A walk at Blickling Estate, Norfolk

Originally a deer park, Blickling Estate was later developed to include an old medieval-style house, Blickling Hall.  This grandiose house was to become the family residence of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII.

Historians believe that Anne may have been born at Blickling Hall, rather than Hever Castle, which was her childhood home.  Legend has it that Anne still haunts Blickling Hall, on the anniversary of her death on 19^th May.

Today, Blickling Hall is a National Trust property and is open to the public.

With such a varied landscape, the estate is ideal for walking and cycling. Blickling Estate has 4 signposted trails, each with different terrain.

However, they are all flat and are ideal for families.

The trail led around a field and up past a fantastic Gothic tower on the right.  Apparently, the 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire had the tower built in 1758 for watching horse racing at the estate.

Shortly after, we took a sharp right and left the multi-use trail to merge with Brady’s Walk.  Although keen to explore Buck’s Common woodland, it was a scorching day and some of the kids were flagging!

We continued along the edge of Buck’s Common and downhill alongside Bunker’s Hill Plantation until we reached Woodgate Car Park.  Some artists were painting the landscape, but the children were more interested in tree climbing in the Great Wood.   Funny how quickly their energy levels resumed!

Keeping with Brady’s Walk, we continued until we reached an open area with the Mausoleum.

The Mausoleum was one of the highlights of our walk.  This stunning pyramid is the resting place for the 2^nd Earl of Buckinghamshire, John Hobart and both his wives.

The architect Joseph Bonomi built the mausoleum in 1793, and modelled it on the Roman pyramid, Cestius.  It is an impressive structure, but somewhat out of place in a clearing on an old English country estate.

Above the door, you can see the Earl’s coat of arms, with a stag and dog either side.  On the rear side is a memorial tablet, from his second daughter.

After our visit to the Mausoleum, we continued past farmland and crops until we merged with the Lake Walk, which led us back to Blickling Hall.

We had spectacular views across to the house, which was reminiscent of a scene from Pride and Prejudice.  Alas, there was no sign of Mr. Darcy emerging from the lake in his sodden shirt, so we carried onwards towards the house.

On our return to the house we took advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme and had a pasty and drink in the shade.

Now, it was time to explore the elaborate gardens at Blickling Hall.  This really is every gardener’s dream, as there was so much to see.  Flower-filled beds, topiary hedges, and a quintessential English kitchen garden.

Additional features such as the orangery and a temple added interest to the garden and everyone was happy to explore.  Behind the house you can make a short woodland walk, which takes you towards the other side of the lake.

Keep your eyes out by the side of the house for a tunnel of trees, which looks like something out of a Harry Potter movie.