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Your search for '"country park"' has returned 52 results:

Thorndon Country Park

Thorndon Country Park

Colourful woodlands, birdlife, open parkland, fishing and the Gruffalo Trail make Thorndon Country Park the perfect destination for nature lovers, dog walkers and families alike.

in Places

Danbury Country Park

Danbury Country Park

Featuring 45 acres of grade II listed park and gardens with lakes, ancient woodland, wildflower meadow and historic features. Ideal for walking, families and picnics with friends.

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Weald Country Park

Weald Country Park

Famous for its deer park and Stick Man trail, Weald boasts spectacular views and space, covering over 520 acres of woodland, wildflower meadows and open grassland.

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Hadleigh Country Park

Hadleigh Country Park

Not only one of the UK's top mountain biking courses, Hadleigh Park offers something for everyone – idyllic countryside, magnificent views, a café and important historical sites.

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Great Notley Country Park

Great Notley Country Park

Home to Essex's longest play trail and Sky Ropes, Great Notley Country Park offers the perfect family day out.

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Belhus Woods Country Park

Belhus Woods Country Park

Over 300 acres in South Essex, Belhus Woods Country Park combines ancient woodland, kid's play area, meadows and lakes with a visitor centre and café.

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Cudmore Grove Country Park

Cudmore Grove Country Park

A nature reserve of over 102 acres of unique coastal landscapes and habitat and heritage features overlooking the Colne and Blackwater Estuaries.

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Marsh Farm Country Park

Marsh Farm Country Park

A 300-acre country park adjacent to the River Crouch, offering scenic walks with fantastic views over the country park and the river.

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Flitch Way

Flitch Way

Enjoy 15 miles of flat, traffic free, beautiful Essex countryside following a former railway line from Braintree to Bishops Stortford. Perfect for walking, cycling and horse riding.

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Finchingfield Post Mill

Finchingfield Post Mill

Grade II-listed Finchingfield Post Mill is the oldest windmill in Essex, built around 1756. It overlooks the picturesque village of Finchingfield.

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Mountnessing Post Mill

Mountnessing Post Mill

Built in 1807, Mountnessing Post Mill is the nearest Essex mill to London. Fully restored to working order, it sees many visitors and lends itself to photographs.

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Alderford Water Mill

Alderford Water Mill

Restored, Grade II-listed timber building, typical of rural water mills and one of the best preserved in Essex. The water wheel often runs on open days.

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Spooky Bat Hunt Trails

Spooky Bat Hunt Trails

Oct 22, 2022

Join us at the Essex Country Parks for a Spooky Bat Hunt Trail - can you find all of our little bat friends?

in Events

Essex Explorer Magazine

Essex Explorer Magazine

Jan 1, 2022

Packed full of beautiful photography, seasonal features, recommended reads, recipes, competitions and much more.

in Events

Now: the future community event

Now: the future community event

Aug 13, 2022

Take part in climate change workshops run by award-winning theatre maker Amanda Kelleher and help create an audio play!

in Events

Let's Keep Covid in Check

Let's Keep Covid in Check

Aug 18, 2021

Explore Essex safely this summer. If you're visiting Great Notley, Hadleigh or Thorndon on these selected dates, visit a pop-up stand to collect your free self-test kits.

in Events

Managing deer within Essex Country parks

Managing deer within Essex Country parks

The United Kingdom is home to six species of deer and the Essex Country Parks are no exception as the most common in the county are fallow, muntjac and roe deer. In fact, some of our sites began as medieval deer parks dating back to the 12th century.

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Weald Country Park Discovery Trail

Weald Country Park Discovery Trail

Explore different corners of the park and imagine the landscape as it once was. Discover the work the park rangers are doing to conserve it for future generations.

in Park Trails

Hadleigh Country Park Room Hire

Hadleigh Country Park Room Hire

The meeting room at the Hub is bright and superbly located in the courtyard, close to many conveniences including a large car park. The room can be set up in a variety of styles to suit all requirements with the room measuring in at 8m x 8m catering for up to 50 people. Catering is available from the on-site café.

in Hire

Name the Goats

Name the Goats

Win an Explore Essex bundle of goodies including tickets to Sky Ropes

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Car parking

Car parking

Essex Country Park car parking income is reinvested into the upkeep and development of the parks and protection of the wildlife within.

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Our parks and places

Our parks and places

Discover some of the best country parks and places for a great family day out in Essex. The mix of open spaces, kids play areas, lakes and woodland in the Essex Country Parks provide the perfect spaces to walk, run and play whatever your age.

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Summer Challenge 2020

Summer Challenge 2020

Visit 6 Country Parks over the summer holidays and complete 1 challenge at each park to be entered into a prize draw to win an Explore Essex goody bag! Will you take on the challenge?

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Infinity Forest Summer Garden Goody Bag Competition

To celebrate the opening of the Infinity Forest Art Installation at Danbury Country Park, we're launching a competition to win an Explore Essex Family Summer Garden Goody Bag - worth over £100!

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Park Trails

Heritage, walks and kid's play - discover our trails

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Dog Walking

Dog Walking

The Essex Country Parks provide a wide variety of landscapes perfect for walking your furry friends. Take long riverside rambles or let your pets run free through the trees.

in Get active

Explore Essex and ACL Essex Park Art Competition

Explore Essex and ACL Essex Park Art Competition

We partnered with our friends at ACL Essex to launch the Park Art competition at the start of spring. We received a superb selection of entries - from photographs to paintings - and it was wonderful to see you take inspiration from our country parks. Browse the gallery of entries from talented artists.

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Terms and Conditions

These terms and conditions apply to all bookings made with Essex Country Parks, Essex County Council, County Hall, Market Road. Chelmsford, CM1 1QH for sessions on the Sky Ropes and Sky Ropes Junior high ropes courses at Great Notley Country Park.

in Sky Ropes

Explore Essex Infinity Forest competition

To celebrate the opening of the Infinity Forest Art Installation at Danbury Country Park, we launched an art competition to win an Explore Essex Family Summer Garden Goody Bag. We received some fantastic entries, from collages to paintings to tree tracing. Browse the gallery of entries from talented artists of all ages.

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Coastal, rivers and lakes

Coastal, rivers and lakes

There’s sometimes nothing better than being by water, whether it’s the sea, river or lake. Each has its own magic. Explore coastal Cudmore Grove on Mersea Island, or picnic by the lakes at Danbury or Belhus Woods. Take a scenic riverside ramble at Marsh Farm Country Park by the river Crouch. Explore somewhere new and let the peace and beauty wash over you.

in Places to go

Sky Ropes

Get your heart racing and explore high in the sky in a quest to conquer Sky Ropes at Great Notley Country Park. With high ropes adventure courses to suit the whole family from tiny tots of two years to big kids and adults, Sky Ropes offers great, safe family fun.

in Places to go

Schools

Schools

High-quality learning outside the classroom in inspirational spaces. We provide high-quality learning outside the classroom experiences in inspirational spaces that can help unlock children’s learning potential and bring out the best in them. Learning in Essex Country Parks is fun, active and covers a wider curriculum scope. Activities are also designed to promotion children’s personal and social development.

in Schools & groups

Kids play and trails

Kids play and trails

Get your kids out and set their imaginations free as they play, climb and soar in beautiful outdoor locations. Specially designed, natural and unique play equipment has been commissioned and developed at many of the parks. Great Notley Country Park boasts the longest play trail in Essex and is also home to Sky Ropes. Find out more and kid about.

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Wildlife and walks

Wildlife and walks

Discover more about your local wildlife. Spot local and rare birds, deer and woodland animals. Every season offers something new. In the summer, wildflower meadows come alive with insects and butterflies. In the winter huge flocks of migratory geese, waders and wildfowl descend. Grab your binoculars, spotter’s guides and all the family and get out into the Country Parks to enjoy everything Essex has to offer.

in Places to go

Forest Schools

Forest Schools

Don’t let the children have all the fun, forest school and connecting to nature is for everyone, come and join us at our Family Forest School sessions. Leave the electronics at home and build relationships and skills whilst making memories with your friends and family.

in Schools & groups

Thank you for subscribing to the Explore Essex newsletter

Thank you for signing up to our newsletter - you'll be the first to hear about our latest news, exciting events, competitions and exclusive offers. You'll also get the Essex Explorer magazine delivered straight to your inbox.

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Media & press

For any media or press enquiries please contact us directly.

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Gruffalo Day

Gruffalo Day

Your class will experience the Deep Dark Wood that has made this story so popular with young children and adults alike.

in Schools & groups

Explorer pass

Explorer pass

Save money on car parking and more with our Explorer Pass

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Mills

Mills

Visit an Essex Mill and discover a piece of the county’s history

in Places to go

Heritage places

Heritage places

A lot of Essex parks and places are steeped in history. From one of the largest Knight’s Templar sites to connections with Capability Brown, why not find out more about our county’s history with a visit. If you are interested in delving deep into the past, the Essex Record Office is the place to start your journey.

in Places to go

Get active

Get active

Simply being outdoors and getting active improves both mental and physical health. From taking a walk across rolling grasslands to cycling and kids’ play trails we’ve got something for you in many different locations across the county. So come on and get out more.

in Places to go

Stick Man Day

Stick Man Day

On this activity day, your class will go on a woodland adventure and bring to life the story of the Stick Man.

in Schools & groups

Essex Explorer Magazine

Essex Explorer Magazine

Discover the Essex Explorer magazine, a seasonal magazine with fascinating features, spotlight articles, inspirational lifestyle ideas, competitions and all of the latest news from across our parks and places.

in Art & Culture

Culture Essex

Culture Essex supports, promotes and advocates for the arts, cultural and creative sector in the county.

in Art & Culture