa with outdoor natural pool, West Sussex
- The Gainsborough Bath SpaHotel spa fed by the thermal spring
- The GroveFamily friendly estate hotel close to London
- Thermae Bath Spa, Cross BathNatural hot spring, Cross Bath private hire for a family
Wales 24 places
Country houses and gardens
- Bodnant GardenOne of the finest gardens in Britain
- Chirk CastleMarcher fortress still lived in until recently
- Dyffryn GardensEdwardian garden rooms near Cardiff
- ErddigCountry house famous for its servants' story
- Penrhyn Castle and GardenVast neo Norman castle near Bangor
- Plas Newydd House and GardenMansion on the Menai Strait, Anglesey
- Powis Castle and GardenMedieval castle with terraced gardens
- Tredegar HouseRestoration mansion at Newport
Castles, abbeys and ancient sites
- Beaumaris CastlePerfect concentric castle, Anglesey
- Caernarfon CastleEdward I's greatest castle, World Heritage Site
- Caerphilly CastleSecond largest castle in Britain
- Conwy Castle and town wallsCastle with complete medieval town walls
- Harlech CastleClifftop castle over the sea
- Raglan CastleLate medieval castle palace
- Tintern AbbeyRuined abbey in the Wye valley
Historic towns and villages
- Cardiff Bay and Cardiff CastleVictorian fantasy castle in the city centre
- Conwy walled townMedieval town inside its walls
- Hay on WyeBook town on the English border
- PortmeirionItalianate village built by Clough Williams Ellis
Coast and countryside
- Rhossili and the Gower coastBritain's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- Snowdonia and the Snowdon Mountain RailwayRack railway to the summit of Snowdon
Heritage spas
- Bodysgallen Hall, LlandudnoHistoric hall hotel and spa above Llandudno
- Celtic Manor, NewportLarge resort with two spas
- St Brides Spa Hotel, PembrokeshireClifftop spa over the sea
Scotland 24 places
Castles, abbeys and ancient sites
- Crathes CastleTower house with painted ceilings
- Culzean Castle and Country ParkClifftop castle by Robert Adam
- Doune CastleMedieval castle seen in Outlander
- Edinburgh CastleCrown of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny
- Falkland PalaceRenaissance palace of the Stuart kings
- Gladstone's Land17th century tenement on the Royal Mile
- Linlithgow PalaceBirthplace of Mary Queen of Scots
- Melrose AbbeyBorder abbey, heart of Robert the Bruce
- NewhailesEnlightenment house near Edinburgh
- St Andrews Castle and CathedralRuins in the home of golf
- Stirling CastleRoyal palace of the Stuarts
- Urquhart CastleRuin on the shore of Loch Ness
Royal palaces
- Balmoral CastleRoyal Deeside estate, opens spring to summer
- Palace of HolyroodhouseThe King's residence in Scotland
Historic towns and villages
- Edinburgh Old Town and Royal MileWorld Heritage medieval street
- St Andrews townUniversity town and Old Course
Coast and countryside
- Culloden BattlefieldSite of the last battle on British soil, 1746
- GlencoeDramatic glen and 1692 massacre story
- Glenfinnan MonumentJacobite monument and the viaduct seen in Harry Potter
- Isle of SkyeHighland island, long drive, overnight needed
- Loch Ness and InvernessHighland capital and the famous loch
Heritage spas
- Cameron House, Loch LomondBaronial mansion on Loch Lomond
- Fairmont St AndrewsClifftop resort near St Andrews
- GleneaglesGrand Perthshire resort and spa
Northern Ireland 14 places
Country houses and gardens
- Castle CooleNeo classical mansion at Enniskillen
- Castle WardHalf Gothic half classical house on Strangford Lough
- Crom EstateLakeland estate on Upper Lough Erne
- Florence CourtGeorgian house under the Cuilcagh mountains
- Mount StewartHouse and one of the great gardens of Ireland
- The ArgoryEdwardian gentry house, County Armagh
Castles, abbeys and ancient sites
- Dunluce CastleClifftop ruin on the Causeway coast
Royal and historic landmarks
- Titanic BelfastMuseum on the slipway where Titanic was built
Historic towns and villages
- Belfast cityCity Hall, Cathedral Quarter, murals
- Derry city wallsComplete 17th century walled city
Coast and countryside
- Carrick a Rede rope bridgeRope bridge to a sea island
- Giant's CausewayWorld Heritage basalt columns
Heritage spas
- Culloden Estate and Spa, BelfastFormer bishop's palace on Belfast Lough
- Galgorm Resort, County AntrimRiverside thermal village spa
Plan a Heritage Trail
Tell us your dates and how many days you have, and we will tell you what a trail could look like for your family.