NCT Wollaton Park Trail.pages

WOLLATON PARK
TRAIL, NOTTINGHAM
Easy Terrain
A 3 mile linear trail through Wollaton
Park in Nottingham.
This walk is one of the Nottingham Walks By Bus series,
created to allow walkers to access some of Nottingham’s
best walking routes via Nottingham City Transport bus
routes
The walking route follows the paths through the deer park
and gardens of Wollaton Park, taking in the many
highlights including the tree-lined avenues, the hall itself
(which today houses a museum), the camellia house and
the large lake.
Getting there
3 Miles
Linear
1.5 hours
The walk starts at the Eton Grove bus stop on Wollaton
Road which is served by NCT Bus Route Pink 30. The
walk ends at the Wollaton Park Gates bus stop on Derby
Road which is served by NCT Bus Routes Orange 35 and
36. Buses run frequently seven days per week.
For timetable and route details visit www.nctx.co.uk or get
the NCT App.
300715
Walk Sections
Go
Access Notes
1. The park gates are open every day from 8am on weekdays
and from 9am on weekends. The hall and gardens open a
little later, around 10am or 11am depending on the time of
year. Closing times are around dusk. Entry is free to the
park, gardens and hall.
2. The route has just a few gentle slopes. The majority of the
paths are surfaced, but there are a couple of stretches over
the grass so sturdy shoes or boots are recommended.
Dogs on leads are welcome in the park/garden and there
are waste bins provided on the way round.
3. You will need to negotiate a few single gates but there are
no other obstacles so the route would be suitable for
rugged pushchairs and disability buggies. There are public
toilets at the courtyard, about half way round the route.
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Start to Lime Tree Junction
Standing with your back to the Eton Grove bus stop and
shelter on Wollaton Road, turn right and right again into
Eton Grove. Follow the pavement heading away from the
main road. At the bottom of the road you will come to a Tjunction. Cross over and turn right along Harrow Road.
After just a few yards turn left through the black metal
gate to enter the grounds of Wollaton Park. NOTE: You
may come across free roaming deer from this point so
dogs must be on a lead.
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4. You will come across free roaming deer in the park so take
particular care if you have a dog with you.
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Walk directly ahead down the long avenue of oak trees, known
as Digby Avenue. Wollaton Park was first enclosed by Henry
Willoughby, 6th Baron Middleton, and involved the destruction
of the village of Sutton Passeys. Originally nearly 800 acres,
today the park covers 500 acres and is home to herds of fallow
and red deer. Other wildlife of note at the park includes a large
corvid roost made up of rooks, jackdaw and carrion crows and
you are likely to see plenty of these beautiful birds as you
journey through the park.
A little further along you will see the golf course within Wollaton
Park across the fence to the left. At the end of Digby Avenue,
follow the path as it swings left (still with the golf course on the
left). The path will lead you to a T-junction and if you glance to
the left you will see one of the impressive lime tree avenues
within the park.
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Lime Tree Junction to Hall
2 Gardens
Turn right at this junction (heading away from the avenue of
limes) and, after just 60 yards, fork left up the smaller tarmac
path leading uphill. At the top of the slope (just as the path
swings right), you will have your first view of Wollaton Hall
ahead with the walled ditch (or Ha Ha) directly in front of you.
Leave the surfaced path here and turn sharp left onto the grass,
following the line of the Ha Ha on the right.
perfect place to pause and appreciate the architecture.
Wollaton Hall is one of the country’s finest Grade I listed
Elizabethan mansions. The hall was built in the 1580s by Sir
Francis Willoughby. It was completed in 1588, the year of the
Spanish Armada. The building is in the English Renaissance
style and its flamboyant design is considered to be a
masterpiece. Since Wollaton Hall opened to the public in 1926,
it has been home to the city's natural history museum (entry is
free if you wish to visit). On display are some of the best items
from the three quarters of a million specimens that make up its
zoology, geology, and botany collections. Unsurprisingly, the hall
is also a popular filming location. It featured as Wayne Manor in
the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises.
Follow the main path to the end and swing left along the side of
the house. Pass through the gate to leave the gardens and reenter the park (remembering to ensure the gate is closed
behind you to prevent the deer entering the gardens!). Walk
straight ahead passing the turning circle for the hall entrance on
the left. Keep ahead down the slope and then swing left heading
for the visitor car park. At the crossroads keep straight ahead
passing the phone box and car park on the right. Fork left
through the gateway to enter the courtyard complex, the former
stables of the old hall.
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4 Courtyard to Lakeside Path
Ha Has were a common feature within the parkland of country
estates, used to separate the house and formal gardens from
the rest of the parkland. The grass ditch has one gentle grass
slope and one vertical side created with a masonry retaining
wall and was created to keep the grazing livestock out of the
formal garden without interrupting the view from within.
Stay on the path as it swings right with the Ha Ha on the right
and another section of the golf course on the left. When the golf
course on the left ends, keep ahead on the grass path for a few
more paces to reach a brick bridge over the Ha Ha. Cross this
bridge and go through the gate to enter the formal gardens.
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3 Hall Gardens to Courtyard
Walk directly ahead, going straight on at the first flower circle, to
reach the large white glasshouse. This is the Camellia House
and is the oldest cast iron glasshouse in Europe. It houses a
beautiful collection of camellias which are well worth a look if
you have the time.
Standing back on the path facing the conservatory, turn left and
at the next flower circle bear right on the wide path heading
uphill. This path will lead you directly behind Wollaton Hall, the
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Go ahead through the first arch and you will find the public
toilets and Nottingham Industrial Museum. Continue through the
second arch to reach the cafe. The third arch leads you past the
visitor centre and back out into the open (with a stone globe
each side).
Turn immediately right onto the brick-paved path (with the
courtyard building directly on the right) and then keep ahead
down the avenue of horse chestnut trees. Cross the bridge and
you will see the large lake across to the left. Keep straight
ahead on the path which swings steadily left with the lake visible
through the trees on the left. Through the fence to the right is
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the conservation area of Thompson’s Wood. You will emerge
from the trees to reach a concrete path running directly along
the edge of the lake.
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5 Lakeside Path to End
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) is the
city’s biggest bus operator with 330 buses
providing a comprehensive service 7 days a
week. Awarded UK Bus Operator of the Year
for 2014, all NCT buses are tracked by
satellite, feeding live departure information to
hundreds of bus stops and the NCT App.
Easyrider smart cards offer significant
discounts to all customers. For more
information visit our website.
www.nctx.co.uk
Follow this path as it swings steadily left, taking time to enjoy
the plentiful birdlife on the lake. Migrating wildfowl grace the
lake in the winter and species of note include gadwall, northern
shoveller, Eurasian wigeon and tufted duck. If you are lucky, as
we were, you may be able to watch a great crested grebe diving
and swimming underwater through the shallows feeding on
small fish and insects.
Just before you re-enter the trees, look back across the lake
where you will have a great view of the hall. Stay on the main
path passing an arched brick structure on the left. This false
bridge was probably a boathouse designed to enhance the
landscape.
Continue on the path through the trees with the lake still on the
left. As you emerge from the trees, follow the path as it swings
left past an area of reeds. After passing a bench on the right,
leave the lakeside path (which bears left), instead keep ahead
on the path heading for the hall in the distance. At the first
junction, turn sharp right onto the path which follows the line of
the fenced golf course on the left. Continue down the avenue of
trees which leads you down to an impressive stone gateway,
Beeston Lodge.
The lodge is heavy Gothic style with martello-type round outer
towers with battlements. The square central gatehouse is
connected to the towers at the second floor level. It has an
arched carriage entrance with an oriel window above and is
Grade II listed.
Pass through the doorway set within this gate to reach Derby
Road. Turn left for just a few yards and you will come to
Wollaton Park Gates bus stop from where you can catch the
bus back towards Nottingham city centre.
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Disclaimer
This walking route was walked and checked at the time of writing. We have taken care to make sure all our walks are safe for walkers of a reasonable level of experience and fitness. However, like
all outdoor activities, walking carries a degree of risk and we accept no responsibility for any loss or damage to personal effects, personal accident, injury or public liability whilst following this walk.
We cannot be held for responsible for any inaccuracies that result from changes to the routes that occur over time. Please let us know of any changes to the routes so that we can correct the
information.
Walking Safety
For your safety and comfort we recommend that you take the following with you on your walk: bottled water, snacks, a waterproof jacket, waterproof/sturdy boots, a woolly hat and fleece (in winter
and cold weather), a fully-charged mobile phone, a whistle, a compass and an Ordnance Survey map of the area. Check the weather forecast before you leave, carry appropriate clothing and do
not set out in fog or mist as these conditions can seriously affect your ability to navigate the route. Take particular care on cliff/mountain paths where steep drops can present a particular hazard.
Some routes include sections along roads – take care to avoid any traffic at these points. Around farmland take care with children and dogs, particularly around machinery and livestock. If you are
walking on the coast make sure you check the tide times before you set out.
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