English heritage/national trust recommendations for day trip (s)

[namechanger110]

Hi I’m looking for somewhere to go later this week for a day out/overnight trip with some older children. We have both National Trust and English Heritage membership but ideally don’t want to drive more than about three hours from London. Please can anyone suggest a marvellous attraction(s) to go and see. More interested in complete stately homes or castles rather than ruins or just parks and even better if there are one or two things closer together. We have already been to Dover castle and Kenilworth Castle and Woburn Abby and loved these if these are anything to go by. Thanks.

If you're prepared to drive 2-3hrs to the East Midlands - Derbyshire / Leicestershire, there are loads of options. Have a look on the NT website, but I can recommend:
Belton House (featured in the Colin Firth Pride & Prejudice) near Grantham
Keddleston - Derbyshire
Calke Abbey - Derbyshire
Hardwick Hall - Derbyshire
Sudbury - Derbyshire

Yes prepared to go that far - have you any favourites out of that lot? x

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate

Hmmm - they are all very different, but you could definitely do more than one as they aren't too far apart.

Kedleston is magnificent / grand 18th century palace
Calke is "the house that time forgot" acquired by the NT and preserved with the "chaos" of the last owner
Hardwick - Elizabethan house
Sudbury I don't know as well

I love Belton. It's not huge but there is something grand yet liveable about it, but it is a bit further east than the others, though convenient for the A1.

Have a look at this map and you'll see how close the properties are. Calke and Kedleston are really just south and north of Derby respectively.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/search?query=derbyshire&lat=53.092894&lon=-1.624363&type=place&view=map

How about SW?? Dyrham Park is just off m4 and really lovely, then you could go into Bath for skyline walk...or M3/A303 for Stonehenge and Salisbury (Sarum castle) are both EH and fab for kids...

Waddesdon Manor? You need to book tickets but it's free for NT members.

We did it on our way back from the Forest of Dean to break the journey, not sure what else is around the area as it is too far for us for day trips.

Loved Chartwell, family home of Winston Churchill, think you have to book a time to visit the house. Also Batemans, Rudyard Kipling's house.