Springhill

Springhill, a mile from Moneymore in County Londonderry, is a 17th-century plantation house that was home to ten generations of the Lenox-Conyngham family and is often called one of the prettiest houses in Ulster. Its portraits and furniture share the rooms with one of Ireland's best-documented ghosts, and the old laundry holds a costume collection of 18th to 20th-century dress. Outside are a Dutch garden with rare roses, camomile and herbs along the Juniper Walk, a shell house being restored, a natural play area with balance bikes to borrow, and parkland below the Sperrin Mountains. Two short trails start at the house: the quarter-mile beech walk up the avenue to the 1731 corn-mill tower, and the mile-long Sawpit Hill circuit round the estate edge with views of Slieve Gallion. Dogs on a short lead are welcome in the garden, woodland and visitor reception but not on the farmland, and only assistance dogs enter the house and costume museum. The house is seen by guided tour, which reviewers say brings the family home to life, though some found the garden modest beside other Trust properties. The cafe is temporarily closed, so bring a picnic.