The Longleat Estate

Combine glorious woodland and parkland walking, through the Longleat Estate, with a visit to an opulent Elizabethan mansion.

Distance 5.2 miles (8.4km)

Minimum time 2hrs 30min (longer if visiting Longleat attractions)

Ascent/gradient 508ft (155m)

Level of difficulty Easy

Paths Field, woodland and parkland paths, roads, 4 stiles

Landscape Wooded hillside, village streets, parkland

Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer 143 Warminster & Trowbridge

Start/finish ST 827422

Dog friendliness On leads through grounds

Parking Heaven's Gate car park, Longleat Estate

Public toilets Longleat attractions complex

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Directions
Background
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1 Cross the road and follow the path into the trees. Disregard the straight track left, bear right and then left along a wide worn path through mixed woodland to double gates and reach the viewpoint at Heaven's Gate.

2 Facing Longleat, go through the gate in the left-hand corner. In 100yds (91m) at a crossing of paths, turn right, then keep right at a fork and head downhill through woodland to a metalled drive by a thatched cottage. Turn right, keep ahead where the drive bears left, and shortly follow the path left, heading downhill close to the woodland edge to pass between a garage and cottage to a lane.

3 Turn left along White Street to a crossroads and turn right downhill. Ascend past the church to a T-junction and turn right. Turn left opposite the school, following the bridle path up a track and between sheds to a gate. Bear left with the grassy track, pass through two gates and bear slightly right to a stile on the edge of woodland.

4 Follow the path through the copse and soon bear off right diagonally downhill to a stile and gate. Turn left along the field edge to reach a track. Turn right, go through a gate beside a thatched cottage and follow the metalled lane (Pottle Street). In 200yds (183m), cross the stile on your right and cross the field to a stile and rejoin the lane.

5 Turn right and follow this quiet lane to a crossroads. Proceed straight across and follow the road through Horningsham village, passing the thatched chapel, to the crossroads opposite the Bath Arms.

6 Go straight across the crossroads, walk down the estate drive and pass through the gatehouse arch into Longleat Park. With the magnificent house ahead of you, walk beside the metalled drive with the lakes and weirs to your right. At a T-junction in front of the house, keep ahead to visit the house and follow the path left to reach the other tourist attractions.

7 For the main route, turn right and walk beside the drive, heading uphill through the Deer Park. Begin to climb steeply, then take the metalled drive right beyond a white barrier. With beautiful views across the parkland, gently ascend Prospect Hill and reach Heaven's Gate viewpoint. Retrace your steps back to the car park.

Your first view of Longleat is an unforgettable one. As you stroll down the azalea and rhododendron lined path to Heaven's Gate, nothing prepares you for the superb panorama that stretches to the distant Mendip Hills. Central to this composition is Longleat House, an exquisite Elizabethan stone manor in a glorious, wooded, lakeside setting that looks more like a fairy-tale palace from a distance.

Longleat was the first stately home in Britain to open its doors to the public as a commercial proposition, first doing so in 1949, a trend which many would follow. Lions made Longleat famous in 1966 and since then the Marquess of Bath's home has amassed an ever-expanding roll-call of family attractions to keep it viable, including a safari park, hedged mazes, safari boats, a Dr Who exhibition and a Postman Pat village. Thankfully, there are also thousands of acres of landscaped parkland and estate woodland to explore, so you can escape the summer crowds and enjoy the wonderful setting.

The hub of all this tourist activity is the Elizabethan mansion. Architect and builder Sir John Thynne, an ancestor of the Marquess of Bath, completed the house in 1580 on a site chosen for its beauty. The house was revolutionary in its design as it showed no thought for defence, its great bayed walls of stone and mullioned glass windows setting a new trend for Elizabethan architecture.

The splendid exterior is more than matched by the inside. Longleat contains a mixture of furnishings and artefacts reflecting the tastes and interests of the Thynne family throughout the centuries to the flamboyant 7th Marquess of Bath who owns Longleat today. Notable artefacts include a 33ft (10m) long 16th-century oak shuffle-board, a 17th-century gilt steeplechase cup and a library table commissioned from John Makepeace. Rich 17th-century Flemish tapestries, Genoese velvet and ancient Spanish leather clothe the walls, while painted ceilings, inspired by Italian palace interiors, including the Ducal Palace in Venice, and marble fireplaces ornament the state rooms. A tour will also reveal a fine collection of paintings, from 16th-century portraits and 18th-century Dutch paintings to early Italian pictures and notable hunting scenes. The fully restored Victorian kitchens give an interesting picture of life below stairs.

The colourful current Lord Bath began painting in the early 1960s and covered his private rooms in the West Wing with an amazing cycle of paintings. Expressing 'key hole glimpses of his pysche' are vast murals with satirical and erotic love scenes, while on the staircase hang the portraits of his numerous 'wifelets', or mistresses, in chronological order. Although a bearded Bohemian man in his sixties, he is also a sound businessman who has turned Longleat into a thriving, multi-million pound tourist attraction.

Where to eat and drink

You will find refreshment kiosks and two cafés (Cellar Café is best) within the Longleat complex of attractions. For interesting pub food, good ale and wine, stop off at the civilised Bath Arms in Horningsham. Picnic on a bench at Heaven's Gate and enjoy the best view across Longleat.

While you're there

Visit the oldest free church in England as you stroll through Horningsham. Accessed via a cobbled path, this thatched meeting house was provided by Sir John Thynne in 1568, for the Scottish workmen who built Longleat. Climb Cley Hill (800ft/244m), north of the estate, to see a hill fort, superb surrounding views and perhaps a UFO as spotters have regularly met here since the first claimed siting in 1965. To see the Thynne family tomb, visit the Church of St Peter and St Paul in nearby Longbridge Deverill. Here lies the 1st Viscount Weymouth, shot in Pall Mall in 1714, and the 3rd Viscount, criticised by George II for loving 'nothing but women, cards and strong beer'.

What to look for

Note the group of pollarded lime trees outside the Bath Arms in Horningsham. Planted in 1793, they are known as the twelve apostles. The tomb of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Viscount Weymouth, can be seen in Horningsham churchyard. Figure out the fascinating Sun Maze or the Lunar and Love Labyrinths around the grounds at Longleat.