Walking at Wentworth Castle Gardens

Wentworth Castle Gardens is supporting the Barnsley Walking Festival this May. Earlier this year we held workshops for staff and volunteers interested in sharing our story and site through walks and tours. The wide range of ideas and the interest in taking part was exciting to see. From this we have six different led walking tours available for visitors to enjoy. Five of the six are all internally run with the sixth walk being led by experienced mindfulness teacher Sally Edwards of Kindmind. All the walks are free to take part in, with each being different we hope visitors will return to join a number of different walking tours.

• Gentle accessible stroll – An accessible relaxed amble to the Conservatory. Hear about some of the Wentworth Castle Gardens story and have the opportunity to ask questions. There are benches along the way to stop and soak in the views.
  Tuesday 3^rd, and Tuesday 17^th May.

• Birds, bees and butterflies – A nature walk exploring wildlife in the parkland, focusing on birdsong, insects and animal tracks and signs. The information shared and pace of the walk will be tailored to the suit the group.
  Wednesday 4^th, Saturday 7^th, Thursday 12^th, Monday 16^th and Saturday 21^st May.

• The Thomas Wentworth garden tour: A very important man you’ve probably never heard of – A guided walk up to the castle stopping at various points to learn more about the fascinating history of Thomas Wentworth – a man who was prosperous, political, puffed-up and passed-by.
  Friday 6^th, Wednesday 11^th, Saturday 14^th, Thursday 19^th and Monday 23^rd May.
• Parkland monument tour – A steady guided walk through the Parkland to discover some key monuments on the estate, a brief history of the House and its early occupants. It is also likely that you will catch sightings of Red and Fallow Deer.
  Friday 13^th, Wednesday 18^th and Wednesday 25^th May.
• Walk and talk with a Gardener – Take a walk through the gardens with your tour guide. An introduction to the variety of planting including the national collections of Rhododendrons and Camellias. Halia will make sure you see the very best on offer at this time of year and share with you what to come back and see another time.
  Friday 20^th and  25^th May.
• Mindful walking at Wentworth – This guided mindful walk invites you to explore the space differently, pausing and taking your time. The walk will be interspersed with mindfulness practices appropriate to the spaces we find ourselves in. Booking is recommended due to limited spaces.
  Thursday 5^th, Tuesday 10^th and Wednesday 18^th May.

Following the success of the May Walking Festival we hope to provide a wide programme of walking tours, to explore the nature, history and wellbeing found in Wentworth Castle Gardens.

To take part please visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wentworth-castle-gardens/whats-on

Joelle Summers, Partnerships and Participation Officer, National Trust