You are never more than 40 minutes away from a place looked after by the National Trust, according to its director-general Dame Fiona Reynolds.

This month, for one weekend, the Trust is opening up its historic houses, gardens and buildings for free, giving visitors a ‘spring bonus’.

Nationwide, 300 Trust properties, from stately homes and gardens to historic mills and theatres, will be open free of charge on March 20 and 21.

Launched as a “spring gift to the nation”, the Bonus Time scheme is aimed at encouraging people to get out and soak up some local history, or simply breathe in lungfuls of the great outdoors.

“This is the perfect excuse to discover what’s on your doorstep, perhaps revisit somewhere you pass regularly or explore somewhere totally new,” says Dame Fiona.

East Riddlesden Hall is the nearest National Trust property participating in the Bonus Time initiative. Wandering through the grand hall near Keighley is like visiting someone’s home, albeit from four centuries ago.

The historic house played a lead role in ITV drama Wuthering Heights last year, with the exterior used as the Earnshaws’ home. Once the heart of Riddlesden’s agricultural estate, the 17th century manor house is an impressive sight, reflected in the lake as you enter the sweeping driveway. There has been a settlement here since Saxon times, and in 1638 the Murgatroyd family moved in.

The hall was later taken over by the Starkie family from Lancashire, and in the 19th century it was occupied by tenant farmers until the estate was sold. In 1934, Keighley millowners William and John Brigg bought it and handed it to the National Trust.

At that time, the house had virtually no contents and the Trust furnished it to recreate the look and feel of the 1600s. Today it houses exquisite embroideries, oak furniture and pewter.

Through a stone passageway is the main hall, with a huge hearth and a beautiful 1600 Flemish tapestry adorning a wall. Oak armchairs, dated 1600-25, are carved with Yorkshire designs of the period. In the great chamber there are wood-panelled walls, rich embroideries and a striking stone and wood carved fireplace. The drawing room has an impressive ornate plaster ceiling and chimneypiece dating from the Murgatroyds’ residence, and the kitchen offers a sense of daily life in the house, with kitchen utensils and herbs laid out on a handling table.

The kitchen’s most notable feature is the huge 1600 grain ark, the only piece of furniture in the property when handed to the National Trust.

There’s a spooky atmosphere in the house, said to be occupied by several ghosts. The best-known ghost is the Grey Lady, starved to death after her husband found her with her lover. Another story is that she drowned in the ‘bottomless lake’.

A wooden cradle beside a grand tester bed in the master bedroom is said to rock on its own, and in the old barn – largely unchanged over the past 400 years – strange sightings and sounds have been reported. The team from TV’s Most Haunted did some filming in the old barn during a paranormal investigation.

Regarded as one of the finest barns in the North, it retains original features including a beaten earth floor, glorious oak roof structure, and a collection of old agricultural equipment.

Outside, the seasonal gardens create a sense of tranquility set against the hall’s tumultuous past. Take a walk through an avenue of pink cherry trees, lavender beds, clematis, daffodils, apple and pear trees, or spy on local birdlife in the bird-feeding station.

The wild garden is a changing carpet of colour, with tall grasses, perennials and wildflowers. A short walk away is a little grass maze that is as popular with young visitors as is the children’s playground.

Costumed guides are often on hand, recreating 17th century life at the hall via guided tours for visitors.

Factfile:

* The National Trust’s Bonus Time initiative, offering free access to properties and gardens, runs on March 20 and 21.

* Vouchers – downloaded from the website nationaltrust.org.uk – provide free access to National Trust sites and car parks. For more information, ring 0844 8001895, or email enquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk

* East Riddlesden Hall is on Bradford Road, Riddlesden, Keighley. It is open from 11am to 5pm until October 31. For more information, ring (01535) 607075.