Make a day of it at Great Notley Country Park
A proper family day out, right on your doorstep. Just £6.55.
Bring the children, the dog and enjoy over 100 acres of Essex countryside, the longest play trail in Essex, Sky Ropes and a walk to enjoy the summer wildlife.
Follow our read-made guide to enjoy a full day.
10.00am: Exhilarating adventures on the free 1.2km Kids Play Trail
Children (and adults) of all ages will delight in the 1.2km play trail – inclusive and interactive for every generation.
Test your balance on giant seesaws, tyre swings, zip wire, agility trail, slides, forts and a huge sand play area. Bring bikes to help younger kids enjoy the whole loop.
Free / all ages / allow one and half to two hours/ keep dogs on leads on the play trail.
11.45am: Skylark café and lunch
Head to Skylark café (and the toilet block). Grab paninis, snacks, cold drinks and ice cream at the café or enjoy your own picnic in the park.
Café open weekends and school holidays / dogs welcome on leads / toilets available, including accessible and baby change.
12.00pm: Ball games on the picnic meadow
Find a spot in the large picnic meadow at the heart of the park.
Enjoy a little shade near on the edges near the hedgerows.
Once you’ve finished a bite to eat, why not try a spot of kite flying or a kick about.
Bring your own picnic, kites and ball games/ keep dogs under control around food and children/ strictly no BBQs/ please take your rubbish home with you.
1.00pm or 2.30pm: Soar with a Sky Ropes session
Swing, swoop and soar on Sky Ropes, just a short walk from the car park, picnic meadow and next to Skylark café.
Choose between the two-level main course with of bridges, beams and ropes or the Junior course for 2+. Decide how high you dare to go!
Book ahead online before you visit/ sessions available from approximately 10.00am to 3.30pm/ lasts approximately 75-minutes.
3.00pm: Wind down at the wildflower meadows and lake
Want to slow it down? Wander through stunning summer meadows full of wildflowers.
For a longer walk, take the surfaced trail around the lake and take a moment to enjoy the relative quiet. Leave whenever you’re ready.
The park stays open until dusk but be aware that toilets close at 4pm/ please keep dogs on a lead and under control around wildlife.
Open 8.00am to dusk.
Great Notley Country Park, Braintree, Great Notley CM77 7FS
Get directions
Park all day for just £6.55.
Optional extras and good to know:
There is a free Summer Magic Trail running throughout the school holiday at the park. Pick up a copy in the Skylark café or download to your phone before you head out off.
Visiting at the weekend? Junior parkrun takes place every Sunday at 9am, free for all (4 to 14 -years-old).
There’s a dedicated 1.8km cycling route, north to south on a flat, hard surface track – ideal for young riders. For a longer cycling route head out onto the Flitch Way which you can access from the park.
- Look out for new sensory play, agility trail and improved sand play, upgrades to our play area were completed in July 2026.
Win an Explorer Pass and Sky Ropes tickets
Win an Explorer Pass and Sky Ropes tickets
