National Trust - Benthall Hall — Attraction in Barrow

This is our 5th national trust visit and whilst a decent location to visit , it is the lowest one for use and our needs.

Pro: -The grounds are of a decent size to have a good walk and exercise if you want a medium size walk. The manor grounds are cut and quaint. The staff and volunteers are very helpful. It is linked onto the back of a nature reserve of you want to explore the area even more.

Cons: Food Offerings: Compared to others they only had a type of burger bar compared to a dedicated cafe.

Grounds: Whilst the scenery is lovely if you go at the wrong time of year the surrounding walks are very muddy, wellies are a must but unfortunately wellies can hinder your walk due to comfortability if you like to walk long distances.

Parking: You have to pay for parking if not a member.

Size: Pro & Con dependant on how you feel: But you can compete this location in about 45- 1 hour, which if you want full days out could be a bust.

-Driving to location: (compared to others) The last 5 mins of the journey was very hill and windy and tight which if your uncomfortable with that type of driving may put you off or if you have a smaller engine car may struggle with this.

No play area for children.

All in all worth a visit as the little town is a nice walk round but , once you've done it you may not do it again if it is...

Benthall hall is located near Telford in Shropshire. When visiting from Telford, keep on B4375 ( dont turn into one of the smaller lanes, as GPS asks you to do so). Although it takes 3 mins longer, but much better staying on the wider road. As we approach the property, there is a paid car park on the left ( free for national trust members- just need to scan your membership card on to the machine). The way to the hall entrance could have been better- we almost couldn't make out which direction to head to. There is St Bartholomew's church first ( which is very old- conservation work is ongoing) followed by a narrow path leading up to the main house. Once there, the main house looks impressive. The grass etc around the church should have been better kept, we felt. The ground floor & first floor are open to public, photos only allowed on the ground floor. Some of the exhibits were really old & unique, which I think is the USP of this place. There is a kitchen garden and small play area for kids where u could have your picnic etc. There is only a small coffee place right next to the parking so I would advise not to rely on that solely and get some eatables from home. Overall a nice day out, & the volunteers are lovely, but the outside could be a bit...

Disclaimer: I am a National Trust member and usually absolutely love these types of visit. I was a bit disappointed today. The hall has a later opening time than most other places and not, I believe, anything to do with covid. Between 1 and 3 it is guided tours only (these were booked up when we arrived) so we wandered into the Church and around the kitchen garden which was suffering and seemed a bit neglected but the flowers and apple trees were lovely. The front lawned area was nice and well kept and offered a bit of tranquility. There are no refreshment facilities and we were a bit parched due to the hot weather and the wait to go into the house so that was a bit of a disappointment. The visitor kiosk in the car park sells plants and skipping ropes. The hall itself has very little information but the room guides seemed friendly and were always chatting with visitors. Not a lot of the hall is open to visitors and you see a tiny proportion, 3 downstairs rooms and 2 upstairs. It had the feeling like someone was still living there. This is not a new acquisition so I do wonder why it was below the usually really high standard of National Trust properties. I imagine I may have had a slightly different view had I been able to access a tour (and...