More Cumberland wanderings

Before heading back to Edinburgh, popped into The stunningly beautiful Hutton-in-the-Forest at Skelton, the home of Lord and Lady Inglewood, and unlike yesterday’s ruined stately home, the house has been in the same family since 1605.

Hutton-in-the-Forest was originally a medieval stronghold and the Pele tower survives. Succeeding generations have altered and added to the house and both the outside and inside show a wide range of decorative styles from the seventeenth century to the present day. The gallery, a rare feature in the North of England, dates from the 1630s and contains early furniture and portraits. The hall, built in 1680, is dominated by the Cupid Staircase, which leads to a suite of mid-18th century rooms, including the Cupid Room. The drawing room dates from about 1830, the library from 1870, and Lady Darlington's Room is decorated in the Arts and Crafts style.

The Walled Garden, built in the 1730s, houses a large collection of herbaceous plants. The terraces were originally laid out in the 17th century. The woodland walk contains a 17th-century dovecote which unusually still contains the potence, an internal rotatable ladder. The 1st Lord Inglewood added a number of new tree species to the grounds and the tree trail guide now lists seventy within the arboretum.

After that, we headed back to Edinburgh