Distance 3 miles (4.8km)
Classification Easy
Duration 1 hour 30 minutes
Begins Nostell Priory car park
OS grid reference SE407172

Walk in a nutshell
Nostell is a masterpiece of 18th-century architecture, and is filled with exceptional paintings and antiques. In the gardens you can enjoy lakeside walks, the newly planted orchard and many glorious views. There's also an adventure playground.

Why it's special
Where to begin? Designed by James Paine (and later Robert Adam), the house is a glorious example of the Palladian style. It was built in the middle of the 18th century and even now all of the original furniture, much of it by Thomas Chippendale, remains in place. There are paintings by Brueghel and Hogarth on display. Half-hourly guided tours of the house run from 11.15am until 1pm, after which visitors can walk around freely.

Keep your eyes peeled for
Inside Nostell you'll find one of the original longcase clocks built by John Harrison, who later became famous as the man who solved the problem of calculating longitude at sea. There's also an 18th-century doll's house. And make sure you don't miss Brueghel's Procession to Calvary, a late Renaissance masterpiece that was only kept in Britain thanks to public donations last year.

Recover afterwards
There's a cafe in the stable block tearoom. Otherwise you could try the New Inn , about 3 miles away in Walton.

If it's tipping down
Just a few miles down the A638 is the Hepworth Wakefield , a superb modern art gallery. The building is worth a visit on its own.

How to get there
Fitzwilliam station is 1.5 miles away. Buses from Wakefield to Doncaster also stop nearby.

Step by step

1 From the information booth in the car park follow the pedestrian path towards the house and the stable block. Follow the path across the front of the house and down the hill.

2 Go through the small wooden gate by the large oak tree and continue down the hill over the grass. On your left you will approach a woodland known as Joiner's Wood. Enter the woodland through the metal gate on the corner and follow the wood-chipped path diagonally. Exit through the wooden gate.

3 Turn left and join the track and follow the beck on your left up to the boat house and basin.

4 Walk right then bear left following a wood-chipped path that will lead you through the woods along the edge of Lower lake. Where the path meets the track turn left then take the first right through the wooden gate into Obelisk Park. Follow the perimeter path around the park. In summer, the meadow is full of wild flowers and butterflies.

5 As you reach the top of Obelisk Park, you will discover Obelisk Lodge, an old gatehouse. Continue following the tree line and the path around the edge of the park.

6 Exit Obelisk Park through the wooden gate and turn left following the track through an area known as Sheep Wash Field. At the end of the track through the gate, turn right, with Engine Wood to your left.

7 Turn right through the wooden field gate. To your left you'll be able to see the edge of a sunken wall (the ha-ha). Walk directly up towards the house and go through the small gate by the oak tree again.

8 Follow the path past the house and stable block. Continue up the driveway to the car park.