Bowood House was new to us and it turned out to be a very good choice. We also visited the gorgeous Woodland Gardens later in the day. There's ample parking and, after a bit of a walk past the Bothy and children's playground, we got to the house and parterre gardens. The gardens are very nice with lots of photo ops. We took our time wandering and then went into the house itself which opened after the gardens. Who knew that oxygen was discovered here? Lots to read about the scientist involved. There aren't a lot of rooms to visit but the upstairs area, in particular, has lots and lots to see. And all very well labelled. We spent a lot of time up in that area. We popped into the shop and were served by Alex who was very friendly. The Stables Cafe was ok (my soup was very nice) but the service was poor. Very slow to actually serve us even though the place hardly had anyone in there to deal with. Worth a visit.

Beautiful grounds, gorgeous flowers and trees and amazing adventure playground! Café could do with a better range of vegan options - only one sandwich and a flapjack. Would be good to include a vegan option in the kids’ lunchbox offer.

A very good place to visit and explore with kids. Ticket prices are expensive and only worth it if you are just visiting this place. Make sure to check the opening time and plan your trip accordingly. This place is definitely worth visiting and would recommend a family picnic trip.

Felt compelled to write a review after what I would consider to be an insulting experience at Bowood. I’ll start by saying that the house and grounds are stunning. There is no question. It’s a lovely place to spend a day wandering around, the waterfalls and caves are great for exploring, and the adventure park is brilliant. Sadly two areas greatly detracted from the experience for me and one of which. Bowood should honestly be embarrassed by in my opinion. Firstly the cost. As a young family we’re often out for day trips on the weekend so I like to feel I have a fair basis for comparison when it comes to cost/value for money. Bowood is not good value. At over £17 per adult ticket you are competing with places like the Cotswold wildlife park which is infinitely better value and the same price. Secondly the cafes and food quality. Service was incredibly slow. Even without being particularly busy. Staff didn’t seem to know how to make coffee, taking over 15 minutes to make two Mochas, and having no syrups available for coffee is an unusual miss. But the biggest frustration of the day by far came in the form of the ploughman’s lunch. I genuinely feel robbed. Priced at £11.50 to be served a small bread roll, piece of cheese and a slice of ham is grossly disrespectful to your customers. I had the choice to add some jarred Branston pickle, and some pickles/ salad from the salad bar should I wish. But this is absolutely not what I would expect at this price point. Left a bitter taste in my mouth for the whole day and honestly probably wouldn’t have written this review otherwise. The cafe food generally is distinctly average and if you don’t like baked potatoes there’s next to no choice. Kids menu is hugely limited. No reason for this standard at all and would get much more business offering a more comprehensive menu and better service. Do better please Bowood and perhaps we’ll return for another visit. Would also recommend offering picnic boxes in the summer for the many people to enjoy the amazing grounds, but what do I know!

Really wonderful grounds and well kept. The formal garden, at the front of the residence, is small but beautifully managed, and there are lots of grounds to picnic in. It is very expensive at £17 per adult and Bowood House is, in fact, a tiny part of what was a very large country house, that was demolished several decades ago. In terms of visiting the 'house', it feels more like a lodge or an annexe, and there are only 2 rooms to see, that's it.... So, if you are expecting to visit a large country house, this is not it.

We took our grandchildren and Ukrainian guests. Our grandchildren had a wonderful time in the adventure playground. The grounds are clean and pristine. Our Ukrainian guests were bowled over by the beauty of the grounds and the architecture. I particularly enjoyed learning about Joseph Priestley and his discovery of oxygen in the house. We were very impressed with the solidity and security of the adventure playground. When it was time to leave we found we had lost our car keys. A staff member stayed on to take my wife back over the grounds were she might have dropped them. Another came back twice about an hour after closing time to make arrangements for our daughter to bring a spare key from our house, and a secure way of getting in the now locked main entry gate. Excellent very well maintained facilities and caring staff. Well worth a visit.

Amazing house, gardens and walks. The house is only a fragment of the original building but is still magnificent, with about 4 large rooms downstairs and a large exhibition upstairs. The outside of the house and the formal gardens are beautiful. The walk along the lake is rewarding, but the real surprise gem is the "tunnel" to the waterfall, which is amazing - you'll need a phone with the torch function switched on, as the tunnel is unlit, narrow and winding. There are 2 cafes, but it's highly recommended to bring your own picnic. After paying the entrance fee you will want to save some money!

Attended the Classic Ibiza music event Loved the blue badge parking, first year of parking so close to the entrance - previous years the blue badge parking is a little further away. Staff manning the entrance are very welcoming., always organised to a high standard. Having limited walking mobility, had to ask for transport down the steep hill, the negative thing I want to share is, I could not swing my legs up & over a bar in the front next to the driver. I had to try a step up in the back (which was difficult, with limited mobility) someone found a cardboard box for me to use as a step. I would like to see a buggy that is more mobility friendly, to get on. What I mean is something without bars / barriers restricting access to get on the buggy. The concept is great (I have posted before) needs to be less of a taxi to take people down the hill, and more inclusive of people that cannot step up to, or lack the ability to get on the buggy. The staff were lovely, and understood my disabilities. Sadly I had to walk up the hill when the music event was finished (I use crutches) the buggy was taking young intoxicated people from the event, up to the entrance. The disabled loo by the first aid tent was clean & accessible. After last year, I did not use the disabled loo by the toilet block, in case there was no light in there again. Thank you to the staff going up and over their roles to try and help me, making me feel included. Sadly the type of buggy was not easy to get on and off, I am sorry for seeming to be ungrateful.

Called in here as a change from the NT properties we usually visit and it was well worth it. Beautiful Capability Brown grounds with hidden caves, water falls and the usual temple, all within easy walking of the formal gardens. We particularly liked the fact that the signposts said how far away everything was. Lovely long picture/sculpture gallery and interesting exhibitions upstairs. We ate in the cafe which was excellent. Lovely staff . Fantastic children's playground in the gardens too.

A great property to visit - although the weather meant on this occasion we were unable to enjoy the gardens. However the experience was enhanced by the fantastic team at the house who were so helpful in assisting our party with access issues and were so engaging in sharing their knowledge. They really made the visit. And the lunch was incredibly generous as well as tasty too.