National Trust properties are great for a day out, or a stop off on a longer journey. On the way from Norfolk to Yorkshire, we stopped at the Belton Estate National Trust in Grantham for a break and had a great time!
Where is the Belton Estate?
Grantham
Lincolnshire
NG32 2LS
Contact information
Phone number: 01476 566116
Email: belton@nationaltrust.org.uk
Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottinghamshire-lincolnshire/belton-estate
How to get there
By road
Located just off the A607, Grantham to Lincoln road. Belton House is signposted from the A1. If travelling from Lincoln, take the second entry into the village. Belton’s gates are the first exit on your right.
Sat Nav: input Belton Village.
By train
Belton’s nearest railway station is Grantham (3 miles away). There are direct trains to Grantham from: Peterborough, Nottingham and Doncaster (about 30 mins), Leeds and London Kings Cross (about 60 mins).
By bus
Regular buses, passing close to Grantham train station, run from Grantham to Lincoln (#1) and Grantham to Sleaford (#27) every day. The bus stop is located just outside the main entrance gates of Belton.
Parking at the Belton Estate
Parking is included in your entry fee, National Trust members park free. Accessible parking close to the reception building. The car park here is huge and we almost forgot where we had parked!
Entry prices
*Prices correct as of June 2024
Entry to the Belton Estate is free for National Trust members and you’ll need to scan your card at the entrance.
| Thursday to Monday | Gift aid | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £19.80 | £18.00 |
| Child | £9.90 | £9.00 |
| Family | £49.50 | £45.00 |
| Single adult family | £29.70 | £27.00 |
| Tuesday & Wednesday | Gift aid | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £16.50 | £15.00 |
| Child | £8.30 | £7.50 |
| Family | £41.30 | £37.50 |
| Single adult family | £24.80 | £22.50 |
What is there to do at the Belton Estate?
Look around the house
Although we never stay in them very long, we do like to explore the houses at National Trust properties. Sometimes, going in these with children can be difficult, especially if they don’t really want to look at anything.
Some describe this house as a complete example of a typical English country house. The house was built in the late 17th century by ‘Young’ Sir John Brownlow and home to the Brownlow family for nearly 300 years. As a family, they were keen travellers and interested in things from all over the world. The beauty of Belton is that you can see such a wide variety of things inside the house. You’ll find things such as English portraiture, Chinese porcelain and the remarkable lapis lazuli cabinet. There are also so many books about travel and places around the world.
This is a house full of books and we loved looking around to see what there was on the shelves. There is one room with arm chairs and sofas that you can sit on, along with some soft, fluffy throws to use. This is perfect for picking up a book and having a little rest during your visit. There was even some books for children to use.
Outdoor adventure playground
The reason we stopped at Belton was because I had heard about the outdoor adventure playground. This is such a welcome addition to a National Trust property as we have only ever been to one other location with something like this (Anglesey Abbey). The Belton Estate’s outdoor play area is huge and it’s suitable for children of all ages. You’ll find a range of wooden play equipment such as climbing towers, stepping stones, bridges and see saws, as well as a climbing wall, slides and zip lines.
To make this area even better, you’ll find a small cafe serving hot and cold drinks as well as toilets. At certain times of the year there’s a little land train that runs around here but you have to pay extra to use it.
Indoor play area
Just across from the cafe and gift shop you’ll find an indoor play area. During school holidays and weekends, you might be given a 1 hour slot here as it can be quite in demand. The play area is woodland themed, with things like mushrooms, beehives and it’s all very natural looking. The area isn’t huge but it’s plenty, especially for younger children. There’s a cafe with tables and chairs at this play area, as well as toilets.
Explore the gardens
The gardens at the Belton Estate are beautiful and definitely not to be missed. You can stroll around these wonderful gardens at your leisure, taking in all of the different areas. Belton’s gardens are somewhat made up of the Italian garden, the conservatory and walled garden, the Dutch Garden and the Pleasure Grounds. From different points you’ll get a fantastic views of the Bellmount Tower, as well as water features, statues and beautiful plants and trees. We found the gardens to be so relaxing, and there are plenty of places to sit for a rest if you fancy it, or maybe just to sit and take in the views.
You might notice some areas, such as the sundial being from various TV shows and films. This area was used for a view of Lady Catherine de Burgh’s home, Rosings, in the 1995 BBC TV series of Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. You’ll also find that some areas were used in the Bridgerton series!
Visit the shop and cafe
I love looking around a National Trust shop and this one is quite large. Across from the shop you’ll find the Stables Cafe, which serves both hot and cold food and children’s meals as well as drinks. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating if you fancy having lunch or a snack here. There’s a separate area to sit if you want to bring your own food or if you’re buying something from the ice cream shop.
Don’t forget your National Trust passport!
If, like me, you like collecting stamps and stickers, make sure you have a National Trust Passport. At many properties, you can collect stamps from your visit. It’s very addictive and you’ll love getting a new one when you visit a different National Trust Property.
Be sure to read our blog post all about National Trust Passports to find out more.
How long should you spend at the Belton Estate?
There’s a lot to do on the Belton Estate and if you want to, you can spent the whole day there. If you’re visiting with children I would allow at least a few hours to make sure you can visit the adventure playground and the indoor play area. We stayed for about 4 hours but we could have easily stayed for longer if we hadn’t had other plans that day.
Opening hours vary depending on the day and time of year, so make sure you factor this in to your trip.
More National Trust properties to visit
- Blickling Hall (Norfolk)
- Felbrigg Hall (Norfolk)
- Oxburgh Hall (Norfolk)
- Sheringham Park (Norfolk)
- Anglesey Abbey (Cambridgeshire)
- Belton Estate (Lincolnshire)
- Treasurer’s House (York)
