This tour takes you to:

Scenic drive down the beautiful Lyth Valley
Sizergh Castle, Estate & Gardens
700 years of the Strickland family history
Medieval, Elizabethan and Georgian architecture
Arms and Armour
Rare English oak Linenfold panelling
Elaborate and imposing Elizabethan carved overmantels
Moulded plasterwork friezes and ceilings
Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth century ceramics, porcelain, furniture, paintings and stained glass
Medieval Banqueting Hall
Magnificent Elizabethan inlaid bed chamber
Orchard, Herbaceous Borders, Rock Garden, Dutch Garden, Wildflower Banks, Yew Tree Pyramid Avenue, Lake, Lawns and Terraces
The Great Barn, the earliest known two-storey Lake District bank barn
Local, seasonal food in the contemporary licensed café, Shop, Picnic Areas, Estate Walks, Woodland

Itinerary

Come with us and spend a relaxing day at Sizergh Castle and its impressive Estate. This tour takes you to the South Lakes area for a pleasant day exploring the beautiful countryside of the Lyth Valley and the fascinating Sizergh Castle with its outstanding gardens and 700 years of history which is still an ancient family home.

Your outward journey to the Sizergh estate follows a leafy, tree lined lane, passing some beautiful Arts and Crafts houses on either side, twisting and turning as it follows the eastern bank of Lake Windermere. You then plunge into the limestone area of the South Lakes and down through the Lyth Valley. This pastoral idyll is included in the Lonely Planet's list of "the most beautiful places on earth, and it is easy to see why.

The view has hardly changed in decades, the orchards, traditional drystone walls, and the valley itself edged by huge limestone escarpments.Over twenty years ago, the greatly respected Lake District author, Alfred Wainwright, maintained that "The supreme joy of the Lyth valley is its annual springtime renewal", with damson blossom "appearing as white puffs of smoke all over the valley". Even today this hidden corner of Cumbria is famed for its damsons. In early spring, frothy clouds of white blossom greet the onlooker at every turn - a snowy spectacle marked by Damson Day in mid-April. This hugely popular event brings together local producers, growers and various craftspeople in celebration of the humble damson. By autumn, the trees are laden with purple fruits and numerous roadside stalls appear advertising damsons for sale.

The Lyth and Winster valleys of this region form a landscape of unspoilt pastoral delights - damson trees clustered in small orchards close to white-washed farmhouses, broadleaved woodlands brimming with bluebells, green undulating pastures with rocky outcrops of limestone, and yellow gorse adding a splash of colour to the countryside palette. Look out for deer among the juniper bushes and the butterflies for which this area is well known.

Sizergh Castle is imposing house standing proud at the gateway to the Lake District. It has many tales to tell and certainly feels lived in, with centuries-old portraits and fine furniture sitting alongside modern family photographs. The Strickland family have been associated with Sizergh since 1239 and in 1415 at the Battle of Agincourt, the banner of St George was carried by Sir Thomas Strykeland. In 1688, the staunchly Catholic and royalist family went into exile to St-Germain in France with James II, returning to reclaim Sizergh and its land in the 1700's. By the nineteenth century, the Strickland heirs had married beautiful Frenchwomen and so began an effective second exile in France. Another, later heir married into an important Maltese family in 1858, enabling them to add the title Count della Catena to the family which was handed down via the female line. In 1928, Gerald Strickland became Baron Strickland of Sizergh and it was his daughter Mary who donated the property to the National Trust in 1950.

There are still more family stories waiting for you to discover as you spend the day exploring the house. There are 14 rooms, each filled with historic treasures, fine porcelain, family portraits, beautiful plaster friezes, fine furniture, stained glass, intricate ceilings and the famous and exceptional Elizabethan wood panelling. This culminates in the Inlaid Chamber, where the panelling, among the finest ever made for an English country house, has been returned to Sizergh from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

During the day, you can enjoy a delicious locally produced lunch using fresh, seasonal ingredients in the licensed, contemporary café. Next to the café you will find a well stocked gift shop full of interesting bits and pieces for you to take away as a reminder of your day spent at a typically English Country Estate. Then, head out into the varied and beautiful gardens. The gardens at Sizergh are extensive so take a leisurely stroll through the small orchard, the herbaceous border, the rock garden, the wildflower bank, past the lake to the terrace and onto the main lawn. From there you can head off to the Dutch garden or the south garden finishing off with a quick look at the Great Barn, built in the 1560's which the earliest example of a two storey "Bank Barn" in the Lake District.

If you still have the urge to explore, take a walk in the Sizergh Estate. Here you will enjoy rare and unique wildlife, such as the 18th century chestnut trees grown from seeds brought back from pre-Revolution Versailles in 1780. The one-and-a-half mile wooden play trail will take you through wooden archways, across balancing beams and through woven tunnels as you explore the woodland. Adventures even for the young at heart!

Your day will let you relax, unwind as you enjoy discovering over 700 years of rich history, reflected in every nook and cranny of this much-loved family home and estate. Is there a better way to spend a lovely day?

Historic Houses and Gardens: Sizergh Castle and Gardens - Full Day All-inclusiveTour

This tour takes you to:

Itinerary

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