Stansted Park
On this walk, children will enjoy the attractions at Stansted House including the walled garden with its tearoom, a maze, mini-golf and miniature railway.
The Basics
Time: 55 minutes for the pushchair walk, 1 hour 20 minutes for the longer walk
Distance: 3.7 km for the pushchair walk, 4.58 km for the longerwalk
Terrain: The pushchair walk has paved or well surfaced tracks, the longer walk also has fields that can be muddy and stony as well as kissing gates. Both have a steady upward incline at one point.
Pushchair: Yes, see above
Dogs: Yes on the footpaths, but should be under close control due to deer and livestock around the park. No dogs in the walled garden attractions.
Refreshments: Pavilion Tea Room
Toilets: Yes
Parking: Stansted Park, free car park - please use the one designated for walkers (Postcode: PO9 6DX - W3W: proclaims/straddled/beginning).
Stansted Park stands in 1800 acres of parkland and forest with miles of footpaths and bridleways to explore. This guide gives you two family friendly walks to chose from that can all be combined with a visit to the house and other attractions.
The Routes
Exit the car park and walk back out onto the paved access road you came in on. Turn right and follow this towards the house with the iron gates ahead of you. Take the gravelled path that turns left to pass in front of the house with a fence on either side.
After you have passed the house, you will come to a T-junction where you should go right and continue along a paved access road. It will curve around, passing the entrance to the house and then go slightly up hill.
At the cottages, veer to the left beside a blue tap and ignore the path going to your right in front of them. The paved access road eventually levels off and continues past Lumley Seat. After the entry to this house, you will see some cottages with green doors. Turn right here and walk along the track with open fields to your right. This track is rougher for pushchairs than the paved road, but should be manageable.
The track will bring you to a cross road. For the pushchair walk, turn right here and it will lead you back to the cottages that you saw in section three. For the longer walk, continue straight and go through the kissing gate into woodland.
The path will very soon veer to the right where there is a ‘private property - no entry’ sign and will head diagonally across the middle of a field (at the time of this update in August 2024, part of the field is full of maize and cut wheat). Continue through the crop field, sticking to the same worn path. Pass through a small wilding section with young trees and other wild plants, before emerging back into the crop field on the other side. There are some lovely views of the back of Stansted House along this section.
As you round the edge of a small copse to your right, veer left with the path and head towards a gateway at the edge of the field, marked by a post with a pink top. Head out onto the track and very shortly you will come to a crossroads. Take the permissive byway to the right. Follow this enclosed path and then turn right at the footpath sign and through the kissing gate, follow the path, with fences on either side of you.
Another gate will soon take you diagonally across the middle of another field. Go through the kissing gate to exit the field and turn right on the other side to enter a little copse. The path will lead you out into the walker’s car park.
Attractions at Stansted House that can be completed at the start or finish of this walk include:
Pop-up wood fired pizza with outdoor seating
Ice-cream cart
Farm shop
Maze
Mini-golf
Walled Garden (free)
Arboretum (free)
Chapel (free)
Miniature Railway (Wednesdays and Saturdays)
Garden Centre
House open days
Pavilion tea-rooms
Some of the above are seasonal and will incur charges as well as having selected opening times. Please view the official website to see details of these.
Did you know?
In 1900 a devastating fire tore through the house leaving nothing but the original vaulted crypt. The house was painstakingly rebuilt over the following three years on the exact footprint of the old house.
The woodland around the park is a good place to find bluebells in spring.
