Awesome place, can quite easily spend the whole day here. Even when busy you can escape the crowds following one of the many trails through the extensive conifer forest. If you venture into the Labyrinth just be warned, it's easy to get lost. This aptly named area of the estate has a myriad of small Rhododendron lined paths; easy to get disoriented even with GPS. If you have limited time however, I would skip the forest trails and focus and what is the most beautiful area of the Estate to the South and West of the House incorporating the Formal Gardens, Rock Garden and Pinetum. The Formal Gardens face South and have the best views on the Estate. You can sit on deckchairs on the lawn enjoying the fine views across the valley. The House is a delight with it's impressive interiors and blend of science, technology and art. The first house to use hydroelectricity and innovative vented central heating. You can access four floors (stairs only); don't miss the "Owl Suite" at the top of the house, designed and refurbished for the visit of Prince of Wales in 1884.

Beautiful house! Nice garden's to explore with the children. We didn't see everything but did notice that there was a shuttle bus that can take you to the different areas as it is quite spread out. The play park and tea rooms are nice although I didn't get a photo.

Beautiful area! The house was wonderful (but I would advise not going at "peak" times into the house as it gets busy quickly). I would suggest getting the guidebook as it makes everything else make a bit more sense. The grounds are so expansive - there's definitely more to explore away from the main routes! Once you're in the gardens it's easy to find a secluded space away from the main bustle for a scenic picnic. The carriage view drive was equally brilliant!

What a stunning place. Definitely recommend, especially May/early June for the vast array of beautiful rhododendrons. Great walks, although we got drenched by the heavy rains. Would advise wearing walking boots for a good walk. House is interesting too but the gardens are the star. Nice cafe, decent choice of food although not a lot of veggie choices. Great cake!

Visited this stunning location midweek during our recent summer holiday. The drive to this beautiful location with stunning landscape views alone helped set the bar! The estate is huge! You will never cover all it's corners in one day alone. But most visitors firstly enjoy the beautiful house with its stunning decor and history and then it's immediate gardens with the pinetum. You can then take a breather at their cafe before deciding what to do next. Which would be yo visit other buildings around the site, like the power house which is accessed via a woodland walk, with gradients. There is a peel off route through a small gorge which I would highly recommend, as it is simple beautiful! The estate is surrounded by vast amounts of forest, which has many, many footpaths and walks which could lead you to the lakes in the upper forests, you will need sturdy footwear also take snacks and drinks, as I said, it's vast! Most visitors though decide to take their cars on the dedicated route around the estate, where you can take in a lot of the beautiful sites from the comfort of your car seats. There are small car parks around this route if you we wish to pull over and explore! This is quite important for those who are visiting with people who can't or don't want to tackle the estates miles of footpaths to see these sights.

Absolutely stunning. The carriage drive reopened and it's a beautiful 6 mile drive surrounded by the rhododendrons. So many vibrant colours. There are some picnic tables overlooking the lake where you can just sit and drink in the view. The house is very interesting. We couldn't do the formal garden as our elderly dog could not walk it and the wheel fell off of her pram. A lot of the grounds are sadly not really suitable for prams or wheelchairs but there is a lot to enjoy & I believe there is a wheelchair/family friendly route. We will definitely be returning.

Always an amazing experience at Cragside, no matter how many times you go you can always find new trails to walk, and photos to take. If you’re not a NT member then the tickets are pricey but well worth it as we spent over 6 hours at Cragside. Venturing off up to the walks on the cliffs, takes you to the labyrinth, which is so easy to get disoriented… and we did many times. But so much fun. The lakes are a lovely place to picnic down in the summer sun and spend some lazy hours enjoying the tranquility of it all. The house is a wonder to those who have never seen it and still very much enjoyable to those that have. I still don’t think it’s an ideal place to take masses of kids, running around the corridors etc. The gardens are always the most attractive thing. The number of walks around the grounds is testing to even those fit and able. There’s loads of steep climbs and decents, but well worth the effort if you take your time. And the views are gorgeous. My advice, take a picnic, plenty of fly repellent, and strap in for a full day of walking and enjoying the sights, sounds and beauty of it all.

Absolutely fantastic day out. One of the most beautiful locations I've been to in Britain. So much to see and do and all helped along by really friendly staff. Extremely educational in a fun and interesting way. Will definitely be going back at some point.

Well worth the vist free to N/T members or you can join there and you get in free just set up a direct debit at a monthly payment, we visited 3 places on our trip and saved nearly £90 . Spent 4 hrs there, the house gardens the gorge the lakes the forest and a good cafe and shop , not ideal for wheel chair users as there's steep steps and rocky paths the house had staff in each room explaining everything and how he got the hydro electrics to work.

Fantastic National Trust property. Something for everyone here. The house is impressive inside and out. So much history and engineering within the building. The gardens are also wonderful, there is so much to see that a full day can easily be spent here.

The house and grounds are epic. We had such an excellent afternoon there, which unfortunately was not enough time to see and do everything. You need at least a day there, if not more. There's so much to do, loads of trails to walk, look around the first of its kind 'smart' house and its grounds, drive around the hundreds of acres of land to see the lakes, woodland and wildlife, and so much more. Cannot recommend this place more. Will definitely visit again in the future.

This is a great day out for the whole family. The house was amazing and very interesting. The grounds and gardens were beautiful with so much to see and do. There were plenty of well signed walks but lots of hills so not suitable for everyone. The labyrinth is definitely worth the walk up the hill. There is also a gift shop and tea room to visit.

An amazing place, with really interesting history, lovely grounds to explore and the staff are soooo friendly and helpful. We thought the entrance fee was a bit steep on entry, but having spent all day exploring the house, the grounds and the gardens, finishing with the carriage drive, gotta say its worth the money, and - we'll be back!

Fascinating house filled with all sorts of furniture and paintings. Amazing hydraulically- operated lift, electrical generation and lights. Fabulous grounds to explore. Rained virtually the whole time but we still thoroughly enjoyed it.

Absolutely stunning National Trust Property/Grounds. You could spend a day and a half or more here the grounds are very impressive from the moment you drive into the property. There are several car parks throughout which you can park and visit different areas of the park. The whole Carriage Way Drive is 6 miles long. We did not visit the property inside itself but after watching the BBC National Treasures Programme after our visit it is evident the house is as it looks on the outside. If you are visiting with a dog everyone is dog friendly and it is dog friendly throughout the Grounds/Garden.

Amazing house & spectacular gardens. If you need support for access there is a great shuttle bus with wheelchair capability. The formal gardens were beautiful. If you like Victorian ingenuity, then this is for you! Hydroelectric power...inventive owner...arts & crafts house. Amazing!

Visited this place as so many people who I know have found the house,gardens and workings interesting. The weather was good first thing so we looked at the gardens first. The pump house was not open on the day which was disappointing. Loved learning about the house and history of the Armstrongs although there was not room for social distancing in the house.

Worth a visit. Dogs are allowed every where except in the house and tea rooms there are tables outside to accommodate people with dogs. Loads of rooms to see inside the house making it good value for money. Beautiful gardens and woodland walks. They have a bus that takes you from the car park to the cafe or house and back again or you can walk. Be prepared to spend a long time here

Excellent place, an absolute must see for the house, gardens, the walks. Staff are really helpful and friendly. A huge place, so many walks. The best NT premises we have visited. Will make sure we return when we are in the area again. You need at least half a day here, and you wont see everything or do all the walks.

A real gem, it was great you could drive all around the site and pull up and explore the trails get back in the car drive a bit more get back out. As well as park and explore definitely something different. Lovely food and gift shop. Highly recommended a visit here

Great find and fun for all family including the dog (on lead everywhere but the main house). Plenty of walks through woodland and Carriage Drive is recommended 6 miles of single track one way system around estate with plenty of parking spots and places to see along the way.

A wonderful estate in a fantastic landscaped setting. Lots & lots of footpaths take you through the gardens & forests & past the couple of lakes. There is a six mile carriage ride that you should explore in a car first, with some car parks off this with picnic tables & a children's play area at the top of the ride. After this, go & visit the house & discover the wonderful world in the first house that had hydro electric powered lights & a complete internal plumbing system, which was revolutionary at the time. The historical aspects of life there are fascinating. The NT cafe & shop are obligatory visits & won't let you down.

Lovely day out, whole family enjoyed it. We are national trust members so was easy to arrive and park up, there was no queue to show our pass at the gates when we arrived. We parked in the main car park where there was plenty spaces and a short walk from the facilities where there was picnic benches, toilets and cafe. We visited the play area and labyrinth and had a walk through the woods and around the house. Such beautiful views. We did take pram for our youngest, there was lots of trails that wouldn't of been suitable for it but we walked from the house to the play area no problem although steep in some areas. Suitable footwear is a must! Play area was great for the kids and in a good condition, there was a kiosk there that wasn't open when we went but looks like it would sell refreshments, there was toilets and a car park next to play area too. There is plenty car parks on the trail so if you have little ones that can't walk far you can drive between each car park/area to visit, however there were lots of beautiful trails to walk around as well with plenty picnic areas to stop at if youve brought your own food. We didn't visit inside the house this time but did look around the outside and walked across the iron bridge with the house view in the background! Overall we had a great day out and made for tired legs on the way home. Would definitely recommend a visit. The kids are already planning their next trip back.

What an amazing place and £22 well spent (this includes the parking). 100 acres of land to walk in and beautiful autumnal colours on show. For those less able you can enjoy the grounds by driving on Carriage Drive a 6 mile circular route through the estate. Cafe very good but busy - I had the Cornish pasty - delicious 😋 If that wasn’t enough then there is the house and the vast array of innovative designs which were ahead of their time, hydro electric power - (electricity in the house), central heating, automated spit for roasting meat etc etc, it goes on and on. The formal garden were impressive in October and would be splendid I’d imagine in the Spring/Summer season. Highly recommend and one visit wasn’t enough, so I’ll be back. Watch out for the giant marble fireplace- never seen the like!!

Very interesting house with a wonderful history. The grounds are great to explore with the Iron Bridge and at the bottom of the gorge is the powerhouse and pump house. Lots of walking. A full day is needed to explore everything and then a drive in your car on the carriage route. Just a bit expensive at £22 per adult.

Really interesting visit, the house itself was groundbreaking with its use of innovative technology and the contents are relevant to its time. It has interesting below stairs and upstairs stories. The room stewards are knowledgeable and helpful . There are some lovely artifacts, a great garden and super walks, the carriage drive you can do in your car is lovely. There are picnic areas but also a good NT cafe and shop.

This is by far the nicest National Trust place we have visited. The house is excellent and the walks are superb. There is too much to take in all in one day. There are miles and miles of beautiful walks through some of the nicest landscapes I have ever seen.

I have visited quite a few National Trust buildings over the past few years, and Cragside is one of the best! As soon as you drive up to the ticket booths and look across the landscape over the lake your immediate thoughts are WOW!! And that's before you even see the main house, gardens and other areas. It truly is one amazing place! Apparently, there are 42 miles of footpaths that can be walked. However, I passed on that and headed straight for the main house. The main house is very ornate, especially on the outside. It's garden is awesome and is landscaped on a very steep slope, with large rocky steps leading in all directions. It's a very interesting garden to explore and you never know what you may find! If you get tired of walking you can jump in your car and complete a 6 mile carriage drive, with plenty of other areas to stop off and explore if you wish. I haven't gone into too much detail in this review as no words or photos can really explain or show just how good Cragside is. I totally recommend a visit if you are in the area, you WON'T be disappointed! Oh, and there is plenty of car parking space.

This is our second visit to Cragside as we are staying in the area. It is one of our favorite National Trust houses we have visited. Beautiful house to walk around with some great features inside. Vast walks around the grounds. This house had electricity supplied by hydroelectricy, Beautiful Iron Bridge.

Great day out. We were really pushed with only 1 hour 30 to see just the highlights, so definitely make a day or half day of it. Lots of interesting rooms open in the house and the gardens are extensive with amazing vistas (note: very hilly/rocky in parts so wear good shoes). The carriage drive was a really nice finish at the end of the trip as you can drive around the circumference of the extensive wooded grounds

What a stunning house and garden I would recommend this to anyone it took us the full day to see all the house and gardens but well worth it. We walked to all the main areas but you can drive to the lakes and formal garden if you don't do walking.

Absolutely stunning place in the sunshine! A massive house with lots of walks around the grounds. The world's first hydroelectric powered house is filled with all kinds of gadgets to make life easier for the inhabitants, with the benefits also being passed on to the local farms. Well worth the trip, National Trust employees are a delight as always!

Beautiful estate, well maintained, you could spend a whole day here bring your walking boots as the grounds have plenty of trails with interesting locations to visit. The house itself is stunning set into the sandstone rocks of the glen, plenty of rooms are open to the public with lots of information boards and guides who lik to be asked questions.

Beautiful place, house was closed when we visited, loved the gardens. Gorgeous colours of the trees as it's autumn time. Not busy when we visited. Nice little waterfall. National Trust members so no cost to go in.

This a hilly venue with walks up and down hills starting from the car park. The cafe area in the court yard is a great place to have a coffee when the sun is shining with fantastic views over the lake just outside. A small walk to the house where you can tour and view the innovation and invention that went into the house by its owner. There are hilly Estate walks and an estate drive by car where you can stop off at various points.

Absolutely beautiful place to spend the day. Opens at 10.00am put a day aside to tour around the grounds and house, well worth it. £21.00 to gain entry which I thought was a little steep, but after spending most of the day, the work that has gone in to keep the house going and grounds I can see why. Take a packed lunch and on the 6mile drive around the grounds pull up and enjoy, highly recommended.

Wonderful house and gardens you can spend the whole day here. Lots to see. It's a National Trust Property so it's free if you're a member. Easy to park. There is a wonderful 6 mile slow drive around the grounds which you can stop off at several points.

This place is amazing. As you start your walk up to the house it's like you are looking at fairy tale castle up on the hill between all the trees. The building itself was spectacular but was extremely busy with queues down the corridors when we visited. The drive around the estate is lovely and seems to go on for ages. There's a brilliant children's play area in the middle and the adults can have a drink whilst they kids play. There is also a picturesque lake there too where you could stop off for a picnic on the rocks.

A must visit to see the rhododendrons when they are in bloom. Lovely drive around the estate to see them all. Parked at the playground and walked around the lakes. Good facilities. Wish we had time to see the house as it looks very impressive. Very popular place when the rhododendrons are out so get there early.

An excellent and well looked after National Trust site. Endless walks and great views. The cafe and shop were well staffed. The house has plenty of knowledgeable people, with the ability to explore 4 floors of the house. With two young kids we spent 45 minutes walking through the house but could have spent much longer. The playground is good and can be walked or driven too with ample parking, benches and a outlet selling coffee, tea, cakes and ice-creams.

So much to see and learn about this lovely house which was the first to have electricity.The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and there is a lovely cafe with a courtyard to eat out in and a shop.The grounds have lots of walks (but some are not for the faint hearted as they can be very challenging). There is a drive you can do in your own car round the estate, stopping of in various locations to walk or just to admire the views (and have a picnic if you wanted), altogether they make for a great family day out, and we still never saw everything this amazing place has to offer, so we will be back...

So amazing, you need a full day to visit. The grounds are extensive and include beautiful walks and the formal gardens are fabulous. The house itself is fascinating too. A drive around the 6 mile carriage drive is wonderful and offers opportunities to explore other parts of the estate too. A place you could go back to many times over and discover something different every time.

Wonderful house and grounds, I felt like I was in a Bob Ross painting, beautiful trees so well landscaped. A handy shuttle bus (free) to help you get around. Amazing well worth a visit.

Very extensive grounds which require you to be fairly fit as there are many steep paths and often uneven steps to climb. Quite long distances to walk between various areas and gardens. The house is quite unusual and interesting with many paintings and exhibitions.

Absolutely wonderful place to visit!! Definitely make sure you have the whole day to do so. There is so much to see and do. Great for all ages. Had a fantastic welcome and the staff made sure we had all the information we needed to make our visit perfect for us. Everywhere was so clean and tidy. Staff were very informative and so helpful. There are many walks of different lengths and suitable for different abilities. The house was gorgeous inside and out. We enjoyed our visit so much and had run out of time to do some of the things we wanted to, we are already planning a return. Definitely a family favourite now!!!