Exploring the estate at Lytes Cary Manor

Lytes Cary Estate in spring | © National Trust/Gerald Collon

There's plenty to see on the estate at Lytes Cary Manor, with three waymarked walks. Pick up a leaflet at reception, or follow the signposts for these gentle, level walks.

The White Walk

The White Walk takes you into woodland, a valuable habitat for birds. The field name, Raven’s Nest, suggests there were once trees of a height that would attract ravens to the area.

See if you can spot chiffchaffs, bullfinches and nuthatches feeding on fruit from the old orchard. The walk was named for the clouds of white cherry plum blossom with their frothy petals and heavy springtime scent.

The round dovecote at Lytes Cary with the manor house in the background — The dovecote at Lytes Cary Manor | © National Trust Images/Tamsin Holmes

The Estate Walk – Red

The estate walk takes you through the arable fields and meadows in the eastern part of the estate.

The route skirts Raven's Nest woodland and crosses Ridgeway Lane. It then diverts through a meadow, where sometimes cattle graze. Rejoin the ridgeway before returning through arable fields, past two ponds and back to the carpark.

A water vole by a canal — Water vole | © National Trust Images/Richard Bradshaw

The River Walk – Purple

The River Walk loops around open fields and the River Cary. Look out for the wide field margins, which are cut late in the year and provide habitat for overwintering bees and insects. Continue along the river bank, which is deliberately left undisturbed to provide reeds and rushes for resident water voles.