Brockhampton Estate

Our Review

We found Brockhampton Estate a hidden little gem within the Herefordshire countryside...

Some National Trust places are huge grand buildings. Some are ancient castles. And some are old but have a homely feel about them. That's Brockhampton Estate.

At Brockhampton is a medieval manor house with a charming gatehouse.

Although it originates as a grand dwelling, the building eventually became a farmhouse when the Brockhampton family built a newer, grander house. This place didn't change much over time.

Although it's still a bigger building than many of us live in, it's not that big, and even with its wonky medieval floors and low timbers in places, you could quite easily see this place as a family home today.

Things to To Do at Brockhampton Estate

Apart from visiting this charming little medieval manor house, the massive estate has plenty of walks. There are two car parks. The first is at Upper Brockhampton, where the main cafe is and a place you can park and set off on walks. The second car park is at Lower Brockhampton, by the house where we visited.

Walks and Nature Activity Trail

Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to do any of the walks, nor the nature activity trail at Brockhampton, which included a rope swing, balance logs, and other things to keep kids entertained and informed.

Here are some of the main walks they have:

• Oak Walk - 3.5 miles - 2 hours
• Holly Walk - 2.5 miles - 1.5 hours
• Ash Walk - 2 miles - 1 hour
• Beech Walk - 1.5 miles - 45 mins
• Heart Walk - 1 mile - 30 mins
• Chestnut Walk - 1 mile - 30 mins

Of course, times depend on how fast or tired little legs are.

In addition to the walks and Nature Trail, there are several orienteering courses (£1 per route when we visited).

Brockhampton Family Trail

We did do the family trail.

This was quite well organised, with many information boards containing interesting facts that helped you answer questions on the trail map.

This took you around the house, gatehouse, and gardens.

It was also nice to see that there was a prize for completing the trail, and it wasn't just chocolate or sweets. Instead, there was a table to choose a prize from, which included various things, like small toys and other items. (Our youngest, who did the trail, chose a box of polished stones).

Picnics

Brockhampton is a great place for picnics.

There are several picnic benches around the place, but you can also go and sit by the moat, which is a perfect place for it.

Some very friendly ducks will probably come and say hello.

Events

When we visited a medieval reenactment group was at Lower Brockhampton. They fired a cannon, demonstrated archery, and even got kids to come and join the nights.

They were a very friendly bunch, and we learnt a lot when we walked around their tents and chatted with them afterwards.

Though a bit of a drive for us, visiting Brockhampton Estate was well worth it, and it's a place we shall be going back to.

On The Map

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