IF manicured gardens and grand, Downton Abbey-style houses are your thing, you’re going to love our country house picks.
As the new year approaches, Britain’s most grand estates are ready to shine.
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Ashridge House in Hertfordshire is almost castle-likeCredit: Alamy
Country houses and estates are a great choice for a family day out, with wide-open grounds and historic buildings to explore.
But it’s not all countryside walks and grand buildings – plenty of country estates now have loads to do for children, too.
We’ve rounded up some of the most magnificent country houses across the UK, packed with exciting events, gorgeous grounds and plenty of kids’ activities.
With impressive interiors and gardens made for wandering, here’s the Sun Travel team’s top picks for 2026.
Now I don’t know about you, but the thought of seeing inside the home of one of our Prime Ministers’ was thrilling.
And Chartwell House, the home of Sir Winston Churchill and his family, really did live up to the thrill.
Inside the stunning country home in Kent, there are lots of the former Prime Minister’s belongings, all laid out just as he himself positioned them.
But it isn’t just the house that is impressive – there is also a studio in the grounds, which is home to the largest single collection of Winston Churchill’s paintings.
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Many are landscapes and they truly are fascinating to look at. Whilst he was no Picasso, Churchill certainly was talented with a paintbrush.
Outside there is also a rose garden that was designed by Lady Churchill and a lawn which looks over the surrounding countryside.
Chartwell house was the former home of Sir Winston ChurchillCredit: David Bebber – The Times
If you want to grab a quick bite to eat, then head to Landemare Café, which serves light lunches, cakes and hot drinks.
Kentwell Hall even holds Tudor reenactment weekendsCredit: Alamy
Ashridge House, Hertfordshire
Having first visited Ashridge House in 2022, I wouldn’t wait to go back.
Most of the house is actually closed because it’s used for weddings, but I still encourage anyone to go and see it.
It’s perfect to explore either on a crisp winter morning or sunny afternoon as there’s 190 acres of grounds to see from landscaped gardens to woodlands.
Thanks to its sprawling house and estate, it’s been used for filming things like The Dirty Dozen and Maleficent.
When you’re there, make sure to check out the Bakehouse as well which is a cafe in the courtyard that serves hot drinks, tasty pastries as well as breakfast and lunch.
During the festive season, the house also puts on a huge Christmas light display – which happens to be the biggest in Hertfordshire.
It has 20 installations across the estate along with a Ferris wheel that takes visitors up 115 feet into the air.
Ashridge House is a Gothic Revival country house built between 1808-1813Credit: Getty
Holkham Hall, Norfolk
Holkham Hall in North Norfolk is a sprawling estate featuring a grand hall with beautiful stately rooms, surrounding wildlife and plenty of exciting events throughout the year.
I’ve never visited an estate that has so much to do.
You’ll also find plenty of spots to set up a picnic down by the river of Holkham Park amongst wandering deer, as well as a summer food festival.
The warmer months also see the Ropes Course open for adventurers keen to climb and swing through the treetops.
There’s even a deer and wildlife safari for £6 per person (though if you drive to nearby Snettisham Farm Park, there you can feed the deer by hand).
But Christmas is my favourite time to visit, with craft markets, candlelight tours of the Hall, and even Canine Carolling (a performance from a choir of festively-dressed dogs).
It’s a popular time to visit, with many flocking over after seeing the estate sparkle in Channel 4‘s Christmas at Holkham Hall decorating documentary.
The expansive country estate is also just a short walk away from Holkham Beach – a royal favourite and often visited by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Farlam Hall is a country house come hotel in the Lake DistrictCredit: Farlam HallThe country house in Cumbria feels like something out of a period dramaCredit: Farlam Hall
Coleton Fishacre, Devon
Hidden in the lanes of Devon, Coleton Fishacre is a stunning “1920s country retreat complete with tropical garden by the sea”, states the National Trust.
The pretty house used to be a retreat for the D’Oyly Carte family, which included Rupert D’Oyly Carte – the son of Richard D’Oyly Carte who was the mastermind behind the Savoy Hotel.
The interiors are fascinating with lots of Art Deco features – all of which are in perfect condition.
Outside, visitors will find the RHS-accredited coastal valley garden, full of exotic plants and boasting sea views.
The entire house feels like exploring a treasure chest, with something exciting around each corner.
There is also a cafe at the house and a really good gift show with local handmade items.
Coleton Fishacre in Devon blooms with colour in the spring and summerCredit: �National Trust Images/Mel PetersColeton Fishacre gardens and house are looked after by the National TrustCredit: Alamy
Heythorp Park, Cotwsolds
ONE of the latest grand country house hotels to join the Warner Hotels group, this imposing 18th century country house set in 440 acres of glorious parkland is just a stone’s throw from Burford and Bourton-on-the-Water.
Follow in the aristocratic footsteps of the Duke of Shrewsbury, who built the house in 1707 with a spot of clay pigeon shooting, archery or indulge in an afternoon tea on the terrace overlooking the stunning grounds.
And yet, for all its grandeur, this is a fantastic value way to enjoy a country house hotel.
Mid-week breaks with Warner include half board and all your entertainment and start from just £190 per night in January 2026.
Indulge in British classics in the Market Kitchen buffet restaurant at breakfast, lunch or dinner or enjoy a la carte fine dining in Brasserie32 and gastro pub classics in The Travelling Duke.
As well as an 18-hole championship golf course there’s a luxurious spa. For the real Downton experience, go for one of the mansion rooms in the original country house.
The spa offers luxurious facials and massagesCredit: Warner HotelsHeythrop Park in the Cotswolds is the ultimate stay with a spa and golf course on siteCredit: Heythrop Park
Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire
Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire is the kind of place you turn up to for a morning walk, and somehow end up staying all day.
The stately house sits in the middle of the countryside, on a working farm straight out of a picture book.
This National Trust estate is perfect for strolls down woodland walkways before settling down in the Old Rectory for tea and homemade scones.
Plus the 17th century mansion is well worth stepping inside to poke around its ornate rooms.
Families can head to Home Farm to meet rare-breed animals, climb on tractors and watch the shire horses at work.
There’s always something happening too, with open-air theatre in the warmer months and popular harvest fairs in the autumn.
And if you want a postcard-perfect picture, the walk up to the Gothic Tower gives you some of the dreamiest views in Cambridgeshire.
Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire is beautiful at all times of yearCredit: National Trust ImagesWimpole Hall is a grand building with even more impressive groundsCredit: Alamy
Israeli authorities are engaged in multiple major efforts, including building settlements and pursuing annexation, to ensure there will be no Palestinian state in the future.
Israeli authorities are expected to advance plans to build 9,000 new housing units in an illegal settlement on the site of the abandoned Qalandiya airport in occupied East Jerusalem, in another attempt to cut off Palestinian lands from each other and block any possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state ever emerging.
The so-called Atarot neighbourhood in northern East Jerusalem, reminiscent of the E1 plan to undermine Palestinian statehood, is to be discussed and have its outlines approved on Wednesday by the District Planning and Building Committee, according to Israeli group Peace Now.
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The advocacy group said the new settlement is envisioned to be built within a densely populated Palestinian urban area, stretching from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and Kafr Aqab in the north through the Qalandiya refugee camp, ar-Ram, Beit Hanina and Bir Nabala.
It would build an Israeli enclave in an area where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in close proximity, with the aim of blocking development in a key area and further damaging the likelihood of a sovereign Palestinian state being established.
“This is a destructive plan that, if implemented, would prevent any possibility of connecting East Jerusalem with the surrounding Palestinian area and would, in practice, prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel,” Peace Now said.
Translation: The massacre government is working to establish a new ultra-Orthodox mega-settlement across the Green Line north of Jerusalem. The new political attack called ‘Atarot’ is planned to be built in the heart of the Palestinian state that will be established alongside Israel. This involves 9,000 housing units that Israel will have to evacuate. Isn’t it a shame?
The organisation said the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seizing every moment to bury chances for a future of peace and compromise.
“Especially now, when it is clear to everyone that the ideas of ‘managing the conflict’ and ‘decisive victory’ have led to a security disaster for Israel, we must act to resolve the conflict.”
The plan’s advancements date back to early 2020, when Israel’s Housing Ministry sent it to the Jerusalem municipality to prepare it for approval. It completed the bureaucratic preparation process within months, but faced objections from the Environmental Protection and Health ministries, according to Peace Now, which said the administration of United States President Barack Obama had also opposed it.
It would need further government consideration and approval before being given legal effect and moving towards tender processes to select construction contractors.
Most of the plan area is designated as “state land” by Israeli authorities, meaning they would not have to seek permission from Palestinian landowners.
Israel has been quickly advancing with several major projects to build illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory and pursuing annexation of the occupied West Bank, alongside its genocidal war on Gaza that started in October 2023 and has now killed more than 70,000 people.
The E1 plan, which would see the construction of thousands of illegal Israeli homes in the occupied West Bank, is hailed by Israeli officials despite international condemnation.
Israel’s security cabinet last week signed off on plans to formalise 19 illegal settlements across the West Bank.
Demolitions and widespread arrests
Israeli forces continue to launch raids across the occupied West Bank and support violent settlers in attacking Palestinian lands while issuing permits to demolish Palestinian homes.
Israeli authorities began carrying out demolition operations Wednesday morning in the town of Biddu, located northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext that the Palestinian buildings lacked permits.
In the central part of the West Bank, settlers, who have been rampaging with impunity often backed by the Israeli military, burned Palestinian vehicles and wrote racist slogans in the village of Ein Yabrud in Ramallah on Wednesday.
Several Palestinians were also arrested during raids across the West Bank, including in Nablus.
A well-known estate agent has listed the best high street across the entire UK, and the lesser-known spot came out on top for its restaurants, shops and houses.
The town sits 33 miles outside of central London(Image: BucksLive – Grahame Larter)
This picture-perfect market town has been crowned as home to the UK’s best high street by estate agents Knight Frank.
The property experts took a look at some of the streets that offer the most charm – and it turns out they found a true gem.
Situated in Buckinghamshire, along the banks of the River Thames, the town of Marlow is bursting with character that draws plenty of people into the area, keen to witness its thriving high street.
Matt Davies, partner at Knight Frank, explained to TimeOut: “We tend to see a slightly younger buyer base in Marlow, driven in large part by its outstanding educational institutions, including grammar schools such as Sir William Borlase’s.
“This often draws buyers towards the west side of town, to be within easy reach of these highly sought-after schools.”
It was described to be both “charming and lively” by the estate agents, two characteristics which have garnered it plenty of attention from home-hunters in an area commutable to the capital.
Over the years, its prettiness has attracted all kinds of famous faces, having had residents such as English novelist Thomas Love Peacock and poet T.S. Eliot, and even author Mary Shelley, who finished writing the masterpiece Frankenstein while living locally.
To buy in the area, according to Rightmove, people can expect to pay roughly £720,850, which was the overall average last year. Although, in that same year, buyers could expect to be paying around £929,115 for detached properties.
Alongside its impressive portfolio of properties, the area is proud to house a number of Michelin-starred restaurants and cosy pubs. One of these eateries even belongs to celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, who is the proud owner of the pub, The Hand of Flowers – the UK’s only public house with two Michelin stars.
The Coach is one of those Michelin star spots that is much-loved by locals and visitors alike. A recent review on TripAdvisor states: “Our first visit to The Coach, Marlow; will hopefully not be our last. The food was delicious, and the service and staff were extraordinary.”
It continued to read: “Helpful to the extreme. Professional, certainly. I would highly recommend this restaurant/pub. If you are near or in the Marlow area, be sure to pay a visit. You will not be disappointed.”
Meanwhile, The Hand & Flowers offers a more “relaxed” pub environment, with five-star delicious dishes. One pleased customer shared: “How refreshing to be able to enjoy this standard of food and service in such a congenial setting without having to put on fancy clothes!
“This was our first visit and, from the outset, the staff were not only super pleasant and helpful, but they also seem to perform as a well-oiled machine. The total makes an experience which feels more relaxed than other Michelin-star places.”
Marlow, being a town that sits along the Thames, also offers tranquil river walks. The town is sandwiched between Reading and Windsor, so there’s plenty to explore nearby and is completely surrounded by the sweeping countryside of the Chiltern Hills.
