We recently enjoyed a day out at the National Trust site Seaton Delaval Hall near Whitby
There are plenty of dog friendly features to the site, water bowls can be found outside the Visitor Welcome, the café kiosk, Brewhouse Café and Summerhouse (when open). Dog waste bins can also be found at Visitor Welcome and before the entrance to the North West woodland.
Seaton Delaval Hall is a National Trust Site just outside of Seaton Sluice. The grounds are full of beautiful gardens, winding walkways, deep history and of course the hall itself. All of which makes this site one of the most popular national trust sites in the North East.
National Trust members get in for free. However, for everyone else, it costs per entree:
Ticket Prices:
Adult £10
Children £5
Their open hours are seasonal. In the Aumtum/Winter, the site is open from 10am-3pm. In the Spring/Summer, it stays open later from 10am-5pm. Outside of bank holidays and school breaks they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays too. Parking at the site is included in the ticket cost. The car park is a decent sized and it gravelled so I can't imagine it gets too muddy which is a pro! And there did seem to be an overflow area too. Although if you are visiting during high season, I would suggest getting there early!
The Postcode for Sat Nav is: NE26 4QR
The history of the hall is quite interesting obviously dogs aren't allowed in the actual Hall itself but we always leave someone outside with the dogs and then swap so you get to experience the whole site.
The Delaval family dates back to the time of William the Conquerer who gifted them land in Northumberland following their help at the Battle of Hastings. However, it wasn’t until the 1700s that the Delaval estate was purchased and the hall was built in the 1720s.
Fast forward to the night of January 3rd 1822, and the hall caught fire. The disastrous fire in the central block became one of the biggest milestones in the history of the Hall, resulting in great damage. Luckily the exterior survived the blaze.
Undoubtedly the most significant figure in the revival of Seaton Delaval Hall was the 22nd Lord Hastings (1912–2007). Under his direction, the fabric was restored and the collections reassembled. The garden was given new life and he opened the Hall to the public for the first time in 1950.
In 2009 the site was finally sold to the National Trust, making it a fairly new addition to the their properties.
Things to do while visiting:
With plenty of ground to cover and lots of woodland to wander, Seaton Delaval Hall is the perfect place to walk your dog. Dogs are welcome in all outdoor areas of the property, except for the Delaval Playdium in the North West Woods. They are currently also trialling allowing all dogs into the Brewhouse Cafe. You can sit outside the cafe which has amble seating and is in a gorgeous courtyard type area. You can also take a picnic and find a nice spot in the gardens to eat it which in the summer months would be highly enjoyable.
You however must keep your dog on a lead at all times. This is to keep the neighbouring farm animals safe. There are lots of Sheep which can be seen by the dogs and Chester had a great time watching.
The gardens are absolutely stunning at Seaton Delaval. And you really can spend a couple hours exploring them!
The gardens are full of amazing art exhibits, a summer house, the Church of our Lady, stables and more. There is so much the explore in these gardens it makes a great day out.
In the summer they have an incredible rhododendrons in bloom which are a must see. We visited in Autumn so we missed them but are planning to go this year and see them.
If you wanted to extend your day out, especially with dogs, then there is a couple of walking trails from the estate to the coast. There are quite a few to choose from, the shortst one is being 4 Miles with the longest is 6 Miles. You can read more about this route over on the National Trust website.
Overall, a day out at Seaton Delaval Hall could be a really great dog friendly day out, and is one of the more reasonably priced National Trust sites in the North East too!
We hope if you decide to take a trip to Seaton Delaval Hall that you have a wonderful dog friendly day out!
Thanks for reading
Sarah, Chester and Crumble xx