Mount Stewart

Mount Stewart, on the shore of Strangford Lough south-east of Belfast, has been the Londonderry family home since the Stewarts bought the estate in 1744, and is the Trust's most visited mansion in Northern Ireland. The garden is the reason: Edith, Lady Londonderry laid out a chain of Arts and Crafts-style garden rooms in the early 20th century, planted with a collection that thrives in the mild lough-side climate. The house holds the family's paintings and treasures, and the demesne has ten miles of trails, a lake walk, a natural play area, a red squirrel hide, and the octagonal Temple of the Winds, built in 1786 by James 'Athenian' Stuart as a copy of the Tower of the Winds in Athens. Dogs on leads are welcome across the estate, with an off-lead area near the Shepherd's Hut. Reviewers praise the tea-room's baking and the lough views from the Temple. One tip from regulars: sat navs can send you to the closed back gate, so stay on the Portaferry Road.