Wimpole Estate

Wimpole Estate is a big day out: a grand house, a working walled garden, formal gardens, a rare breeds farm and around 3,000 acres of parkland and farmland, 9 miles south-west of Cambridge. Gardeners will want to head first for the walled garden, which is run on organic principles and grows crops, some of which go to a local foodbank. It is a practical place to pick up ideas on growing fruit and vegetables at scale.

Nearer the hall, the Dutch Garden was laid out in 1980 and the rest of the formal garden follows a mid-19th-century parterre. Beyond, the park shows the work of several famous designers. Charles Bridgeman's grand avenue runs south from the house for two and a half miles, replanted after Dutch elm disease, while Capability Brown naturalised much of the rest. In the North Park you can walk past restored lakes to the neo-Gothic folly of 1768 on the skyline. In spring, look for daffodils, which were the favourite flower of the last private owner, Elsie Bambridge; a 2023 survey found 77 varieties.

Home Farm is a model farm designed by Sir John Soane in 1794 and is approved by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, with breeds that have included Shetland cattle and Oxford Sandy and Black pigs. The estate is also working on wildlife, with large-scale hedge planting and tree planting. Distances are long, so plan which areas matter most to you and wear walking shoes.