The National Trust's top ten secret walks It starts with the ringing of an old bell by the garden wall. Tourists have been mad to see the famous gardens since their earliest days and the Temples, never shrinking violets, built the New Inn on the estate in 1717 to accommodate them. The first guidebook appeared in the 1730s and visitors, complaining vociferously about the beds and the food, rang the bell for one of the garden boys, who would show them around for a tip. The restored New Inn is now the visitor centre and Anna and Kerry, both Stowe staff, showed me around for no tip. You know you're not in an average garden when the choice of paths is between "Virtue" and "Vice." We veered briefly onto the Path of Vice to admire the sheer scale of the landscaping: symmetrical Stowe House glowed at the top of a vast grass slope, its central doors open front and back, and on the far side stood a mounted statue of the first Hanoverian monarch, King George I. A crow flying through the house, down the slope, over the Octagon Lake, through the golden Corinthian Arch and down the front drive would reach the A422. Originally it would have hit the spire of Buckingham Church - the message being the close alignment between the Hanoverians and God - until neighbours rebuilt it slightly off kilter after a fire. We turned our steps towards Virtue and were immediately mired in politics. The Temples owned vast quantities of land and were undeniably elite, but they believed passionately in Liberty, Ancient Greece and the Hanoverians and loathed the "tyrannical" Romans, Catholic Stuarts and foreign French. They also fell out with their own Whig prime minister, Robert Walpole, so loathed him too. We passed the Temple of Friendship, built in the Greek style for Lord Cobham's all-male political gatherings. Its tawny ruins held the remains of a wine cellar, which presumably fuelled the debates, and across the lake was its female equivalent, the Queen's Temple, once painted with murals of demure ladies" pastimes such as needlework. We walked over a covered Palladian bridge, one of only three in the country, which once had reliefs of British commerce on its inner walls designed to be seen by guests whirling by in carriages, heads swivelling as they took in vista after vista and building after building. Not everyone was impressed. "If they were thinner sown [the buildings] would be much more pleasing to the eye," wrote Lady Newdigate drily, after visiting Stowe in the 1740s. There were eight "secrets" on the walk I did, starting with an exquisite little Chinese House that had survived two centuries of moving, including a sojourn in Ireland, before its return to Stowe and restoration, and the newly reopened Lamport or "Secret" Garden, which has never been seen by modern visitors. It has a restored cascade, one of three on the estate, fed by spring water. "It wasn't on all the time," explained Kerry, "They let out just enough water from the feeder lake to impress visitors as they passed and blocked it off again." The gardener who created the Lamport Garden, James Brown, was famous for growing a 23lb pineapple in the kitchen garden. He gave his labourers extra beer because the construction work was so hard. I don't want to give all the secrets away. Suffice to say they involved a mysterious Mr Grey, walking trees, a fairy tale in a wilderness, an ice queen and spinning water, all of them set against a background of such elaborate artifice that you could barely imagine the cost, many millions of pounds in today's money, let alone the force of will that led to their creation. The river innocently splashing its way through the estate, for instance, was transformed by the flamboyant architect-landscaper William Kent into two parts: the top half is the River Styx, the barrier from the living world into Hades, darkly planted and its bed lined with black sand, while the lower reaches are the River Worthies, lazing through green Elysian Fields and overlooked by busts of Great Britons admired by the Temples. And Copper Bottom Lake, with its own cascade, was so called because it was entirely lined with copper to prevent leakage. The walk passes from Virtue to Vice, skirting Stowe's third path, Liberty, and the icing on the cake is a visit to Stowe House. This has been occupied by Stowe School since the 1920s but has been under gradual restoration since 2000 by the Stowe House Preservation Trust. It is the epicentre, the Whig powerhouse, the focal point of the gardens, and the site of great triumphs and tragedies. The family finally achieved a dukedom in 1822, but not long after, just three years after a triumphant visit from Queen Victoria, the whole thing collapsed and the extravagant second duke avoided bankruptcy only by a humiliating sale of the house and its contents. There's a message in there somewhere. The Path of Hubris, perhaps. Stowe basics The National Trust Stowe Landscape Gardens (01280 817156; nationaltrust.org.uk/stowe), New Inn Visitor Centre and Café are open 10am to 6pm. Adults £8.20, children £4.10 and families £20.50. See walk below. Stowe House Preservation Trust (01280 818166; stowehouse.org) offers regular guided house tours and self-guided tours in school holidays. Adults £5.50 (National Trust members £4.30). Joint house and garden ticket adults £13.25, under 16s free. The Landmark Trust (01628 825925; landmarktrust.org.uk) lets out the Gothic Temple on the Path of Liberty as a two-bedroom holiday house that sleeps up to four people. The Great British Walk festival runs from September 1 to November 3 2013, featuring walks and events at hundreds of the properties, woodlands and coastlines that the National Trust preserves. For more information see nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/activities/walking/walking-festival. Top ten secret walks The National Trust has unearthed 10 walks around Britain that reveal a secret. Attingham, Shropshire - watch the video here A path opened for the Great British Walk reveals a view of the house front previously seen only by the Berwick family and their guests (01743 708123; nationaltrust.org.uk/attingham-park). Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland - watch the video here A chance to walk around the rarely-seen back of the castle and see building remains, hidden cliffs and volcanic rocks (01665 576231; nationaltrust.org.uk/dunstanburgh-castle). Stowe, Buckinghamshire Never before seen parts of the Stowe estate, including a true secret garden, hidden cascades and memorials (as above). The White Cliffs of Dover First chance to see land acquired by the trust last year and walk a new route to the South Foreland Lighthouse (01304 202756; nationaltrust.org.uk/white-cliffs-dover). Minnowburn, Northern Ireland A hidden side to Belfast is revealed via a new route around the Giant's Ring, Ireland's largest henge and stone circle, built around 2,700 BC (02890 647787; nationaltrust.org.uk/minnowburn). Erddig, Wales A walk themed on a love story between two Erddig servants takes in rarely visited parts of the estate (01978 355314; nationaltrust.org.uk/erddig). Sizergh Castle, South Lake District A walk focused on a 1,600 year old yew tree hidden deep in the woods (015395 60951; nationaltrust.org.uk/sizergh). Sheringham Park, Norfolk Sparrow Dale is a hidden valley perfect for nature lovers, with a wide variety of trees making perfect homes for birds of prey, among others (01263 820550; nationaltrust.org.uk/sheringham-park). Malham Waterfall, Yorkshire Dales A path leading to a waterfall and a secret cave, said locally to be home to the Queen of the Fairies (01729 830416; nationaltrust.org.uk/malham-tarn-estate). Trelissick, Cornwall A route overlooking the Fal estuary takes walkers deep into the estate to an Iron Age fort (01872 862090; nationaltrust.org.uk/trelissick-garden). Telegraph walk with Sophie Campbell On Friday October 11 and Saturday October 12, from 10am to 12pm, Telegraph Travel readers can join a King's Cross Rises walk led by our Heritage columnist Sophie Campbell, a Blue Badge Tourist Guide. It includes one of the oldest church sites in London, hidden gardens, a royal canal and the current development north of King's Cross Station, including the capital's newest piazza. The two-hour walks (with plenty of stopping opportunities) cost £15 per person, with a maximum of 15 people per walk. Booking essential. For further details or to book, email tours@love-london.com or see love-london.com.