1-Bedroom Hot Tub Cottage in Surfleet

Sandringham House is a royal country house on a large estate in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is owned personally by the monarch rather than the Crown, and the house is Grade II* listed. The landscaped gardens, park and woodlands are on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, and the site has a history stretching back to Elizabethan times.

Tip: If you're bringing a dog, check the estate's dog-friendly areas on its website before you set off.

Burghley House is one of the largest and grandest houses of the 16th century, built for William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I. It is still a family home, and the State Rooms are full of paintings and treasures, including ceiling paintings on the Heaven Room and Hell Staircase and carvings by Grinling Gibbons.

Tip: Book online in advance to save money on the day. Dogs on leads can use the parkland, but not the house, gardens or adventure play.

Grimsthorpe Castle is a country house in Lincolnshire, a few miles north-west of Bourne on the A151. Despite the name it isn't a castle in the strict sense, but its towers and outlying pavilions give it a massive, fortress-like look. Much of the Tudor house still stands, and Sir John Vanbrugh designed the Baroque north front, which is regarded as his last masterpiece.

Tip: Head for the Vanbrugh hall and State Dining Room first, then take in the parkland.

Woolsthorpe Manor, near Grantham, is the birthplace and family home of Sir Isaac Newton. This Grade I listed house is cared for by the National Trust and presented as a typical seventeenth-century yeoman's farmhouse. Newton returned here in 1666 when Cambridge University closed because of the plague, and performed many of his most famous experiments on light and optics in the house.

Peckover House is a Georgian merchant's townhouse in Wisbech, built in 1722 and home to the Quaker Peckover banking family for 150 years. Inside are panelled rooms, Georgian fireplaces and ornate plasterwork, plus a library, a cabinet of curiosities and an exhibition on the family's banking business in the surviving part of the old Banking Hall.

Tip: The house and garden keep different opening days, so check the National Trust page before you set off. Parking is in town, with Chapel Road the nearest car park.

Tattershall Castle is a National Trust property built in the 15th century by Ralph Cromwell, Treasurer of England. The Great Tower is an imposing red-brick keep with seven storeys, including the Parlour, Great Hall, Audience Chamber and Private Chamber. Some of the huge medieval fireplaces were once ripped out for sale abroad before being tracked down and returned.

Tip: The tower has 149 steps and no lift, and the grounds have deep gravel, so wear sensible shoes. Dogs on leads can go in most places but not inside the Great Tower, except assistance dogs.

Belton House is a Grade I listed country house near Grantham, built between 1685 and 1687 for the Brownlow family. It sits within formal gardens, including Italian and Dutch gardens, and a wooded park crossed by avenues leading to follies. The park has been home to a herd of fallow deer for over 300 years.

Tip: There's no need to book for normal visits, and parking is included in the entry fee. Park in the grounds, not in Belton village. Dogs on leads are welcome in the gardens, parkland and café, but not in the house or playgrounds.

Bolingbroke Castle is a ruined castle in Old Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire. It was founded in 1220 by Ranulf, Earl of Chester, shortly after he returned from the Fifth Crusade. It is one of the earliest castles designed and built without a keep, relying instead on thick walls, five D-shaped towers and a twin-towered gatehouse.

Tip: Look for the lower walls and the ground floors of the towers, which are the main surviving parts to see.