While most people flock to the nation’s country houses to see the riches inside the historic buildings, we prefer to take in the abundant treasures to be found outside them.

We love to get away from the bulk of the crowds and take leisurely walks through the grounds and gardens, enjoying the tranquility and opportunity to appreciate nature’s bounty – as well as the ability of great men from times gone by to transform the landscape into a rural idyll.

Nowhere more is that the case than at Harewood House, the nearest great stately home to Bradford, situated between Leeds and Harrogate.

Harewood, home of the Earl and Countess of Harewood, was named England’s Large Visitor Attraction of the Year for 2009.

The majestic house, built in the mid-18th century, has interiors by Robert Adam, furniture by Thomas Chippendale and paintings by the likes of Turner, Reynolds and Titian. Its Italianate terrace along the south front of the house has superb views of the rolling landscape and lake. These look as though they have been there since time immemorial, but were in fact created only 250 years ago by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

Harewood’s amazing gardens, extending to more than 100 acres, contain plants from all over the world.

The gardens date back as far as the building of the house to the mid-18th century. As the foundations of the house were being laid in 1758, renowned country house garden designer ‘Capability’ Brown was laying out the look of the grounds.

He subtly altered the natural hills and valleys to create the idyllic rural setting for the house you see now, with the serpentine lake and naturalistic tree planting. Later designers added the rolling landscape extending from the lake to the house and parkland beyond.

First, we took in the best-known garden at Harewood, the terrace, with its views over the lake. It’s a Victorian formal garden built in the 1840s by Sir Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament.

The main level of the terrace, known as the Parterre, was recently restored and has fountains and symmetrical flowerbeds with clipped box hedging. There is always a colourful display, with tens of thousands of plants and bulbs planted here each year.

Our attention was grabbed by the stone statues in the flanking fountains and particularly by the bronze figure of Orpheus in the central one, with the inky black ornamental pond at its base.

The upper level of the terrace houses the Terrace Tearooms, where visitors can take refreshments indoors or outdoors while admiring the views.

Along the terrace is a herbaceous border, with many hardy perennials, annuals, bulbs and climbing roses, selected for their blend of cooling colours in this south-facing location.

Below the Parterre is the Archery Border, which now has a border of sub-tropical plants including the largest eucryphia in the North of England.

Linking the terrace to the Courtyard is the West Garden, with trees and shrubs providing lots of colour and interest throughout the year. When we visited, the rhododendrons were in full bloom.

Elsewhere is a relaxing area where we sat to admire the birds flitting in and out of the clipped hornbeam hedges, rose and lavender beds, and an unusual fountain featuring a terracotta dolphin; not quite to our taste, but definitely a talking point!

We then strolled down past the courtyard shop and restaurant through the Lakeside Garden, and were grateful for the cool shade provided by the mature oak, beech and chestnut trees. This enchanting garden was among those created by ‘Capability’ Brown in the 1770s, and has open glades where we admired the views across the lake towards the house. It’s a great area to sit and relax, and maybe enjoy a picnic, as several families seemed to be doing.

Autumn is also a great time to walk through the Lakeside Gardens, with the changing leaf colours reflected in the surface of the lake.

Adjoining the lake is the Himalayan Garden, opened by Ilkley’s Alan Titchmarsh just last year, which brings the flora of Central Asia to Yorkshire. It is an extension to the Rock Garden from the 1930s, with winding paths through a gorge, a bridge across a beck – with stepping stones, which were proving popular with children – and colourful orchids, primulas, lilies and blue poppies.

A little further on, we saw the Harewood Stupa, a Buddhist monument built six years ago by monks from Bhutan in the Himalayas. Decked with colourful flags, it’s the only such monument in Britain.

Carrying on beside the lake, we came to the Walled Garden, the oldest of the Harewood gardens, and a pretty bothy cottage covered in rambling roses, which was home to the young Victorian gardeners serving their horticultural apprenticeship. This garden was already under construction when the building of the house started in 1759, providing the kitchens with fresh fruit and vegetables for those dining at the house.

The Courtyard Garden remains a working kitchen garden, growing a range of fruit and vegetables, some of which are served in the restaurant in the courtyard.

Dotted around the gardens are several examples of contemporary sculpture, including some humorous signs by Leo Fitzmaurice in the West Garden and Laura Ford’s Armour Boys, child-sized bronze figures in armour on the terrace.

For younger members of the family, who may not appreciate all that the gardens have to offer, there’s an adventure playground, with swings, slides and climbing frames. Nearby are a cafe, picnic areas, an ice-cream kiosk and toilets.

Children will also enjoy the bird garden, with more than 90 species including the always-popular penguins, flamingos and parrots.

Factfile
- Harewood House is located off the A61 between Leeds and Harrogate.
- The gardens, grounds and adventure playground are open daily until October 31, except August 4, 10am to 6pm.
- Grounds and gardens ticket prices: adult, £9; senior citizen, £8; child/student, £5.50; family, £29.
- For further details, visit the website harewood.org.