Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837.

It evolved from a town house that was owned from the beginning of the eighteenth century by the Dukes of Buckingham. Today it is The Queen's official residence, with 775 rooms.

Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, areas of Buckingham Palace are opened to visitors on a regular basis.

The State Rooms of the Palace are open to visitors during the Annual Summer Opening in August and September. They are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude; sculpture by Canova and Chantrey; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world. More.

Distance to palace: 35 mins by train

Notes: It feels positively rural when you reach this verdant, gently sloping site with its mature tree screening and spacious grounds.

Good railway connections (35 mins) into Central London's attractions are within walking distance of the site.

With over 500 years of royal history, Hampton Court Palace has something to offer visitors, from the magnificent State Apartments to the domestic reality of the Tudor Kitchens. Costumed guides and audio tours bring the palace to life and provide an insight into how life in the palace would have been in the time of Henry VIII and William III. The Palace also has a programme of special events throughout the year.

Hampton Court Palace contains an important part of the largest private collection of art in the world, the Royal Collection, the property of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This collection, which covers 500 years, is complete and Hampton Court contains much of the most important material from the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries. `

The Maze at Hampton Court, the royal palace on the Thames to the west of London, is probably the most famous hedge maze in the world. It was planted as part of the gardens laid out for William of Orange between 1689 and 1695 by George London and Henry Wise. It was described with great wit in Jerome K. Jerome's novel 'Three Men in a Boat.' Hampton Court Maze continues to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. More.

Distance to palace: 4 miles

Notes: Chertsey is a beautiful, riverside Site, south west of the City of London, which was fully refurbished for 2004. A train ride away from the capital, it retains its rural atmosphere, with daily visits from foxes, squirrels and a host of river birds.

Reviewers commented on warm welcome, facilities, maintenance and (occasional) aircraft noise!

This site is a pleasant alternative for all London attractions (30-35 mins by train)

Kew Palace is the smallest and most intimate of the royal palaces. The four-storey brick house was built c. 1631 by Samuel Fortrey, a merchant of Dutch origin, whose initials together with those of his wife Catherine, can be seen above the entrance. It is constructed of red bricks laid in a style known as Flemish bond, consisting of bricks arranged with sides and ends alternating. The gabled main front gives the house a Dutch appearance. Later alterations included the installation of sash windows to replace the original brick mullions and transforms.

First used by the Royal Family in 1728, the Palace was finally purchased by George III in 1781 as an annex to the White House (located where the sundial now stands) to accommodate his expanding family. Subsequently, it became a more permanent home for the Royal Family, and King George IV was born here. Queen Charlotte, died here in 1818.

Kew Palace is administered separately by Historic Royal Palaces. It recently underwent a major restoration and re-opened to the public in April 2006. More.

Distance to palace: 4 miles

Notes: Chertsey is a beautiful, riverside Site, south west of the City of London, which was fully refurbished for 2004. A train ride away from the capital, it retains its rural atmosphere, with daily visits from foxes, squirrels and a host of river birds.

Reviewers commented on warm welcome, facilities, maintenance and (occasional) aircraft noise!

This site is a pleasant alternative for all London attractions (30-35 mins by train)

Kensington Palace has been a royal home for over 300 years and parts of the palace remain a private residence for members of the Royal Family today. The magnificent State Apartments and the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, which includes dresses worn by HM Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales, are open to the public.

Kensington Palace was once a favoured home of some of Britain's most famous kings and queens and the setting for many great events and dramas in royal history. Originally a private country house, the building was acquired by William III and Mary II in 1689 and was adapted for royal residence by Sir Christopher Wren. For the next 70 years the palace was at the centre of the life and government of the kingdom and played host to the courts of William and Mary, Queen Anne, George I and George II. In the 19th century Kensington was the birthplace and childhood home of Princess Victoria (later Queen Victoria).

Kensington's best known resident in recent years was Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-97) who occupied apartments in the north-west part of the palace from 1981 to 1997. More.

Distance to palace: 35 mins by train

Notes: It feels positively rural when you reach this verdant, gently sloping site with its mature tree screening and spacious grounds.

Good railway connections (35 mins) into Central London's attractions are within walking distance of the site.

Built in 1870 by the Prince and Princess of Wales, later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, Sandringham was once described as 'The most comfortable house in England'. It has been passed down as a private home through four generations of British monarchs and is now the country retreat of Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

The main ground floor rooms, regularly used by the Royal Family, are open to the public and the decor and contents remain very much as they were in Edwardian times. Both Queen Alexandra and later Queen Mary were great collectors of objets d'art. Members of the Russian and European Royal Families were frequent guests at Sandringham and brought gifts of enamel, silver and silver-gilt: Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany gave a fine Dresden porcelain chandelier and mirror frame. The walls are hung with family portraits by the leading contemporary court painters: Heinrich von Angeli, Sir Luke Fildes, Franz Winterhalter and Edward Hughes. An important collection of oriental arms and armour is housed at Sandringham, brought back from the Far East and India in 1876, and a special exhibition in the Ballroom is changed every year.

Sandringham is a friendly and informal place to visit with knowledgeable guides in every room ready to talk to visitors. It is also fully accessible by wheelchair-users. More.

Distance to house: 10 mins walk

Notes: A 13 acre site set in the heart of the Royal Estate and redeveloped to a very high standard, this is one of the Club's most prestigious sites

Short walk to the House. Highly praised by reviewers

The history of Balmoral Castle starts with Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. During holiday visit to the Scottish Highlands, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert grew to love the scenery and people and decided to buy a private home there for private holiday periods.

Balmoral Castle and the original estate were purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852. The original Balmoral Castle was built in the fifteenth century but it was considered too small.

A new castle was constructed on the site about 90 metres (100 yards) north from the old building. Prince Albert planned the grounds and helped with the design of the castle itself, which was completed in 1856. On completion the old castle was demolished.

The castle has been handed down through their descendants, and today is the traditional holiday home for The Queen and members of her family during the summer vacation period.

Over the years, improvements have been made by successive generations of the Royal family; most recently by The Duke of Edinburgh who has enlarged the flower and vegetable garden and created the water garden. More.

Distance to castle: 10.5 miles.

Notes: The site is on the fringe of the village of Braemar, 1100 feet above sea level, and the eastern gateway to the Cairngorms, an ideal centre for walkers and mountain bikers. Usual CC high standards.

Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world, is one of the official residences of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Since William the Conqueror built the first castle in 1080, its proximity to both London and the old royal hunting forest (now Windsor Great Park) made it popular as a royal residence.

Over the centuries many kings have lived at Windsor, adding or altering buildings, and a serious fire in 1992, and the subsequent restoration and rebuilding, continued this process of change and renewal.

The main areas of the castle that can be visited include the State Apartments, where visiting dignitaries are entertained, Queen Mary's Doll's House, the Lower Ward, where you can see the changing of the guard most days at 11.00am, St George's Chapel and the Albert Memorial Chapel. Windsor Castle is a working palace and official engagements sometimes limit areas open to the public. More.

Distance to castle: 13.5 miles

Notes: Family-run park situated on the south bank of the River Thames in the picturesque village of Hurley. Excellent reviews

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence in Scotland of Her Majesty The Queen, stands at the end of Edinburgh's Royal Mile against the spectacular backdrop of Arthur's Seat. This fine baroque palace is closely associated with Scotland's rich history.

The Palace is perhaps best known as the home of Mary, Queen of Scots, and as the setting for many of the dramatic episodes in her turbulent reign. Mary was twice married in the Abbey at Holyroodhouse and witnessed the brutal killing of her secretary Rizzio by her jealous second husband, Lord Darnley, in her private apartments. The Palace briefly served as the headquarters of Bonnie Prince Charlie during the 1745 uprising.

Today the Royal Apartments are used regularly by The Queen and other members of the Royal Family for State ceremonies and official entertaining. More.

Distance to palace: 5.9 miles

Notes: Situated to the north of the city on the Firth of Forth, the site provides easy access to Edinburgh.

"Facilities excellent, clean and plentiful; site large and level; staff very helpful." Usual CC high standards. Praised by reviewers.

The Banqueting House is the only surviving section of Whitehall Palace - which in its heyday was the largest royal palace in Europe. The palace started life in the fourteenth-century as one of the Archbishop of York's homes, but was seized by Henry VIII in the 1520s and extended dramatically. Henry VIII also built tennis courts, a tiltyard and other facilities on land opposite the palace (St James's Park).

When James I came to the throne (1603) he replaced the dilapidated Banqueting House in the palace with a new construction designed for entertaining and holding 'masques'. Masques were a cross between a ball, theatrical play and fancy dress party and were very popular in James I's reign. After a disastrous fire the Banqueting House was immediately rebuilt by the architect Inigo Jones (1622). Jones is often credited as being the first Englishman to properly understand and apply the rules of classical and renaissance architecture. Whitehall Palace was destroyed by fire in 1698 and the surviving Banqueting House eventually became a royal chapel.

Today, the Banqueting House is open to visitors and also hosts many royal and social occasions. Visitors can admire the architecture and the fabulous Ruben's ceiling painting commissioned by Charles I which is the only Rubens scheme painted by him to remain in its original position. The Banqueting House was also the setting for Charles I's execution during the English Civil War (1642-49). More.

Distance to palace: 35 mins by train

Notes: It feels positively rural when you reach this verdant, gently sloping site with its mature tree screening and spacious grounds.

Good railway connections (35 mins) into Central London's attractions are within walking distance of the site.

The Prince of Wales, later George IV, first visited Brighton in 1783. Three years later, he took out a 21 year lease on a large farmhouse on the Steine with a sea view.

The architect Henry Holland was employed to enlarge and convert the farmhouse at a cost of £22,000. The Prince commissioned a French style interior and gradually, as his finances permitted, bought the surrounding land.

Between 1815 and 1822 John Nash created the Indian-style exterior and Chinese interior of today's Pavilion. In 1850, Queen Victoria sold the Pavilion to Brighton's municipal authority - she had not shared George IV's taste for Brighton! From 1851 the rate-paying public were admitted free on two days a month.

Did you know? During the Second World War Hitler's propagandist, Lord Haw-Haw, announced that the Royal Pavilion would not be bombed. Hitler was going to use the Pavilion as his personal headquarters, so the building was not to be touched! More.

Distance to palace: 30 mins walk. Local bus

Notes: Nice location & easy reach of Brighton Marina/centre. Good facilities.

Known as one of the wonders of the Peak, Chatsworth House in Derbyshire is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. The house and gardens have attracted visitors from all over the world for many generations.

Building of the house was begun in 1552 by Bess of Hardwick and her second husband, Sir William Cavendish. Their second son, William, was created Earl of Devonshire in 1618. The 4th Earl, who was created 1st Duke of Devonshire in 1694 after assisting William of Orange to claim the British throne, began to make improvements at Chatsworth. Eventually he completely remodelled the house and added formal gardens and the famous cascade. Most of the work was completed before he died in 1707. The park was landscaped by Capability Brown who reshaped the formal garden into the more natural one you see today. The 6th Duke engaged Joseph Paxton as the head gardener, resulting in the enrichment of the gardens and the creation of the Emperor Fountain as well as the now demolished Great Conservatory. The house and gardens have remained little changed since the 6th Dukes time. More.

Distance to house: <1 mile

Notes: Set in an old walled garden on the Chatsworth Estate with views of the sheep-cropped rolling countryside to the west, this is a site in a most beautiful location

Very popular with reviewers - gets booked up very early! Usual high CC standards.

The exterior of the Earl-Bishop's Rotunda was virtually finished when he died in 1803, but the interior was still an empty shell, and the curving corridors and wings only a few feet above ground. It was left to the Earl-Bishop's son, the future 1st Marquess of Bristol, to make what use he could of his father's extraordinary plan. Having no need for massive galleries, in 1821 he instructed his architect, John Field, to redesign the East Wing as family living-quarters.

Field fitted out the ground floor of the Rotunda as state rooms in an austere Regency style. The West Wing was added purely for symmetry and so was left empty. The Trust is pleased to announce the go-ahead of a package for a project to develop the West Wing to provide new facilities for visitor reception, information, education, shop, restaurant, functions, conferences and events.

As the family lived mostly in the East Wing, the rooms that visitors see in the Rotunda spent much of the year under dust sheets, coming into their own mainly for parties and other special occasions. But as a result, their superb furnishings and decoration have survived in excellent condition and little changed since the heyday of the house in the Edwardian era.

The house, with much of its collections of family portraits, Huguenot silver, Regency furniture and china, and part of the ancient deer-park, passed to the National Trust in 1956. More.

Distance to house: 12.2 miles

Notes: The Dell is set in 6 acres of level ground, between the villages of Thurston and Beyton, and is surrounded by trees and fields.

Good facilities, but traffic noise from nearby A14 commented on by some reviewers.

Built by Edwin Lascelles between 1759 and 1771, Harewood House is a fine example of the English country house.

The estate was bought by the Lascelles family in 1738. Their increasing wealth had brought a rise in social and political standing and Edwin Lascelles, the first Lord Harewood, wanted a house to reflect this.

In 1748, Edwin commissioned John Carr of York to design and build the House (plus stables, farm and 'model' village). Whilst Carr was completing work on the stables, Edwin Lascelles showed the plans of the house to Robert Adam, a young Scottish architect. After noting Adam's comments, Edwin decided to commission both architects, with the result that the central part of the house was designed by Carr whilst the two wings and the interiors were created by Adam. The plans were based on the then fashionable Palladian design. Foundations were laid in 1759 and the house finally became habitable in 1771, although the Gallery was not finished until a year later. More.

Distance to house: 8.2 miles

Notes: Just off the A661 road, this flat and pleasantly open site is conveniently sited not only to visit Harewood, but also nearby Harrogate, floral capital of Yorkshire. Usual excellent CC facilities.

The history of the house begins in 1145. Hugh de Bolebec founded a religious house for a group of Cistercian monks, with the monastic buildings following the usual Cistercian pattern.Thus, the north wing is on the site of the monastic church and the present courtyard is on the site of the great cloister and garth. In 1538 the Abbot, Robert Hobbes, was found guilty of treason and the monastery confiscated. Legend states that he was hanged from an oak tree at the Abbey's gate.

Edward VI granted Woburn Abbey to Sir John Russell in 1547, though it did not become a family home until 1619. In 1747, the Fourth Duke commissioned Henry Flitcroft to rebuild the west range, including the grand series of staterooms. In 1802, Humphry Repton landscaped the park as it appears today.

Successive Earls and Dukes of Bedford have, with their love of art, created one of the finest private collections in England. Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Reynolds and Velasquez are just some of the great artists represented here. There are over 250 paintings to enjoy on the three floor tour of the House. In the Private Apartments, the Venetian Room is one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the world with 21 pictures of Venice by Canaletto. The paintings were commissioned by the 4th Duke while on The Grand Tour in 1731. The visitor will also see beautiful French and English furniture, a famous collection of Sèvres porcelain, gold and silver. More.

Distance to abbey: 10.3 miles

Notes: Site owned by local council. Well kept. No toilet block but complimentary use of the swimming pool only 100yds away.

Waddesdon Manor was built between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to entertain his guests and display his vast collection of art treasures. It houses an extraordinary assemblage of French 18th-century decorative arts. The furniture, Savonnerie carpets and Sèvres porcelain rank in importance with the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Louvre in Paris. Outstanding are the portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds, works by 17th-century Dutch and Flemish Masters, and a spectacular silver dinner service made for George III. The extensive wine cellars can be visited. Waddesdon has one of the finest Victorian gardens in Britain, renowned for its seasonal displays, colourful shrubs, giant tree ferns, parterre, statuary and restored pleasure garden. There is a rose garden, and the rococo-style aviary, newly painted and gilded, houses a splendid collection of exotic birds. Look out for a new feature at Frog Fountain steps. More.

Distance to house: 16 miles

Notes: Small family run park situated on an old 17th century farm. Facilities good. Liked by reviewers. Next to old airbase.

Home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

The name Blenheim derives from a decisive battle that took place on the 13th August 1704 on the north bank of the river Danube, near a small village called Blindheim or Blenheim, where the French leader, Marshall Tallard, had fixed his lines. Here John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, won a great allied victory over the forces of Louis XIV, thus saving Europe from French domination.

In reward for his services in defending Holland and Austria from invasion by the French, a grateful Queen Anne granted to Marlborough the Royal Manor of Woodstock and signified that she would build him, at her own expense, a house to be called Blenheim.

Building began in 1705, and there is an inscription on the East Gate that declares that: "Under the auspices of a munificent sovereign this house was built for John Duke of Marlborough, and his Duchess Sarah, by Sir J Vanbrugh between the years 1705 and 1722. And this Royal manor of Woodstock, together with a grant of £240,000, towards the building of Blenheim was given by Her Majesty Queen Anne and confirmed by Act of Parliament..."

While the Duke continued to give his Queen and country victory after victory overseas, his absence gave others the chance to hatch a plot designed to topple him from the Queen's favour. As a result, the money, which had been promised to him for building Blenheim Palace, didn't arrive, leaving the Duke owing £45,000 to masons, carvers and others, including Vanbrugh the architect.

In the summer of 1712 all work on Blenheim Palace ceased. Following the death of Queen Anne in 1714, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough negotiated with the unpaid artisans and suppliers alike and the Palace was completed at their own expense. More.

Distance to house: 1 mile

Notes: Situated on the Blenheim Estate, so you will have the pleasure of seeing magnificent trees around the site, which is mostly level and just outside the wall of the Palace garden. From the corner of the site you can walk to Bladon Church to see Churchill's grave, simple and unforgettable. Usual CC club high standards.

Built in 1685-88, this exuberant house expresses the confidence and optimism of Restoration England. Elaborate plasterwork, wood-carving and glittering wall mirrors jostle with the fine collection of paintings in the state rooms. Fine furniture, tapestries and silverware are also on show. In the 19th century Belton enjoyed a second golden age under the charismatic 3rd Earl Brownlow, who instead of falling for the contemporary fashion of High Gothicism, had both house and garden restored to their Charles II period splendour.

The peace and serenity of Belton has attracted many royal visitors over the years. King George III was entertained here and Edward VIII often came to stay before his abdication. Visitors can share the tranquillity they enjoyed, with walks in the formal gardens (where there is a fine orangery) and magnificent landscape park. More.

Distance to house: 9 miles

Notes: Better than it sounds! Next to good pub and canalside walks.

The present Castle is the fourth to have stood on the site since Norman times, the existing Castle was completed in the early 19th century after previous buildings suffered complete or partial destruction during the Wars of the Roses, the Civil War and a major fire in 1816.

From the elegance of the Elizabeth Saloon and the majesty of the State Dining Room to the delights of the Regents Gallery and the military splendour of the Guard Room, Belvoir possesses one of the most stunning interiors of the period.

Below the terrace of the Castle sloping lawns lead down to the Rose and Statue Gardens which are elegantly laid out round a central fountain. The Statue Collection terraced into the hillside includes work by Caius, Cibber - Sculptor to Charles II.

The Castle also contains a notable collection of furniture, porcelain, silks and tapestries, sculptures and paintings. There are examples of fine French furniture, Italian sculpture alongside paintings by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Holbein and Poussin. More.

Distance to house: 1.3 miles

Notes: Better than it sounds! Next to good pub and canalside walks.