About 10 minutes outside of Paignton, in a little village called Galmpton, there stands a gorgeous house on the banks of the River Dart. The house is called Greenway and was the holiday home of the famous author Agatha Christie. Even though it is only down the road from us we have never be. But during the Easter holidays we finally paid it a visit.
Greenway, which is now managed by the National Trust, was the beloved holiday home of the famous and much-loved author Agatha Christie and her family. And as you arrive and walk down the driveway you can see why. The views of the River Dart are simply gorgeous. And on a hazy spring day the sun shimmers off the water.
The house is set in the 1950s, when Agatha and her family would spend summers and Christmases here with friends. They would relax by the river, play croquet and clock golf. Agatha would also read her latest mystery to their guests. The family were great collectors, and the house is filled with archaeology, Tunbridgeware, silver, botanical china and books.
We enjoyed a lovely tour around the house. My eldest took part in a kids trail and it really gets you looking around. Our favourite room was Agatha’s bedroom. The treasures they brought home from their travels were lovely to see. I fell in love with this chest of drawers that they brought back from Africa.
After the tour we took some time sitting in the strategically placed deckchairs on the lawn at the front of the house. This is where we planned our next move of how to tackle the Cadburys Easter Egg Trail.
The trail took us through the gardens around the house and we found some amazing hidden gems. The walled gardens are home to a restored peach house and finery, as well as an allotment cared for by local school children.
There are longer walks through the garden down to the river. You can visit the Boathouse, which is the scene of the crime in one of Agatha’s most famous books ‘Dead Man’s Folly’. We didn’t venture that far down, but it certainly gives us a reason to go back and visit again.
After the excitement of taking part in the trail we visited the cafe and endugled in the lovely ice cream that was available.
We are actually not National Trust members, but I am seriously considering it. We have been having some lovely days out at their properties recently.
Top Tips when visiting Greenway
- Call ahead and book your parking spot. The Trust are keen to limit the disruption to the local village with the number of cars travelling through to visit Greenway. So they have set up time slots for parking. I found this easy to do.
- From the car park there is a long walk down to the entrance. So don’t forget the buggy if you have a little one, it is a long walk back up. All the trails through the garden can accommodate buggys too.
- If you are visiting with people who do struggle to walk they do offer a buggy service between the house and car park.
- When entering the house ask about the kids trails. They have a couple for different ages. They are definitely worth doing.
Interesting fact
Upstairs in the house there are a number of apartments that various family members stayed in when visiting Greenway. You can actually now hire out these apartments and stay on the Greenway estate. There are also a number of other lodges around the estate which you can hire. How amazing would that be! Waking up to the views of the River and being able to have a wander around the estate before visitors arrive sounds heavenly.
We really enjoyed our trip to Greenway, and I know we will be going back again to see what we missed. I imagine the estate is gorgeous whatever the season, but for me, Spring was a delight.
What National Trust properties are your favourite? I would love to hear about them in the comments.
Jo
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What a lovely way to spend a few hours! I love National Trust properties – so much history! #TheLinkyLink
Hi Maria. I really didn’t think I would enjoy them so much but we have all had some our best family days out at them. X
We visited Greenway by boat last September and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is definitely worth joining the National Trust as there are so many places to visit and they cater for all age groups.
We walked the South West Coast Path from Berry Head to Kingswear yesterday, a lot of which is maintained by the National Trust. The spring flowers were glorious and as we passed by Coleton Fishacre (also N T) we glimpsed the beautiful camellias in the gardens and I actually thought then we must pay another visit to Greenway to see it in the Spring.
We were lucky enough to pay our second visit to Overbecks, near Salcombe, last Tuesday, this time arriving by boat and meeting friends from the Midlands who were on holiday with their daughter and one year old grandaughter. Sitting in the sunshine enjoying their delicious lunches we thought how lucky we are to be living in the South West.
Thanks for your post Jo, we will be making our way to Greenway soon.
How funny, we were at Coleton Fishacre yesterday! We used to walk that coastal path with our dog & like you had never visited the house & gardens, it was gorgeous! The house is amazing, it took me back to my Grandparents house, and I think the gardens are one of the best we have seen. I would highly recommend a visit. Thanks for the tips about Salcombe, we must pay them a visit. X
I love a nose around a National Trust property which always ends in tea and cake. Perfect day!
Thank you for sharing. We always mean to go to Greenwaya but never seen to make it, despite owing ever book she wrote!
Looks like a lovely visit. I could imagine that sort of house appearing in a Poirot episode! It’s cool that you can stay over as well if you want. I always love the National Trust but there aren’t any properties round us really so it’s unfortunately not worth the money. If you live near a few then it is a great way of getting out for a few hours! #sharingthebloglove
We’ve never been but looks great, I love the idea of booking the car park to reduce traffic congestion #sharingthebloglove
We went last summer & will probably go again when we visit Paignton this year – it’s a great day out #thelistlinky
What a handsome house that is – I love the white and the pillars! Those turquoise vases caught my eye too, I love a splash of turquoise. It sounds like you all had a wonderful day – I love the Cadbury’s and NT partnership, it really helps you to explore the whole place and discover new spots you might have missed. I can’t recommend NT membership enough if you’re weighing it up – we’ve had so much use out of ours! Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
My husband has talked about going here as he is a big Agatha Christie fan. It looks a beautiful place to visit.You can always rely on NT to have great days out. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
Ah this looks gorgeous an how cool would it be to actually stay there! #sharingthebloglove