Gibside is a Georgian landscape garden on the southern slopes of the Derwent Valley near Rowlands Gill, the grand design of coal magnate George Bowes and the ancestral home of the Bowes-Lyon family. Its half-mile Long Walk, runs between two monuments by James Paine: the Palladian Chapel with its dome and Ionic columns, and the 43-metre Column to Liberty finished in 1757 to proclaim Bowes's Whig politics. Gibside Hall and the Orangery survive as ruins, and the Walled Garden grows produce and flowers. Fifteen miles of paths make it one of the best Trust places for dogs, with an off-lead dog park and a welcome inside the coffee shop, while families follow the Explorer Trail to the Red Kite adventure playground. Reviewers single out the wood-fired pizza and staff who hand out dog treats. Tips from regulars: parking is free, the Pizza Pit only opens at weekends and in school holidays, and a minibus runs from reception for anyone unable to manage the wooden walkway.
