Attingham Park is everything a stately home should be: an imposing pile at the centre of a 4,000 acre estate with a history of aristocratic endeavour and profligacy. Today it's a thriving centre for tourists and local visitors. Staying for a few days at the National Trust property that's been created from one of its lodges, we wondered whether the constant clatter of cars on the cattle-grid outside, starting at eight in the morning, meant there was a rock festival that day. But no, it was just the locals coming to walk their children and their dogs, as they do every day - making Attingham the third most visited National Trust property in the country. The 'visitor experience' is beautifully organised by an army of mostly older volunteers doing everything from cutting down the rhododendrons to collecting tickets or just standing around in case anyone has a question. There's a cafe and a gift shop of course, and a large secondhand bookshop too. Car park Gift shop Was ...