National Trust - Wimpole Estate — Attraction in South Cambridgeshire

Wimpole Estate, located in the heart of Cambridgeshire, is a captivating destination that combines history, nature, and family-friendly activities. Whether you're a history enthusiast, a nature lover, or simply looking for a beautiful day out, this National Trust property offers something for everyone.

The Wimpole Hall, an elegant 17th-century mansion, is the estate’s crown jewel. It showcases beautifully preserved rooms filled with art, fine furniture, and stunning architecture. The knowledgeable staff offers engaging insights into the lives of its former inhabitants, adding depth to the experience. The Victorian walled garden and extensive grounds surrounding the hall are impeccably maintained, providing a serene setting for leisurely walks.

One of the estate's highlights is its working farm, which is perfect for families. Children and adults alike can interact with a variety of animals, from pigs to rare-breed sheep, and explore the farmyard. Seasonal activities, such as lambing in the spring, make it a vibrant and educational experience.

Nature enthusiasts will also appreciate the extensive woodland trails and scenic parkland. The landscape is beautifully diverse, offering lovely walks through rolling hills, tranquil lakes, and mature woodlands. The views from the estate are breathtaking, especially when reaching the folly that sits on a hill overlooking the entire property.

The estate is well-equipped with amenities, including a café serving local produce, picnic spots, and a well-stocked gift shop. It’s easy to spend an entire day here, with plenty of spaces to relax, enjoy nature, or immerse yourself in history.

Overall, Wimpole Estate is highly recommended for a peaceful yet enriching visit. Whether you're after a scenic country escape, a history lesson, or a fun family outing, Wimpole Estate will...

The amazing Wimpole Estate, a working farm is set in some 3,000 acres and contains Cambridgeshire’s largest stately home. Some of its many owners include novelist Rudyard Kipling, whose daughter Elsie Bambridge bequeathed the Estate and its contents to the National Trust upon her death in 1976.

The house dates back to 1640 and has 3 floors, The Ground Floor, Basement and The First Floor, which unfortunately was not open to the public on the day I visited. Although the house has many highlights, for example the Library and Book Room containing over 10,000 books, the standout for me was the Yellow Drawing Room, an enormous but delicate parachute-like canopy providing a soaring space in the centre of the house.

As well as the house the massive Estate includes the Stable Block which contains a second-hand book shop, Shop & Plant Centre and a Café. There is also the Old Rectory Restaurant, The Folly, The Walled Garden, Home Farm with various rare breeds, parkland, St Andrew’s Church, lakes and picnic areas.

Various events are held on the Estate such as Shire Horse Experience Days, Guided Walks and Outdoor Plays & Folk Music.

The Estate welcomes dogs but they must be on short leads throughout the parkland, in the visitor welcome building, outside on the terrace at the Old Rectory Restaurant and both indoors and outdoors at the Stables Cafe. Only assistance dogs are permitted in the Hall, Gardens, Home Farm and indoors at the Old Rectory Restaurant. It is well...

A great national trust property with plenty to see & do!

We loved exploring the Wimpole Estate, the house is incredible. The volunteers inside were knowledgeable, friendly & approachable.

The cafe was great, the staff did an awesome job of managing a queue out of the door and served fresh tasty food in good time. Honestly blown away with how well they handled the pressure of a busy lunchtime service. The soup and beetroot hotpot was great! The coffee was a little bitter for my liking, but I know that’s probably personal taste.

The grounds were so lovely to wander around & the staff were helpful with access (I was using a crutch to aid mobility).

We utilised the electric car charging point in the carpark, which was fine, phone signal was patchy so downloading and setting up a new app was a challenge, but we got it working & managed to fully charge whilst we were exploring. I would recommend downloading the ChargePoint app ahead of time.

My only real point of feedback would be to install public access WiFi, ideally at the visitor centre to aid connecting the electric car charging & anything else needed for entry. And/or in the cafe(s) so we can use the internet during our stay, mobile signal is pretty poor so having wifi makes the site ultimately more accessible. I needed to hop onto a call whilst at the property and struggled to find...