Introduction

Blickling Estate is part of the UK’s National Trust. It can be found close to the pretty village of Aylsham, Norfolk. It is just one of over 500 National Trust properties within the UK. If you are an outdoorsy type, or interested in English history, then read on to see why you should visit Blickling Estate!

A bit of background

Whilst on a trip to Norfolk, we decided we wanted to visit Blickling Estate again. There are a number of National Trust places and stately homes in Norfolk, and in our mind, this is one of the better ones. Blickling Estate consists of the Jacobean house, gardens, and parklands to explore. It was an easy 25-minute drive from Cromer for us. The estate is just a couple of miles North East of the village of Aylsham. There are public buses available to Aylsham, but you’ll need to cover the rest of the journey on foot to the estate if you don’t arrive by car.

map of blickling estate
The Blickling Estate map, so you don’t get lost

There is plenty of parking on the grounds which is free if you are a National Trust member, otherwise it costs £5 for the day. When we visited there were still some Covid measures in place. This meant we had to pre-book our tickets online, but currently (July 2021) this is no longer required. Admission costs £12 per adult, and £6 per child. Family tickets are available too. National Trust members gain free entrance to the Estate.

What to see and do

The trails

map of walking trails at blickling estate
And here is the trail map too

One of the best things we enjoyed about the Blickling Estate was the variety of walking trails offered. The trails are clearly marked on signposts around the Estate, and with handy trail maps here and there too. We kind of made up our own trail as we went, taking in a combination of the listed Mausoleum walk and Lake walk.

walking path in the greatt wood at blickling estate
Part of the Great Wood on the Estate

We started our hike by the main car park and followed the signposts for the Mausoleum walk. It was an easy hike, running through farmland and woodland trails. Not really suitable for pushchairs or strollers though, as some of the paths were a bit rocky in places. It was relatively flat walking though. I should add that hayfever season was in full swing when we did this, so make sure you are dosed up to avoid suffering! Pollen was everywhere!

mausoleum at blickling estate
The mausoleum, in the shape of a small pyramid

After a while of walking, we eventually came across the mausoleum. It looked a bit eerie, set just of the main trail in a bit of a field all by itself. The mausoleum is in the shape of a pyramid and is over 200 years old. It is about a mile away from the house. It was the idea of Lady Caroline Suffield to have the mausoleum built, in memory of her father John Hobart who died in 1793. We took a peek through a window at the side but couldn’t see too much. It looks like it hasn’t been used in a while!

lake at blickling estate
The lake at Blickling

Before our trail diverted back toward the house, we headed off to join the Lake trail. There is a good path, albeit narrow in places, around the lake. Again, not really suitable for pushchairs but we did see a few dog walkers enjoying the outdoors. The trail goes all around the lake and finishes back at the house and gardens. There are some fishing pegs around the lake as well, but I’m not sure if you need a special permit for this.

The gardens

blickling hall
The majestic Blickling Hall

You could easily spend hours exploring the gardens at Blickling! The main garden is directly behind the house and features a fountain and many ornate plants and hedges nestled neatly around. If you walk away from the house through the main garden you will also find a small temple. On this route, there are many paths to the sides that lead to small wooded trails. One of which also leads to the secret garden!

blickling hall garden
Looking through the garden towards the temple

The gardens also consist of an Orangery and a walled garden. The walled garden is to be found to the front side of the house and is in the midst of a regeneration project. There are many plants and fruit trees here and it has a number of greenhouses too.

blickling hall garden statues
Randomly placed stone busts are everywhere

The Hall

blickling hall and courtyard
The courtyard and entrance to Blickling Hall

If walking and exploring the huge acreage of gardens is not your thing, then perhaps the house is? Blickling House (or Hall) is a Jacobean property and was built in 1616 atop ruins of an older house dating back to the 14th century. The admission to Blickling Estate includes a visit around the house as well. When we visited there was a one-way system in place and they were keeping an eye on the number entering the house. This may or may not have been due to Covid reasons.

great hall inside blickling hall
The Great Hall inside the Hall!

Upon entry, the first thing you see is the great hall adorned with lots of portraits along the staircases. One of which is of Anne Boleyn, who may or may not have been born in the house. After studying the portraits for a while, I realised I didn’t recognise anyone. There may have been a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, but I’m unsure! I guess to some scholars this is a reason to visit Blickling all on its own.

tapestries inside blickling hall
It appears that the tapestries are telling a story

Some of the rooms upstairs had very beautiful tapestries hanging on the walls, dating back to the 17th century. I guess wallpaper wasn’t invented back in the day!

The route through the house took us through to see a drawing-room, a bedroom, a dining room, a serving room and a kitchen. The kitchen was interesting as there were two cooks making some kind of 1930s cake that smelled amazing. However, due to Covid they could not give us any to taste. Apparently, they were making them so that the smell wafted through the house. They looked good though, dressed in 1930s attire!

the library at blickling hall
What an amazing collection of books in the library

The most interesting room for me was the upstairs library. It was not like we could take a book from the shelf and read it though, but more to the age of the books. I assume that they were collected over the centuries by each of the house’s residents over time. There are over 12,000 books in the library and is the largest collection of books managed by the National Trust. I didn’t look at every spine, but some of the ones I did look at dated back hundreds of years. It’s certainly a sight to see, with 30 plus metres of books on either side!

The facilities

As you would expect, Blickling Estate has plenty of public toilets dotted around the estate. There are a couple of cafés too which we found to be reasonably priced. Believe it or not, there is even a pub on the edge of the estate. I’m not sure why we didn’t visit this, as I could have fancied a pint after our hiking around! They have a garden shop and a book shop to enjoy if you find the time.

cafe at blickling estate
The Muddy Boots Café on the Estate

So in conclusion . .

I hope what you’ve read gives good reasons as to why you should visit Blickling Estate. It’s a great day out if you like great countryside hiking and a bit of history. Those green-fingered types will enjoy the gardens too. As I mentioned before, it’s not a great place to bring younger children in prams or pushchairs. Older kids will love it though, especially getting lost in the woods and climbing trees!

You might want to check out these tips when visiting historical sites!

Whilst you’re here, why not take a look at my other UK posts?

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