We’ve made the day trip up to Wallington Hall a few time now – it’s a great day out with lots to see and do, and best of all, it’s dog friendly! Wallington is a National Trust property not far from Morpeth in Northumberland. It is a gorgeous house surrounded by overflowing gardens and a few longer walks around the surrounding parkland and countryside.
The house was built in the 18th century in the Palladian style and has been owned by the National Trust since 1942. The history of the house extends much further than this though, with the cellars of the house being all that remains of the medieval manor house which once stood here. The house changed hands a few times over the years before becoming the property of the National Trust but seems to have been a country escape for wealthy landowners from the Newcastle area. It’s definitely somewhere I’d be happy to have as a holiday home!
There is plenty of car parking on site and entry is free for National Trust members (charges for non-members can be found on the National Trust website). There is a cafe/tea room on site and plenty of space on the grass for a picnic!
The gardens at Wallington are a delight. Every time we have visited they have been bursting with life – and not just the borders! We saw a very cute clutch of ducklings in the stream on our first visit and there is no shortage of wildlife on the rest of the estate. There are bird hides in the grounds where you have a chance of spotting woodpeckers and red squirrels or take a stroll along the river for the chance to spot an otter.
The walled garden at Wallington is one of my favourites ever – it is so full and vibrant that it makes lots of other walled gardens elsewhere look rather drab! Every time we have visited there has been something slightly different to see – but that might be because there is simply so much there that we missed it the time before!
The Wallington estate is huge – over 20 square miles! This means that there are plenty of opportunities to stretch your legs for those who like walking. The National Trust provides details of 4 walking trails of varying length and difficulty. When we visited we did the easy 2 mile River walk, which is a lovely gentle stroll predominantly through woodland, with the opportunity to call in and see the bird hides on the way. Next time we go though I would love to explore the longer walk around Greenleighton Moor which looks a bit more challenging.
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. Dogs on leads are welcome in the walled garden here, and there were a few water bowls out in the courtyard for dogs to drink from when we visited which was nice. Merry absolutely loves the woods here and is always desperate for a paddle in the river! As always please pick up after your dog, there are plenty of bins here so no excuses!
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And of course the Trevelyan’s who lived there were all great walkers.
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How could you not be in such a lovely area!
Absolutely!