Hutton-in-the-Forest

Hutton-in-the-Forest stands six miles north-west of Penrith on the Wigton road. The house began as a medieval pele tower and was expanded over centuries by the Fletcher-Vane family, who bought the estate in 1605; the family later took the title Lord Inglewood, and the present Lord Inglewood, Richard, lives there today. Visitors can walk the formal terraces, walled garden and woodland trails before stopping at the Cloisters Tea Room, a vaulted space with stone floors, arched windows and beamed ceilings. The tea room serves light lunches and sandwiches made with free-range eggs, vegetables from the walled garden and honey from the estate's own bees. The house opens Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and bank holiday Mondays; the gardens and tea room keep longer hours across most of the week, and entry to the tea room alone is free.