National Trust - Cliveden — Attraction in Beeches Community Board

Much of what I saw was very enjoyable yet I am only giving one star because of the way I was initially dealt with. I arrived to see a queue of cars and 4 staff members talking to those people in those cars. I then drove to the car park where some clown told me that I had not paid. Well of course I had not paid because it was not made clear to me that one paid at the information kiosk. So I had to drive back round to pay. I would say the 4 staff were far too busy asking if one was a NT member. Also seeing as I am 56 years old it is highly unlikely that I spend my life trying to get into places for free! I am not a teenager with an ASBO and a zombie knife and I am not in the habit of trying to worm my way in without paying.

The property itself did have some really nice stuff to see eg water fountain, rose garden, chapel, maze, walled gardens, the River Thames. The signage though was poor and be warned, if you are not in the best of health then think twice about visiting. Some of the trails go on for ages, the property is huge and some of the walks descend very steeply and without any barriers.

Access to the house is limited so unfortunately for me I couldn't see it which I was not happy about. The house is actually leased as a luxury hotel...charming.

The cost was obviously exorbitant but that is to be expected with almost any day out now but I did enjoy lunch which was served quite quick by NT standards despite the lengthy queues. One last thing and that is the ice cream place was shut due to a lack of staff?! Customers only want you to serve it, not make it from scratch. Lastly the fridge magnets of which I bought 4,...

We have visited this beautiful place several times as we are lucky enough to live quite close. The gardens and grounds are beautiful and always well maintained from the spectacular fountain as you enter the grounds, to the golden clock tower, maze and gardens. We have never been inside the house which is now a luxury hotel but I believe some areas are open to the public at specific times.

The War Memorial garden is small but well worth a visit if you have any interest in taking a glimpse at world war history.

There is a lovely walk along the river with some interesting buildings and statues on the route.

There is a pretty little enclosed rose garden and parterre at the back of the house is a refined, structured array of colourful flowers.

In addition if you have children /grandchildren there is a maze and a lovely play trail. Be warned that the play trail is a long way from the house so you might want to park in that car park if that is what you intend to do and the children are quite small. It is a bit of a walk. There is a little cart you can catch if you can't face the walk.

There are places to eat - a bit pricey but the funds go to the upkeep of this wonderful place. We haven't explored these because we usually take a picnic - and there are a few picnic tablets around the place. We still haven't seen everything and we will definitely...

This estate is enormous, over 370 acres to wander through, so ideal if you want to bring dogs. Great views down to the Thames and across the Berkshire countryside. There are half hour guided tours of a small part of the mansion starting on the west wing and running through to the east wing. The guide is very informative regarding the history of the people who lived here, but you don't see lavish decorations or furnishing you would do in some other NT properties, no photos are allowed inside. I would recommend this place for it's wonderful grounds & gardens, and the walks in the woods and down to the Thames. There is an audio you can take with you into the gardens detailing aspects of the lives of four women who lived here, including Lady Astor. However for me I found this audio commentary overly long and theatrical, presented by actors in the first person. It doesn't relate to any specific parts of the estate and I would rather enjoy the natural sounds around me of the wind in the trees and bird song. If you want a much briefer version of these women's stories you can pick this up from the four handy sized rectangular cards available to take away. I live locally so will definitely be back to enjoy this great...