Dalemain is overflowing with the charm of a bygone era. The gardens surrounding the 14th-century manor with its Georgian facade were bursting with colour and scent when we visited in July – the roses were still in bloom and in the white garden foxgloves, pineapple flower, chamomile, and tobacco plants looked serene under the huge silver Greek fir. Close to Penrith on the edge of the Lake District national park, the views from the terrace to the rising hills beyond the oak parkland are stunning. From the Tudor-styled ornamental garden, the path led to the Rose Walk and on through old varieties of apple trees, threaded with clematis. At the end of the garden through a door in the wall is the Stumpery – where dead tree stumps and roots are laid out on the woodland floor to gothic effect. The secret wood is full of Himalayan blue poppies in early summer. There is a tea room in the Medieval Hall.
