Gunby Hall

Gunby Hall is a red-brick house of 1700 at the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds, home to the Massingberd family for more than 250 years before it passed to the National Trust in 1944. Tennyson called it 'a haunt of ancient peace', and it is smaller and more domestic than most Trust houses, its rooms shown by volunteers reviewers find unusually knowledgeable. Outside are eight acres of Victorian walled gardens with a working kitchen garden and bright borders, plus a second-hand bookshop and a tea-room in the old laundry. Walks cross 1,500 acres of estate to the Ice House Pond and the earthworks of a lost medieval village; dogs are welcome on short leads and children get trails. Tips from visitors: it is a 500-metre walk from the free car park to the courtyard, with a drop-off point on request; the basement is closed while conservation heating work is finished; and the cafe gets busy, so bring a picnic.