The best historic properties to visit in the UK

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There are over 400 English Heritage properties around the country
Head to the Isle of Wight to visit the palatial Osborne House
Or go to Kent to visit Dover Castle, known as the 'guardian of England'
And now, children can visit some of Britain's greatest homes for free

Published: 06:16 EST, 26 September 2015 | Updated: 15:34 EST, 28 September 2015

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For a truly spectacular autumn day out, you'd do well to explore one of the country's more than 400 English Heritage sites.

And in today's paper, readers can also take advantage of a two-for-one deal at over 100 different breath-taking homes.

To help you plan your historical outing more effectively, here at MailOnline, we're featuring some of the most picturesque properties around.

Scroll down for video

For a fun and historical day out, visit one of the country's hundreds of English Heritage sites. Pictured: the remains of Battle Abbey in Sussex

SOUTH

Battle Abbey, East Sussex

Set the time machine date to 1066 and head for Battle, where a 100-acre once‑bloodied field and ruined abbey recount the tale of how William the Conqueror brutally secured his place in English history.

An interactive exhibition lets you handle replica weaponry, plus there’s an audio tour and cafe.

Open daily from 10am to 5pm (until November 1), adults £8.30, children (aged five to 15) £5, english-heritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: Stand on the exact spot in the abbey where King Harold suffered his savage fate.

Where to stay: South Lodge holiday cottage at the abbey sleeps four, with three‑day breaks from £280.

Osborne House on the Isle of Wight was a favourite beachfront property for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (right)

Osborne House, Isle of Wight

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert adored palatial Osborne House in East Cowes. Today, you can glide through their private apartments and feel the sand between your toes on the royal family’s former beach.

Open daily from 10am to 5pm (until November 1), adults £14.30, children (aged five to 15) £8.60, english-heritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: Swiss Cottage, the one-time playground for the royal children; the family would often take afternoon tea here together.

Where to stay: Pavilion Cottage within the grounds. Seven nights cost from £414.

Dover Castle in Kent has been around 2,000 years and is known as the 'guardian of England'

SOUTH-EAST

Dover Castle, Kent

What a spectacle! This huge landmark has been around 2,000 years and is known as the ‘guardian of England’. It still towers majestically over the town and the Channel.

Clamber around the 12th-century Great Tower or visit the Roman lighthouse. Then explore the secret war-time tunnels from where the evacuation of Dunkirk was master-minded. On a clear day, you can see France. Open daily from 10am to 5pm (until November 1), adults £18, children (aged five to 15) £10.80, english-heritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: The Naafi Restaurant housed in the 1868 Regimental Institute.

Where to stay: The Sergeant Major’s House, which sleeps six, lies in the castle grounds and costs from £519 for three nights.

The small seaside fortress of Walmer Castle overlooks Deal beach and was built during Henry VIII's reign

Walmer Castle and Gardens, Kent

Overlooking the pebbles near Deal beach, Walmer Castle, built during Henry VIII’s reign, is a small but perfectly formed seaside fortress. Feel the shore breeze in the eight acres of grounds and, inside, peruse art and furniture donated by some of the revered guests who’ve stayed here, including the Queen Mother and Winston Churchill.

Open daily from 10am to 5pm (until November 1), adults £9.70, children (aged five to 15) £5.80, english-heritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: The Wellington room; the Duke of Wellington lived in the castle for 23 years. His room recreates his life here and includes the armchair in which he died.

Where to stay: Reside on site at The Greenhouse Apartment, which sleeps four and costs from £280 for three nights.

The clifftop Tintagel Castle in Cornwall is perhaps best known for its ties to the legends of King Arthur (right)

SOUTH-WEST

Tintagel Castle, Cornwall

This brooding clifftop castle, for ever associated with the legend of King Arthur, is set on a wild, teetering escarpment that is lashed by white surf. Dating back to Roman times, the castle’s craggy outline provides an evocative backdrop for wild walks.

Inside the castle, there’s a new Arthur exhibition. Open daily from 10am to 5pm (until November 1), adults £7.20, children (aged five to 15) £4.30, english-heritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: If you’re feeling brave, take the wooden bridge and nerve-jangling staircase that takes you from the mainland to the outcrop next door, where part of the castle remains

Where to stay: Double rooms at the Tintagel Arms Hotel start from £45, including breakfast (tintagelarmshotel.co.uk).

Audley End House and Gardens in Essex is without a doubt one of the grandest properties in all of England

EAST ANGLIA

Audley End House and Gardens, Essex

Wind the clock back to Jacobean times at Audley House, once one of the grandest properties in England. Waltz through the Great Hall, explore intimate dressing rooms and feel the sharp brunt of hierarchy in the service wing.

The house is open daily from 12pm to 4pm (until November 1), adults £16, children (aged five to 15) £9.60, english-heritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: Eight children from the Braybrooke family were entertained by their governess in Audley House’s nursery suite, a glimpse at how privileged youngsters played in the 1830s.

Where to stay: A three-night stay costs from £414 in Cambridge Lodge, a former Victorian gatehouse on the Audley End estate that sleeps four.

Framlingham Castle in Suffolk is the 12th century property where Mary Tudor came to the throne in 1516

Framlingham Castle, Suffolk

Overlooking the River Ore, this 12th-century stronghold played its own part in the history of the English monarchy when Mary Tudor came to the throne here in 1553.

Visitors without fear of vertigo should tackle the curtain wall walk. It’s stood for more than 800 years and, at 10.5 metres high, is knee-knockingly high. Open daily from 10am to 5pm (until November 1), adults £7.20, children (aged five to 15) £4.30, english-heritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: Glance up and spot the oldest surviving 12th-century and Tudor chimneys left on English soil.

Where to stay: Book into the Ufford Park hotel and spa in Woodbridge, where doubles cost from £62 (uffordpark.co.uk).

Bolsover Castle is often described as an architectural jewel of the English Renaissance period

MIDLANDS

Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire

Oft described as one of the architectural jewels of the English Renaissance period, Bolsover Castle sits in the midst of coal-mining country near Chesterfield.

Straight out of a fairy tale, this sturdy fortress includes the Little Castle, which was once a splendid setting for owner Sir William Cavendish’s carousing. Open daily from 10am to 5pm (until November 1), adults £9.80, children (aged five to 15) £5.90,english-heritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: The Riding School, where ‘father of dressage’ Cavendish trained his horses during the 17th century.

Where to stay: The Twins Oaks hotel in Chesterfield has doubles from £75 (twinoakshotel.co.uk).

Though currently closed for renovation, the Rievaulx Abbey should be on your must-visit list for 2016

NORTH

Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire

Put beautiful Rievaulx Abbey on your must-do list for 2016. It’s undergoing a major renovation, but the works are not affecting normal working hours. This former 12th-century Cistercian abbey-turned-ironworks-turned-architectural muse for Romantic poets, which lies just outside Helmsley in the River Rye Valley, is getting a brand new museum, tea room and shop. Follow the renovations on the Riveaulx Abbey Facebook page or at englishheritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: Nearby Byland Abbey, on the edge of the North York Moors, is home to some of our best-preserved medieval tiles.

Where to stay: The cosy Byland Abbey Inn offers B&B from £130 per night for a double room (bylandabbeyinn.com).

In Northumberland, Housesteads Roman Fort is a former parade ground in the middle of a National Park

Housesteads Roman Fort, Northumberland

Low-rise compared to other castles, Housesteads Roman Fort, in Haydon Bridge, is more about excavated foundations than towering turrets. Vercovicium, as the soldiers of the time knew it, remains England’s most complete Roman fort.

Stomp on the former parade ground, stroll through the barracks or see the hospital where wounded warriors rallied (or didn’t). There’s even the remains of a soldiers’ lavatory.

Open daily from 10am to 5pm (until November 1), adults £6.60, children (aged five to 15) £4, english-heritage.org.uk.

Don’t miss: Awe-inspiring views of the surrounding Northumberland National Park and the chance to trail part of Hadrian’s Wall.

Where to stay: The George in nearby Chollerford has doubles from £94 (coastandcountry hotels.com).