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Upton Country Park, Poole BH17 7BJ

Tel: 01202 262 753

Email: uptoncountrypark@poole.gov.uk

Estate Office open

Monday - Thursday, 9.00am - 5.15pm

Friday 9.00am - 4.45pm

Upton Country Park opening times

October - March: 8am to 6pm

April - September: 8am to 9pm

Segway - take a Segway tour of the Park’s main attractions on one of the greenest modes of transport around! Segway tour prices are £15 (under 16 yrs) or £20; there is a minimum age requirement of 10 years and other ‘tour rules’; for further details please see the Segway Dorset website, and to make a booking please call Segway Dorset on 01305 262265, email info@segwaydorset.co.uk or use the booking form.

The Gallery Upstairs (formerly The Peacock Gallery) hosts both traditional and contemporary exhibitions throughout the year, and admission is free! Open daily,10.30am - 3.45pm.

The gallery is above the Tea Rooms; wheelchair access is by lift (which can be found through the Tea Rooms).

See The Gallery Upstairs website for information about current and future exhibitions.

The Gallery Upstairs is managed by the Poole & East Dorset Art Society (PEDAS); please visit their website or email GUS@pedas.org.uk for information about exhibiting here.

A harbourside bird hide provides the perfect place to spot birds of the salt marshes and mudflats (the hide has a ramp for wheelchair access).

The Tea Rooms provide refreshments, light lunches, homemade cakes and ice creams, which can be enjoyed inside or outside - on the Walled Garden terrace or in the courtyard. Open daily,10.30am - 3.45pm.

The Country Park - things to see and do

Park Visitors Map

PDF, 650kb

USEFUL PARK INFORMATION

Upton Country Park boasts five Green Flag Awards, which recognise and reward the best green spaces in the country.

Car parking is free and there’s a wide range of things to see and do, which is why families love it so much...

Downloads

Park opening times

October - March

8.00am - 6.00pm

April - September

8.00am - 9.00pm

See also:

Our Events Diary

Wildlife of Upton Country Park

Park Play & Recreation Improvements 2012/13

At Upton Country Park we hold the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, recognising us as a provider of quality, safely managed and sustainable educational experiences for young people [more]

Find your way around with our Park Visitors Map (PDF, 650kb)

or use our quick reference pop-up map where you see this symbol

The Tea Rooms provided very good coffee and when we returned there for lunch the food was excellent and we were very well looked after. We then descended upon the Plant Centre and made several purchases which will remind us of our very enjoyable day out.

Play Trail Map & Activity leaflet

PDF, 1.5Mb

The large lawns at the front of the House are ideal for picnics and active recreation. There’s plenty of space for children to run around and safely enjoy themselves.

Petanque is available most days. The terrain (four pistes) can be found alongside the drive into the Park, and is free of charge to use. The Upton House Petanque Group currently plays on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons (starting at 1.30pm) and new players are always welcomed; for details, please see the Friends of Upton Country Park website

Orienteering - have fun following the numbered posts around the Park using the map put together by the Wessex Orienteering Club. The map costs just £1.00 and is available from the Tea Rooms or from the Friends’ Kiosk at the rear of Upton House.

The Tree Trail - as with many stately homes, the various owners of Upton House have planted a magnificent pageant of trees for the enjoyment of future generations - allow us to introduce you to a few of them [more...].

A Tree Trail booklet costs just £1.00 and is available from the Tea Rooms, the Plant Centre and from the Friends’ Kiosk at the rear of Upton House.

Click here to download the Upton Country Park visitor map

Download our new Play Trail map & activity leaflet (1.5Mb)

The Park has a network of hard-surfaced wheelchair friendly footpaths. There is a kissing gate at each end of the Shoreline Trail. For pram and wheelchair access please use a RADAR key (available from Upton House Mon-Fri). Accessible toilets are located in the car park and by the Tea Rooms (RADAR key). The Education Centre is accessed via a wheelchair friendly ramp. Access to Upton House ground floor includes entrance/exit ramps and toilet facilities.

THINGS TO SEE

The Walled Garden once supplied the House with fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers all year round.

Newly landscaped in 2012, there is now a water feature (children are welcome to play in it), well managed beds and borders and open space to enjoy; many of our outdoor events take place here.

The Walled Garden gives access to the old stable block, now the Tea Rooms.

Open daily, 9.00am - 4.00pm, unless booked for a wedding or other event.

NB: the water feature is shut down during winter months (1st October - 1st May) to protect it from winter weather damage.

The shoreline and woodlands are perfect for walks, casual & adventurous play and spotting local wildlife. Guided walks are organised from time-to-time. Please see our Events Diary for information.

The Formal Gardens are the most colourful part of the Park and directly surround the House, extending out to the duck pond, shoreline and woodland. Year round colour is provided by trees, shrubs, a herbaceous border, heather garden and rose garden.

The Roman House with its replica Roman thatched, oak framed building. The house is a learning resource managed by Poole Museum and not usually open to the public.

THINGS TO DO

The Friends’ Kiosk also serves drinks, snacks and ice creams - and is a great source of Park information! The Kiosk can be found at the rear of the House, and is open on Saturday and some weekday afternoons during the summer, and on Sunday afternoons throughout the year.

The Plant Centre (open early spring to late Autumn) is run by the Friends of Upton Country Park and supplies a beautiful selection of good quality plants at reasonable prices; plant sales raise funds for Park enhancements and to help towards the cost of major projects.

The Upton House History Wordsearch for schools and anyone else who loves a challenge - print off our potted history of Upton House and see how many words you can find in the grid; you will learn some fascinating facts about the House at the same time. Download the wordsearch paper here (PDF, 755kb)

Nature Trail - try our exciting nature trail. The theme and questions change regularly so when you next explore the Country Park you can learn fascinating facts from how fast honeybees beat their wings to the secrets of the gentry who lived in Upton House. And it’s totally free! Download the Nature Trail Map here (PDF, 600kb)

The Play Trail newly created in 2013, and made up of a range of different natural timber structures, starts on the lawn close to the Education Centre and continues through Grove Wood. Follow the Play Trail map and find 10 brass rubbings to create your own woodland scene ... download the leaflet (PDF, 1.5Mb)

A printed copy of the Play Trail leaflet is available from the Tea Rooms and from the Kiosk behind Upton House (50p nominal charge for pack including crayons)