Lanhydrock House and Gardens: a day out from The Vale

Lanhydrock House

Lanhydrock was the family home of the Robartes, later the Agar-Robartes, family. Sir Richard Robartes began the house around 1620, and the stone gatehouse dates from 1651. A great fire swept through the house in 1881, and the Long Gallery ceiling is one of the few parts that survived it. The family rebuilt it as a Victorian country house by 1885, largely on the original plan, and gave the house, park and woods to the National Trust in 1953.

Step inside for a real sense of how a Victorian household worked, from the family rooms to the kitchens below stairs. The little church of St Hydroc stands right next to the house.

The gardens at Lanhydrock

The formal garden is full of colour all year, with the Parterre, the herbaceous borders and magnolias that steal the show in spring. The house and garden open seasonally, so check the National Trust website for dates before you set off. In winter, when they're closed, the wider estate is still open for walks.

Walks and cycle trails on the estate

The Lanhydrock estate is open from dawn to dusk all year. Try the Respryn Ramble or the Parkland walk, follow the woodland paths down to the River Fowey, or bring your bikes for the woodland cycle trails. These walking and cycling trails range from gentle family routes to proper mountain bike descents. National Cycle Network Route 3 runs past the entrance too.

Lanhydrock with your dog

Dogs are welcome in the gardens (apart from the Herbaceous Circle), across the parkland and wider countryside, in the courtyard, the cafés and the second-hand bookshop. Only assistance dogs can go into the house and shop. All nine of our lodges and cottages welcome up to three dogs, so your best friend gets the day out too.

Food and practical tips

• The Park Café serves homemade food all year, and the Stables Café is in the courtyard.
• National Trust members park free in the car park. Everyone else pays by the hour or for the day.
• Under fives go free. Check current admission and opening times on the National Trust website.
• Make a day of it: pair Lanhydrock with Cardinham Woods, also near Bodmin, or our Golitha Falls guide.

Make The Vale your base

After a day at Lanhydrock, come home to your own lodge with an outdoor copper bath, or a cottage with a hot tub, near Lansallos. We're about four miles from Polperro and Fowey and five from Looe. We're now a Certified B Corporation, with solar-powered stays and an energy positive ethos.

Book direct at ohanamua.co.uk and secure your stay with a £25 deposit for stays more than 70 days away (terms apply).