Six romantic National Trust destinations for Valentine’s Day
Eating out in a chain restaurant in London is hardly the most imaginative way to spend quality time with your loved one on Valentine's Day – so why not try something a little different this year?
Escape the city – and the awkward sight of couples on blind dates at Pizza Express – with a visit to a National Trust property. The British heritage group has picked out its most romantic destinations – all you have to do is organise getting there (and presents for your partner, and a card, and pink balloons. And champagne). Easy.
Read more: City folk and MPs have different takes on Valentine's gift-giving
These are its top picks:
Claremont Landscape Garden, Surrey
This landscape garden was given to Princess Charlotte of Wales as a wedding present in 1816, and with its serpentine and Belvedere Tower, is perfect for a romantic walk – even if the weather is a bit chilly.
Hughenden, Buckinghamshire
This stately home was the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and his wife Mary Anne between 1848 and 1881. Inside the house, you'll find their personal memorabilia, and you can also take a walk around the formal garden, which has been restored based on Mrs Disraeli's original drawings.
Disraeli and his family pictured at Hughenden (Source: Getty)
Prior Park, Bath
Designed by Capability Brown and the poet Alexander Pope in the 18th century, Prior Park is the perfect spot to catch spectacular views of Bath, especially in winter when the trees are clear of leaves.
The bridge at Prior Park, Bath (Source: Getty)
Stowe, Buckinghamshire
What could be more perfect for Valentine's Day than a stroll around an 18th-cenutry garden which is home to a temple dedicated to Venus, goddess of love? It's no wonder Stowe in Buckinghamshire, with its pavilions, winding paths and Palladian Bridge, is often chosen as a spot for marriage proposals.
Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk
The country house is surrounded by a square moat (Source: Getty)
At this moated Tudor hall, visitors can enjoy architecture from both the medieval and Victorian era. It was built in 1482 during the War of the Roses but was then updated in the Victorian style much later, when Gothic interiors and a walled garden were added.
Stourhead, Wiltshire
The Stourhead estate, which covers 2,650 acres of land, was opened in the 1740s, and was described by a magazine at the time as "a living work of art". Henry Hoare – the last of the Hoare family to own the property and its park – gave Stourhead to the National Trust in 1946, one year before his death, because his only son had been killed in World War One.
Stourhead is known for its expansive parkland and monuments (Source: Getty)