Petworth House and Park is a great example of why the National Trust is so fantastic as it has preserved an amazing house and garden for us all to enjoy.

The house is a huge 17th century mansion chocked full of art work that wouldn't look out of place in the National Gallery (Turner, Van Dyck etc etc). The public rooms are very grand, and I must admit, I find it quite difficult to imagine people living there, although they are still interesting to look around.

My favourite rooms are the servants rooms and the kitchens - in these rooms somehow there is much more feeling of how life actually was lived than in the formal rooms.

What makes Petworth Park so special for me is the absolutely stunning grounds. There are two parts of the grounds - the pleasure gardens, which immediately surround the house and the park itself which is the much larger area which surrounds the house and the pleasure gardens.

If you are looking for lots of formal gardens to enjoy, then these gardens aren't for you (there is a small area of formal roses etc very close to the house but that is all). Instead what you have is sweeping vistas of parkland designed by Capability Brown, with points of interest dotted about (a folly, gothic temple etc etc). There is also a beautiful lake immediately in front of the house, which gives an amazing reflection of the house.

Another lovely feature of the park is that there are two herds of deer that live there. A really lovely chance to walk and see deer in their natural habitat. Depending on their mood you can get pretty close, but obviously you need to keep your dogs close by if you do this.

Entrance to the house is I think expensive, almost £10, and unless you really like your antiques and art it may not be worth it. However, you can see the pleasure gardens for around £4 which gives you access to the servants quarters and the tea rooms too, so is a much better deal. Alternatively you can enter the park (where the deer are) for the price of the car park ticket (just a couple of quid) so if you are close by and fancy an afternoon walk, this is the place for you.