National Trust - Mount Stewart

We visited during the National Lottery Open Week in March 2025 (simply show your lottery ticket - physical or digital - to staff at the ticket till to get free entry for an adult and up to 4 children per ticket). Staff at the till were very nice and talked through the paths and areas on the estate. Because of the season, some of the gardens were closed and of course areas such as the rose garden were not in bloom. Because of the recent storm, some paths were still closed. Though we still enjoyed ourselves and had a nice walk through the estate, I would not pay £15 per adult for entry during this season - though I can visualise it would be worth it in the summer months. I wasn't personally interested in the family histroy or the house, though it was well presented, and all the guides were informative and enthusiastic.

So beautiful place. Worth to visit. Workers very nice and helpful, they explained us everything very clear with big small. I truly recommend this place. Car park free, nice gift shop and very tasty coffee.

An interesting house with enthusiastic guides to tell you all about it. Beautiful, unique gardens. We spent nearly 4 hours there.

Mount Pleasant is a great place to spend a morning or afternoon. Take the opportunity to go in the house (volunteers can tell you lots about the house and previous occupiers), then definitely take a walk around the grounds, especially the lake. Also worth walking up to the Temple of Winds on the estate for great views. The cafe is also worth a visit for a drink (bacon bap is decent!)

Stunning! Fantastic forest walk. The manor was fab and staff super friendly, informative, and helpful. Lovely sunny day out.

Absolutely loved our wander around Mount Stewart, a 19thC neo-classical house with celebrated formal gardens, lake and woods. The house sits on the east shore of Strangford Lough and was the Irish seat of the Stewart family, Marquesses of Londonderry. The family played a leading role in social and political life in Ireland and Britain. The gardens and grounds are stunning and the lake so peaceful.

Mount Stewart is renowned for its beautiful gardens, and it doesn't disappoint.There was still lots of colour in the autumnal borders, but for me, it was the layout and structural planting that impressed. The house is well worth visiting, and you will find the standard National Trust facilities, including cafe, gift shop and second hand bookshop, all at the usual prices. There are plenty of walks around the estate. We did the popular lake walk and you do get some great views of the lake during this walk. I believe the estate provides plenty of activities for children but a visit to the website will confirm this.

The whole garden is stunning from the idiosyncratic sculptures and more formal plantplanting at the front of the house to the dramatic vistas across the lakes. If that wasn’t enough there is a classic rose garden and a vertiginous Italian style garden too. It’s just an amazing day out.

After waking up with a stinking hangover the last thing I wanted to do was leave the house but after much convincing we decided to go and explore Mount Stewart with my sister and my lovely nieces. I hadn't been to Mount Stewart for years and wasn't really sure what to expect. Being a National Trust site i knew it would be well maintained but I was shocked at the level of beauty of the grounds. There's lakes, forests, trees to climb and plenty to see including a statue of a white stag and a historic walled garden. The walled garden is pretty much as it was - any history enthusiasts will love it's authentic state. Since my last visit facilities have been upgraded. There's a lovely wee café serving coffee and cakes. They even serve coffee in takeaway cups so you can get a £2 filter coffee for your journey round the grounds, as I did. You can also bring dogs as long as they are kept on the lead. Handily there's loads of water points for your four legged friends too. This school trip favourite really is a gem, well worth a visit!

Super place to spend a lovely sunny afternoon and because it is owned by the Trust, it is immaculately kept. Great walks of the lake where red squirrels can be seen and the formal grounds of the house itself are brilliant. £8 entry but get money back if join the National trust as a member...! Always things going on too, this weekend there is a craft fair and jazz festival and be on look out in August for outdoor showing of Jurassic park...

For the last two years I'd looked at pictures on Facebook and Twitter of the Festival of Light at Mount Stewart and wish I'd gone! So as soon as the tickets came out this year, I bought them so I wouldn't be disappointed. My mum, sister and I went on Sunday evening and thankfully the weather held up, if a little cold! The Festival is a mixture of sparkling art installations and beautifully decorated trees, as well as haunting music as you make your way around the lake. It was lovely to see so many families and the little ones with lanterns. We also got the chance to look around the Mount Stewart house, and buy food, gifts and trinkets from local producers. There is a large teepee with seating and a big open fire so a nice way to end the tour with a warming cup of hot chocolate! Would like to return for a day-time visit!

Festive,fun Christmas experience for the whole family.This is the second visit I have paid to Mountstewart with my sister and nephews whereby the trip to Santa's house at the Temple is an amazing and real-life,magical encounter that takes you back to the realms of the north pole! The experience is definitely worth the money .It costs 15.00 pounds for children and 12.00 pounds for adults.My two nephews were really happy to meet Santa and Mrs Claus in person.They received really well matched presents. The highlight of the experience was posting letters to Santa and receiving personal letters in the post from Santa too.Furthermore, the craft activities were great - Rudolph masks.The snacks and hot drinks were yummy too- delish shortbread. The only drawback of the experience is that you have to be assertive when getting a picture of the children with Santa as other children ended up walking into our picture too.Overall though, worthwhile experience,you can take in the beauty and natural surroundings of the gardens too.Great place for beautiful pictures. Will definitely be back :-)

Whether you're just looking for a beautiful walk or more interested in exploring a stunning National Trust House & Gardens it is worthwhile visiting Mount Stewart. It is definitely one of my favourite walks in the local area and this would be the main reason why I joined the National Trust. We usually have a lovely walk around the lake, the kids love to explore through the trees and maybe climb a tree. In the better weather it is a great picnic spot, there is also a lovely restaurant too. We recently had a tour around the house which had undergone a refurbishment, I would definitely recommend doing this if it is open. The guides were very informative about the history of the occupants. There are also some spectacular events held at Mount Stewart throughout the year and these always prove to be very popular.

Mount Stewart is a venue where you can do so many things - get fresh air and exercise (the kids), get some culture (the husband), have a lovely snack (me) and in the summer listen to live jazz (all of us) or go to the annual craft fair and market (me again). This is a National Trust property and one which is an absolute jot to visit. You can take a guided tour of the stately home and enjoy the extensive gardens, including a sizeable lake. Dog owners will live that they can take their furry friends along, but they must be kept on leads and aren't welcome inside the house. It costs £20 for four to get access to the house and gardens or £15 just for the gardens and you really will spend hours there so I think that's good value for money. Bring a pic-nic and a few rugs and you can pic nic wherever you like. There is a very nice tea room where you can buy light meals and snacks but the good old picnic is a good if you're watching your budget, and who isn't these days. On the last Sunday of each month from May - September, there is live jazz in the gardens. On a sunny day, this is a magical way to spend the afternoon. The atmosphere is lovely - everyone brings picnics and rugs, children go up close to the band and dance and lots of people bring wine and beer. I'm not sure if you are officially allowed to bring in alcohol but lots of people do - I think it's a case of the staff turning a blind eye. Hopefully no-one will ever get steaming drunk and ruin it for everyone else. Once a year they hold a craft fair and continental market which again is a lovely way to spend the afternoon. There are all kinds of stalls selling things like hand made cushions, hand painted door signs for children's rooms, jewellery and big expensive stuff like hot tubs and steam lodges. There are also loads of food stalls which I hoover my way round - cheeses, chocolate fountains, soup, gourmet burgers and more. Yum, yum and yum.

Mount Stewart is a great place to visit on a nice sunny day. The setting is unbelievable with large open grass areas, a large lake full of ducks and swans, a rambling woods, a cultural building and gardens which are reportedly amongst the best in Europe. Upon arriving there is a spacious car park and a winding walkway up to the reception building, cafe and arts and crafts area. Once you pay (£5.90 for just the gardens or £7.80 for the house and garden tour) they give you a map and off you go. To be honest the map isn't great, we spent ages just trying to get out of the entrance area and I don't think we were just being stupid. Eventually you hit a beautiful walkway around a huge lake and some gorgeous trees and seating areas - it makes you feel like you are in another country all together. There is a really beautiful walled area which has the feel of a Spanish or Italian villa set in amongst the woods and flowers. The building itself is still home to Lady Londonderry's family and it is a real stately looking affair. We didn't go in because we had our dog but we did look around the gardens at teh back and we were very impressed with the shrubbery art. They have bushes shaped like jockeys on horse back, shamrocks and harps - pure cool. These remind me of my dad's attempt at shaping a tree like his west highland terrier! If you are a National Trust member you can get in for free. The opening hours for the gardens are from 10am to 6pm and the house from 11am to 6pm with the gardens open all year round. We had a lovely time here and will be back again soon. I'm planning to take a picnic someday if the weather is nice because the setting is just glorious.

My girlfriend's parents bought here a life membership to the National Trust when she was 18 and she loves a bargain so we try and go to as many National Trust locations as is possible. This is one of our favourites to go and relax around on a sunny day. Its located around a picturesque road from Newtownards which is a short drive from Belfast. This place is a little bit of a drive for sure but its worth the trip if you like to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Its a large stately home on huge, welcoming and tranquil grounds. It really is a lovely place to spend a bit of time and relax, letting the world pass you by. I have never paid in thanks to my girlfriend's membership but mere mortals have to pay about £8, that is maybe a little pricey but its quite hard to put a price on a relaxed and uncluttered mind and some fresh air in your lungs, which is exactly what you get here.

A National Trust property, Mount Stewart's gardens are one of my favouties in the UK. The house didn't do that much for me but the gardens I have kept going back to, though I think they are especially good in summer as many of the flowers in the colour themed formal gardens are in bloom then. Many of the plants are fairly rare and can grow heir due to the mild climate on the gardens beside strangford Lough. The formal gardens are arranged as a series of rooms, but the best thing is the wonderful statuary of fantastic mythical creatures, really unusual. The larger landscaped gardens around the lake are also impressive with some nice focal points like the pagoda.

Mount Stewart is a really lovely garden. It was planted with love, passion and skill. It is a magical place and there is always something of interest. Every corner you turn opens up lovely views. The lake walk is delightful, though the resident duck population has been allowed to increase too much. It has however deteriorated a little recently, with money being spent on a particularly unfortunate car park which holds fewer cars than the previous one, and a rather unsightly pavilion which is rarely used. It perhaps would have been better to focus more on the garden itself. The little garden where Lady Mairi used to take the air in her pram is being replanted and is looking better,but much needs to be done in other parts. The restaurant is excellent and the soups are very good. The shop has an interesting range of products , great for presents, and there is a good second hand book shop.

Completely love this old piece of Ulster history and could even move into it if I had the money to buy it lol! For me it's all about the gardens, which are so beautiful and well kept. I would go as far as to say that they are one of the best designed gardens that I have visited. The shop is a typical one you would find in these kind of places and if you look hard enough then you will find the odd bargain book. My favourite time is when they have the farthers day events with classic cars and jazz music. It kind of takes you back to those bygone times (not that I'm that old) lol! I have a new camera and will hope to pay a visit to it very soon, as these gardens are worth every click.