Lyme Park

Few places in the North West stack this much variety into one visit: a grand stone house with six centuries of history, formal gardens with a still reflecting lake, and 1,400 acres of ancient woodland, rugged moorland and open parkland running up to the edge of the Peak District. The lake and south front are familiar to anyone who knows the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, where Mr Darcy met Miss Bennet, and the setting really does look like that in person.

Inside, the house is presented largely in its Regency character, with family history and a good number of genuinely odd and unexpected objects among the more expected grandeur. Outside, work through the Rose Garden, the Ravine Garden, the herbaceous borders and the Orangery, then finish by the reflecting lake, where the contrast between moving water and mirror-still surface is the best photograph on the site. Allow a couple of hours for house and gardens together if you want to move at a civilised pace.

The estate is the reason to stay longer. A medieval herd of red deer still lives here, so keep to a distance and watch quietly rather than expecting a guaranteed close encounter. Waymarked walks climb out of the valley for long views across Cheshire, and the pick of the short options is The Cage, a Grade II* former hunting lodge on the skyline. The approach is short but steep, and the reward is a sweep from the Manchester skyline round to the Peak District and the deer sanctuary. Other follies, including The Lantern, give walks a natural target.

The Timber Yard Cafe does hot and cold snacks and cakes, there is a kiosk near the car park for drinks and ice creams, and there are shops including a bookshop. Dogs are welcome on short leads across the estate and formal gardens, with some designated off-lead areas, and assistance dogs are welcome throughout.

The main tradeoff is scale. Distances between car park, house, gardens and the far reaches of the estate are real, and trying to cram everything into a rushed hour will leave you footsore and short-changed. Treat it as a half day minimum and a full day if you want the estate walks, and expect the steep climb up from the car park to be the least glamorous part of the arrival.