Sizergh has been the Strickland family's home since 1239, one of the longest tenures of any house in England, and the family still lives here alongside the National Trust, which took it on in 1950. A 14th-century pele tower anchors the castle, and the Elizabethan additions hold some of the finest carved oak in the country, including the Inlaid Chamber, whose panelling spent nearly a century at the V&A before returning. The garden's centrepiece is the 1920s limestone rock garden, set beside a lake, kitchen garden, orchard and wildflower meadows, and estate paths climb through woods to Helsington Barrows for a view of the Lakeland fells. Families get a wild play trail in the woods. Reviewers praise the room guides, the huge cafe and its cheese scones, and the trampers that let less mobile visitors reach almost all the grounds. Tips from visitors: watch the ten-minute video before the house, arrive early because it fills quickly, and expect dogs to be limited to the wider estate rather than the gardens.
