The house was rescued from neglect and lovingly restored by the three Keating sisters, who bought it in 1938.

The views from the grounds and gardens across Cardigan Bay are among the most spectacular in Britain.

The house is 16th-century with Georgian additions, and the garden contains many beautiful flowering trees and shrubs, with beds framed by box hedges and grass paths. It is stunning whatever the season.

This is the only medieval merchant’s house in Conwy to have survived the turbulent history of the walled town over nearly six centuries.

Furnished rooms and an audio-visual presentation show daily life from different periods in its history.

Wordsworth House and Garden, in the Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, is the birthplace and childhood home of romantic poet William and his sister Dorothy.

It is presented as it would have been when they lived here with their parents, three brothers and servants in the 1770s.

Today, this homely Georgian townhouse is peopled by our knowledgeable 21st-century guides and, on selected dates, the maid-of-all-work is in the kitchen – and keen to chat.

There is real food on the dining table, a fire burning in the working kitchen and a recipe William and Dorothy might have eaten for you to taste. Ink and quill pens are ready in the clerk’s office, and if you play the piano, you might like to try our replica harpsichord.

The children’s bedroom is full of toys and dressing up clothes, and down in the cellar, the household’s ghosts are waiting to tell their stories.

Our exhibition rooms house a changing programme of displays. In the discovery room, there is a permanent exhibition about William’s Lakeland legacy and his key role in the founding of the National Trust, along with family games and activities.

The garden is packed with 18th-century vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers, just as it would have been when he played – and learned his love of nature – here.

The Brownes of Townend in the Troutbeck Valley were just an ordinary farming family: but their home and belongings bring to life more than 400 years of extraordinary stories. As you approach Townend – a traditional Lake District stone and slate farmhouse, you’ll understand why Beatrix Potter described Troutbeck Valley as her favourite.

Once inside, you are welcomed into the farmhouse kitchen with a real fire –  burning most afternoons –  and a quirky collection of domestic tools. Throughout the house, intricately carved furniture provides a window into the personality of George Browne. The library contains the family’s well-used collection of books, including 45 that are the only remaining copies in the world. Outside, the colourful cottage-style garden is a lovely place to while away some time among the flowers.

Be wowed by the Tudor Great Hall with its fantastic furniture, arms, armour, tapestries and the carved oak screen, a rare survivor from the 1500s. History springs to life in the Hesketh’s dining room, its food-laden table, lit candles and ‘fire in the hearth’ waiting to welcome the family’s dinner guests.

And did Shakespeare spend a short time here in his youth? There’s reasonable evidence to suggest that he could once have known Rufford’s Great Hall for a few months whilst still in his teens. Ask us about the evidence and decide for yourself!

Then relax as you stroll through Rufford’s Victorian and Edwardian gardens – and remember you’re only a few feet (or metres) above sea level – making Rufford one of the lowest lying National Trust gardens in England.

Enjoy the tale of Beatrix Potter by visiting Hill Top. Full of her favourite things, this house appears as if Beatrix had just stepped out for a walk. Every room contains a reference to a picture in a ‘tale’.

The lovely cottage garden is a haphazard mix of flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables. Make your way up the garden path to the front door and see for yourself why Beatrix loved this place. Bought in 1905 with proceeds from her first book, the Tale of Peter Rabbit, she used Hill Top itself and the surrounding countryside as inspiration for many of her subsequent books.

Hill Top is a small house and a timed-ticket system is in operation to avoid overcrowding and to protect the interior. Hill Top can be very busy and visitors may sometimes have to wait to enter the house.

Speke Hall is a rare Tudor timber-framed manor house in a most unusual setting on the banks of the River Mersey. Restored and brought back to life in the 19th century, it is a unique and beautiful mixture of Tudor simplicity and Victorian Arts and Crafts’ aesthetics.

Built by the devout Catholic Norris family – keen to impress visitors with the grandeur of their home and in particular the magnificent Great Hall – this beautiful building has witnessed more than 400 years of turbulent history. From the Tudor period when a secret priest hole was an essential feature, to years of neglect and decay in the 18th and 19th centuries (including a spell when it was used as a cow shed) and then being dragged into the Victorian era of improvement and technology, the Hall has seen it all.

In the 21st century, Speke Hall and its surrounding estate now provide a real oasis from the hurly burly of modern life. As you come through the gates, relax, take a breath and enjoy all that this wonderful place has to offer. The Hall is surrounded by beautiful restored gardens and protected by a collar of woodland.

Inside these rooms you can discover this eclectic collection that he restored and displayed. We have maintained the atmospheric settings he created with low lighting and few labels. From tiny toys to Samurai armour, musical instruments to fine clocks, thousands of objects are laid out for you to see just as Mr Wade intended.

The garden is the perfect place to unwind and explore hidden vistas, quiet corners and unexpected delights including Charles Wade’s uncomplicated home, the Priest’s House.

“Let nothing perish” was his motto, and his life was dedicated to doing just that. From the everyday to the extraordinary, you can discover his passion for craftsmanship, colour and design.