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The Howell Way
Our Journal
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Trips & Tours
The Howell Way
Our Journal
Talk to an expert

Gardens at Iford Manor, hiking with Foot Trails, England

By alison / January 20, 2026

We don't follow the national trails.
We follow the Howell Way.

Our way of walking, our way of caring.
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On our journal

When’s the best time to visit country house gardens in South West England?

We often get asked this question. As much as we’d like to give a simple answer, we can’t. Simply because

Creating a new route through a grand country estate

Earlier this month, Alison & I (David) were back out in the countryside checking a route in our Country Houses

Why we use local knowledge not guidebooks for our hiking routes

At Foot Trails, our hikes are built on lived experience – from years of hiking, talking and listening to those

Life on Instagram

When's the best time of year to visit country hous

When's the best time of year to visit country houses gardens in England?

We’re often asked this and, honestly, there isn't a single answer. Every month has something to discover and every season tells its own story.

🌱 Spring (March-April) is when gardens wake up. It’s the perfect time to wander through swathes of snowdrops, tulips, daffodils and bluebells, and to watch delicate blossoms drift in the bright, fresh air.

🌹Early summer (May-June) is classic country garden season. Roses, wisteria abd peonies are on their urine, borders burst with colour, abd everything feels full of life in the gentle warmth.

🌳 In midsummer (July-August) herbaceous borders reach their riotous peak while roses abd lavender scent the air. And who can resist a picnic under the shade of ancient trees?

🍂 Autumn (September-October) is when the trees take centre stage in a blaze of reds, oranges and golds: last blooming flowers linger and orchards hang heavy with fruit.

Our Country Houses & Gardens trips are curated to show you the best of the South West, whenever you choose to walk.

To find out more, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Facebook. We’d love to chat about your plans.

#hikeuk #englishcountryhouses #landscapegardens #englishgardens #walkengland

Capability Brown: Hero or villain of the gardening

Capability Brown: Hero or villain of the gardening world?

When you step into the grounds of a country estate in England, you’ll probably be walking into the vision of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. In the 18th century, Capability Brown was a giant in landscape gardening; the man who softened the countryside into what we now see as quintessentially English - rolling green fields and sweeping vistas of lakes and carefully planted trees.

But Capability Brown wasn’t without controversy. Some disliked his ‘naturalistic’ style calling it ‘bare, smooth and bald’. Others described him as a ‘vandal’ responsible for destroying the formal gardens that had previously been en vogue.

So is Capability Brown a hero or villain? Probably neither. His designs are a reminder that landscapes are constantly evolving, shaped by taste, power, fashion, and the human desire to create beauty.

Even the landscapes we consider to be archetypal English countryside are actually just another chapter in England’s fascinating history. Just one of the reasons why we love exploring these fascinating estates and sharing them with our guests the world over.

If you’d like to walk through history in the English countryside on our Country Houses & Gardens trip, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Instagram.

#FootTrails #CapabilityBrown #EnglishLandscapes #HistoryInTheHedgerows #WalkEngland #CountrysideStories #GardenHistory #ExploreOnFoot

When you walk through a country estate in England,

When you walk through a country estate in England, you’re not just admiring a beautiful house or landscaped garden, you’re stepping through history itself. These grand country estates were once seats of power. Now they tell a wider story and serve as fascinating windows into the past. Inside almost every country house you’ll find centuries of art, craftsmanship and design, along with gardens that reveal how fashions have changed through the centuries.

Our Country Houses & Gardens trip takes you on a journey through the English countryside to some of the country’s most treasured country estates, telling the stories of the people who lived, worked and ruled here over the centuries.

To find out more about our Country Houses & Gardens walking & hiking trip, visit our website or send us a message here on Instagram.

https://foottrails.co.uk/holidays/english-country-houses-gardens/

#EnglishCountryHouses #HistoricHouses #EnglishGardens #CountryEstate #WalkingInEngland #EnglishCountryside #HiddenEngland #SlowTravel #WalkingHoliday #CountrysideAdventures #ruralengland #walkengland #hikeuk #walkuk #countrysidewalks #ukwalkingholidays

Earlier this month, Alison & I (David) were back o

Earlier this month, Alison & I (David) were back out in the countryside creating a new route for our Country Houses & Gardens trip. We were again blessed with clear skies and sunshine and it was a joy to see early spring flowers starting to appear. It’s a wonderful time to be out walking, when you can watch the countryside change week by week as winter slowly gives way to spring.

One of the highlights of this route was a magnificent country house nestled in the rural Dorset countryside. With the sun on our backs, we explored the gardens. Swathes of snowdrops looked like a dusting of snow on the grass and we caught the first glimpses of azaleas and rhododendrons starting to bloom.

This truly wonderful estate in the heart of the Dorset countryside is just one of the tucked away gems in our Country Houses & Gardens trip. If you love the charm and history of manor houses, beautiful gardens and countryside walking off the beaten path, then you’ll feel right at home on this trip.

Visit our website (link in bio) to find out more or send us a message here on Instagram.

David

#minternehouseandgardens #visitdorset #EnglishCountryHouses #CountrysideWalks #WalkingInEngland #SlowTravel #WalkingHoliday #SpringInEngland #walkingholiday #hiking #ukwalking #walks #walkingadventures #walkingtrail #CountryHouses #HistoricHouses #EnglishGardens #LandscapeGardens #selfguidedtravrl

Today is the official (meteorological) start of sp

Today is the official (meteorological) start of spring.

Hints of green are starting to return to country lanes, and splashes of colour are bursting forth in fields and hedgerows - snowdrops, crocuses, primroses and daffodils can already be seen all over the countryside.

Birds are singing their hearts out and fields from the Cotswolds to the coast will soon be echoing with the sound of newborn lambs. Here’s to new beginnings, brighter days and wonderful countryside walking!

#SpringInEngland #CountrysideWalks #FootTrails #ExploreOnFoot #RuralEngland #spring #springhassprung #springvibes #springwalks #visitengland #visitbritain #walkuk #hikeuk #slowtraveling #getoutdoors

Last Saturday, the spring sunshine was out in forc

Last Saturday, the spring sunshine was out in force, giving us the perfect day for creating a new trail for our Country Houses & Gardens trip. An 8.5-mile route full of snowdrops, manor houses, a stunning village & views and quaint churches.

If you'd like to know more about our Country Houses & Gardens trip, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Instagram.

#LoveWalking #SouthWestEngland #visitengland #swisbest #visitdorset #walkingholidaysuk #hikeuk #hikingholidaysuk #hiking #walking #ukhikes #ukhiking #ukwalking #visitdorset #visitengland #visitsomerset #gloriousbritain #ruralengland #englishcountryside #countrysidewalks #landscapecaptures #thisprettyengland #gloriousbritain #englishcountryhouse #ruralidyll #bluesky

At Foot Trails, our hikes are built on lived exper

At Foot Trails, our hikes are built on lived experience — from years of hiking, talking and listening to those who know the land best.

🌳We’re all about crowd‑free walking, which is why we avoid the national trails. Instead, we guide you off the beaten path into beautiful villages and landscapes you’d probably never find alone. Just as stunning as the hotspots, but quieter, gentler and more authentic.

🥾🥾Every trail we create is extensively “road tested,” and we regularly check our routes using the principles of The Howell Way. It’s a process we love and we’re proud to weave little‑known corners, gardens and country inns into the carefully curated trips we create through the South West.

If you’d like to discover walking and hiking trips in South West England, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Instagram.

#ruralengland #villagelife #rambling #walking #hiking #goexploring #seekthepositive #englishcountrysideadventures #englishcountryside #ruralengland #ukcountryside #ukhikes #hikingtrails #photosofbritain #swisbest #ukwalking #ukwalkingholidays #hikingengland #hikingvacations #capturingbritain_landscapes #visitengland #visitthecotswolds #visitsomerset #visitwiltshire

Walk a path in South West England and you’re walki

Walk a path in South West England and you’re walking through time. Ridgeways first trodden in prehistory, Roman roads and medieval holloways carved deep by centuries of feet — every route has a story.

We feel this history with every step we take, and it’s a joy to share these ancient landscapes with guests from around the world.

If you'd like to explore this ancient side of South West England in 2026, simply visit our website or send us a message here on Instagram. We'd love to tell you more.

#footpaths #FootpathsOfBritain #AncientPaths #Holloways #walkuk #hikeuk #EnglishCountryside #WalkingUK #walkuk #hikeuk #walkingadventures #hikingtrails #ukhikes #ukwalkingholidays #visitengland #lanscapecaptures #takeintheview #weloveengland #ruralengland #beautifulengland #swisbest #footpath #hiking #foottrailsuk

Last Saturday brought vivid blue skies and lots of

Last Saturday brought vivid blue skies and lots of early spring sunshine to the South West of England. David and I (Alison) were doing something we love: creating a new hiking trail for Foot Trails, a task we often take on in winter and early spring.

Recceing a new route is always a little unpredictable. We know the distance we’re aiming for, but we never know if the path will work in practice or whether we’ll need to retrace our steps, add a section, or abandon the idea entirely.

Saturday’s walk was glorious. Everything came together, resulting in an 8.5‑mile trail filled with snowdrops, manor houses, a stunning village, and quaint churches.

This new route will feature in our Country Houses trip in rural Wiltshire and Dorset. If this kind of off-the-beaten-path hiking speaks to you, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Instagram. We'd love to talk through your plans.

#visitengland #visitdorsetofficial #SouthWestEngland #VisitWiltshire #visitsomerset #visithecotswolds #englishcountryside #winterwalks #walkuk #hikeuk #englishcountryside #ruralengland #swisbest #walking #hiking #ukwalking #ukhiking #walkingholidaysengland #walkingholidays #hikingengland #hikingadventures #traveluk #visituk

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Credits & small print

Photography credits: Alison & David Howell. Alun Callender, The National Trust, English Heritage

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