Hodnet Hall Gardens

Hodnet Hall's gardens are shaped by water. In the 1920s a young army officer dug out a succession of pools in the valley below the house, and today this chain of lakes and pools, with waterfalls and paths between them, is what most visitors remember. The garden covers 60 acres of gardens and parkland and has been planted with rare and native trees and shrubs over many years, so there is a real sense of maturity as you walk round.

From the house, a flight of steps links the terraced walk and formal circle garden to the water gardens below. Rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias are the spring stars, with crocuses and daffodils earlier on. Look for the 17th-century dovecot and the Tithe Barn, and walk Beech Walk, where the hymn writer Bishop Reginald Heber once strolled. Behind the visitors' car park you can still see the earthworks of a Norman castle, and the Garden Restaurant is in the old Tudor stable block, the only part left of Hodnet Old Hall.

For gardeners, Hodnet is a good place to see how water can link different parts of a large garden, and how flowering shrubs and trees can be planted to frame pools. Some of the ground is naturally steep, so access is limited in places for wheelchair users and less mobile visitors; the garden offers access and walking route maps. Dogs on leads are welcome, and the summer plant fair is a draw for plant buyers.