National Trust - Sizergh — Attraction in Helsington

Brilliant and phenomenal National Trust situated on the edge of the Lake District. The property is the home of the Strickland Family and has been for the past 800 years and members of the family still live at the property today creating a fantastic historical legacy. The size of the place is a fairly decent with a vast Parkland with an array of different walks, gardens with a variety of different areas and the House with an array of stunning rooms to see. The house itself is a stunning piece of stone architecture on the outside and the house is just as good on the inside with a host of brilliant and stunning rooms to see. The visit to the house starts with an informative and interesting introductory about the history of The Strickland Family which is delivered by the current living member of the family which gives you an excellent idea of the place and the Strickland Family and their legacy and is a great way to start off the visit to the house. The houses a number of stunning portraits and furniture and the highlights of the rooms are the Inlaid Chamber with the excellent four poster bed and the fantastic period wooden walls and the Banqueting Hall due to its brilliant Medieval feel. The gardens themselves are absolutely amazing and there are a number of areas to see including The Wooden Knoll where you can enjoy fabulous views of the small pond which blends in beautifully with the woodland, The Rock Garden with lovely displays of flowers blending in well with the Rockery areas and is one of the best rock gardens at any National Trust Property, The Mirror Lake where you can enjoy spectacular views towards the House which blends in brilliantly with the lake, The Kitchen Garden with a variety of fruit and vegetables on display and The Stumpery with a variety of different trees to see. The Parkland is vast with a variety of walks some of which lead to significant places such as Helsington Barrows and Sizergh Fell and you can enjoy great views back towards the House. The staff on site are extremely helpful and friendly making the visit all the more pleasant. There is a cafe selling a variety of refreshments at reasonable prices and there is a gift shop selling a variety of souvenirs at reasonable prices. Overall this a delightful and outstanding place to visit and makes for a very interesting and enjoyable day out. Well worth a visit whilst in the...

It's lovely here, a great place to spend a day walking, or sitting on the benches that overlook the valley after a short walk or drive to Heslington Church. There are great views across the valley to Morecombe Bay and the surrounding fells with many lovely places for a picnic too. We had a short walk through Brigsteer Woods looking at the daffodils and bluebells up to Helsington Church, collecting a few geocaches (Google it and get involved) ate lunch a further on at Heslington Barrows viewing point and found a fossil in the dry stone wall; then meandered back going where our feet led us.

We didn't visit the castle itself, as it was closed due to current restrictions; but I wasn't planning to on this visit. Besides, there is enough outdoor space here to fill a day without going indoors (WE'VE ALL HAD ENOUGH OF INDOORS FOR A WHILE!) The gardens provided the family with a pleasant meander on our previous visit and as I recall the kids trail is quite fun too (even for Big Kids).

Be sure to grab an English Lakes Ice-cream, they're a local producer. The damson jam ripple was a delight, fantastic blend of creamy and sweet with a slight tang, honestly delicious!

Pull on your boots, grab your necessary gear (we had four seasons in a day t-shirts to coats and back again, luckily no rain but breezy) pack some lunch or treat yourself in the cafe and support the National Trust at the same time.

Make sure to book in advance during Covid-19 restrictions to ensure that you don't get turned...

Came here to explore, had a lovely time.

All the staff are exceptionally friendly and really kind. They take their time to help and answer questions. We spoke to about 8 different people at various points in the shop, gardens and castle and they were all really lovely!

At the suggestion of the lady at the ticket desk we explored the kid's adventure trail and it was very well done. Simple enough for the eldest to read, simple enough for the youngest to follow without reading, but really well thought out and put together. A nice change to go for a wander along a trail with absolutely no complaining the whole way round!

Gardens beautiful and well kept with a variety of amazing plants. We particularly enjoyed admiring their vast array of apples and the tomatillos!

We came back to the shop area for lunch and had some good food from the café. Several vegan options which is always appreciated. Kids had the lunch packs and husband enjoyed a pasty.

The castle is very impressive and there's a video at the start to give you an idea of the history and background to the place. Children kept entertained by a little quiz in each room.

Really lovely for a visit and we'll come again for lunch and to go on some of the walks around the grounds. Ended up spending about 4 hours there and although we saw the main bits, there's still a lot...