Dog-friendly Burton Agnes

An Elizabethan house of 1601 still lived in by the same family, set behind a Norman gatehouse on the A614 with walled gardens, a yew maze and a woodland sculpture walk. The estate's own booking terms state that dogs are permitted in the Gardens and Grounds, that all dogs must be kept on a lead at all times, and that dogs are not permitted inside Burton Agnes Hall with the exception of assistance dogs. The visitor pages add that dogs are very welcome on leads except in the playground, so the adventure playground is the one bit of the outdoor estate that is off limits. The Carriage House Cafe has outdoor seating, and the woodland walk with its hidden sculptures is the part worth the ticket if you are here mainly to walk. Gardens, woodland and playground open daily from 11am to 5pm.

A rare survival, the vaulted stone undercroft of a Norman manor of about 1170 standing in the grounds behind Burton Agnes Hall, cased in brick in the eighteenth century and now in the care of English Heritage. Entry is free and English Heritage's own visitor page says plainly that dogs on leads are welcome, which makes it the one part of the Burton Agnes estate you can take a dog into a building on. It is a single cool dark room with massive round piers, so a five-minute look rather than an outing in itself, but it pairs with the churchyard of St Martin's next door and the Hall gardens beyond. Park in the car park behind the church off Shady Lane and follow the signs for the Hall. Open in line with the Hall, daily from 11am to 5pm in season.