W

hen it comes to flower-filled walks, Dunham Massey in Cheshire is the pick of the bunch. Whatever the weather, the 300 acres of parkland surrounding this 17th-century house are bursting with colour – thanks to the handiwork of Head Gardener, Damian Harris.

There’s a bunch of paths and walks to choose from – and you can pretty much pick a route to match your mood.

So if you fancy meeting the resident deer, head out on the handily-titled ‘Fallow Deer Walk’; or, if you’re more interested in the architecture of the house itself, take the ‘History Tour’.

Our favourite is the Camellia Walk, awash with pink from the thousands of eponymous flowers – along with eruptions of daffodils come March.

There’s plenty to see in the colder months, too. Like the Winter Garden, closer to the house, where you’ll find a carpet of more than 12,000 snowdrops, and the scent of Christmas box lingering in the air. All this, and you haven’t even set foot inside the house yet.