´óÏó´«Ã½

That's the 650-acre Blaise Castle Estate, a place to spark the imagination and escape to a world of castles, cottages, a wooded gorge and stunning wildflower meadow.

Even novelist Jane Austen was a bit of a fan - in her book Northanger Abbey Blaise Castle is described as "the finest place in England"!

The castle at Blaise is, in fact, a gothic folly, built on the site of St Blaise's Chapel, an outcrop which was originally a Roman camp.

The folly was built by slave trade investor Thomas Farr, in 1766 so he could run to the top and see his ships sailing back up the Avon, it was also used by its owners as a summer house.

The gothic castle has now been renovated and is open on Sundays during the summer.

The grounds, designed by Humphry Repton, are a series of wooded glens, mossy outcrops of rock and winding paths down to the wooded gorge.

See chocolate box cottages

The hamlet

His boss, John Harford - a wealthy merchant and banker - loved all things rustic and also commissioned a small hamlet of storybook appearance with beautiful thatched roofs and Jacobean chimneys - the nearby Blaise Hamlet.

There are nine cottages in the little village around a green, which was built in the early 19th century for estate pensioners.

Complete with a weather vane and water pump and just a few minutes walk from the estate, the hamlet is well worth a look.

For the romantics there is Lover's Leap (a dramatic precipice towering above the gorge) and many picturesque walks through the grounds.

Along the trails you can also find Goram’s Chair (the giant’s resting place – an immense limestone rock group), the Robber's Cave, earthworks and Iron Age fort and the mysterious fairytale cottage the Inner Lodge – a beautifully-crafted, unique wooden house.

House

The estate's main house was built of Bath stone in 1796 and is now a museum of everyday life.

It is open throughout the year Saturday - Wednesday (closed Thursdays and Fridays), 10am - 5pm with free entry.

The exhibits include a fascinating collection of antique domestic equipment, toys, games, costumes and textiles.

There is also Humphry Repton’s original red book, which contains drawings and paintings of the landscaping in the estate.

At the back of the main house is a thatched dairy, designed by John Nash.

Down in the gorge, at the side of the river, is Stratford Mill, a water mill brought here in the 1960s to preserve it from demolition.

There are plenty of picturesque trails

Children

There are two excellent play parks, one of which is especially aimed at the under fives.

There are also cricket and football pitches in the estate, (to book call 0117 922 2789), and a two-mile horse trail and usually lots of planned activities during the school holidays.

A new cafe selling hot drinks and snacks is also worth popping into on cold days.

The estate is an ideal place to see nature, with different woodlands to explore and boasts rare species of birds, butterflies and flowers.

How to get there

Blaise Castle Estate is in Henbury in the north-west of Bristol.

Entrance to the estate grounds is off Kingsweston Road on the B4057.

Entry to the estate grounds is free.