A fairytale gothic-revival castle on a 120-acre Wexford estate near Murntown, where guided tours of the castle meet formal gardens, lakes and the Irish Agricultural Museum.
Expert local guides lead you through restored rooms with chandeliers, wood panelling and Gothic arched windows, plus a rare 86-metre subterranean servants' passageway. Tours run daily and last about 60 minutes; allow 10 minutes to walk from the visitor centre to the castle.
The café in the modern visitor centre seats up to 120 and serves a seasonally changing menu with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, overlooking the upper lake and waterfall. Deli service ends 30 minutes before closing; the adjoining shop sells Wexford food and craft.
The ornamental gardens and parkland were designed by 19th-century landscape architect Daniel Robertson, best known for Powerscourt. Follow the fully accessible 1.2km lower lake walk past the waterfall, statues and follies, looking out for bats, badgers, moorhens and red squirrels.
The 4-acre walled garden and hothouses, laid out between 1844 and 1851, have been restored by the estate's gardening team and volunteers. In season you can buy perennials grown here in peat-free compost at the visitor centre's plant sales area.
Housed in the estate's farm courtyard, this self-guided museum holds one of Ireland's most comprehensive collections of rural life - 19 exhibition spaces over three floors with tractors, carts, ploughs, country kitchens and a Famine exhibition. Entry is included with the Museum & Gardens ticket.
Peacocks strut around the museum courtyard and will eat from your hand - bags of their favourite food cost €2 at visitor centre reception. There is also a nature playground in the woods, and the sunken garden is a good spot for a picnic.
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