If you’re looking for a fantastic place in the North West to explore in the winter months, then Lyme Hall and Gardens is the perfect winter walk. We are National Trust members and love to explore as many sites on the National Trust map as possible. Lying just outside of Manchester, Lyme Hall and Gardens has been on our list for quite some time now. We finally managed to tick this beautiful location off our list.
Accessibility
As we had the dogs with us, we knew we would be unable to enter Lyme Hall. The hall wasn’t the purpose of our visit though as we had planned to visit Lyme Gardens for a wonderful winter walk.
There is ample parking on the grounds and we managed to find a disbaled parking spot close to the main gardens. For disbaled parking close to the hall, head for the Orangery Car Park.
Disbaled parking is limited and we did have to wait for a spot (many of the disbaled spots were taken up by work vans). Once parked up, we were a stone’s throw from the main gardens and the hall itself.
It is a short uphill walk from the main car park to the house and gardens. We visited during the week and the main car park was extremely full. I would advise visitors to arrive early to secure a parking spot.
There is parking close to the cafe with a few disbaled spaces. Again, this car park can become rather busy.
Trampers can be hired from Lyme Hall and Gardens. In order to book one of these, email Lyme@NationalTrust.org.uk ahead of your visit to check availability. The Trampers are offered free of charge and can be booked between the hours of 11 am and 2.45 pm. The machines can be collected from the ticket office or at the accessible carpark close to the orangery.
Lyme Hall
The hall itself is huge. As we were unable to enter the hall with the dogs, this will be the subject of a future post.
However, I was able to appreciate this beautiful piece of architecture from the outside. The hall is perfectly located next to the lake and so benefits from some spectacular views.
The Gardens
We enjoyed a ramble around Lyme Gardens and spent a pleasant afternoon exploring the grounds. There were ample benches to take rest at which makes this an ideal place for those with limited mobility to visit.
The lake is absolutely stunning and is incredibly photogenic. From the lake, there are ample paths which can be taken with further gardens to explore.
The Italian garden was simply beautiful land one can imagine this to be a colourful experience in the spring and summer months.
We spent hours walking through the other gardens with the dogs.
Cafe
After an enjoyable walk, we headed down to the cafe. The menu on offer was varied and we both found something we liked. I particularly enjoyed the scones and the toastie.
The cafe offers sandwiches, sausage rolls, soup and pies. The coffee was lovely and there are a variety of soft drinks on offer too.
The cafe provides both indoor and outdoor seating. We sat outside with the dogs and the area was kept clean and tidy by the hard-working staff.
Next to the cafe is a small gift shops which sells lots of National Trust-related goodies.
One thing to note about Lyme is the lack of telephone reception. If you are waiting for an important phone call, this can be incredibly frustrating.
Aside from that, we had a very enjoyable day at Lyme Hall and Gardens. We met plenty of dogs along the way and our pooches were very welcome on the grounds.
