Name: Wandlebury Country Park
Type: Park/Woodlands
Country: England
State/Province/County: Cambridgeshire
City/Town/Village: Cambridge
Opening times: 24/7
Entry fee: Nil
Parking available: Yes
Parking fee: £3 all day
Address: Wandlebury Ring, Gog Magog Hills, Cambridge CB22 3AE
Map:
This is definitely one of my favourite local(ish) parks to my home in Haverhill, Suffolk.
Photographers delight.
If you enjoy landscape and nature photography, Wandlebury has many many great photography opportunities.
From the tree-lined walkways to seasonal flower beds. Every season has its very own beauty.
In addition to the beauty of the woods themselves, there are also several pastures around the paths of Wandlebury. These pastures are home to the resident herd of highland cattle at the park. The chances they will be in the same pasture the next time you visit is highly unlikely, so you may have to go and find them!
Recently, they have also added a herd of Norfolk Black Faced Sheep. I'm unsure if these are permanently at the park or not!
Wandlebury is the site of a once-thriving Iron-age Hillfort. Today, you can still find the main outer ditch of the fort which runs in a complete circle. This ditch makes for another interesting place for photographers!
For all the family!
But Wandlebury isn't just for photographers!
The charity that runs the park, Cambridge Past, Present and Future hold many events and activities at the park.
From organised walks and hikes (there are some 8 miles of paths around Wandlebury) for all age groups to educational workshops for kids, for example, den building. Follow the parks social media channels (links at end of the post) to be kept up to date with events happening.
There are public toilets available on the site as well as a pop-up shop.
There is a large open field where picnics can be enjoyed in the spring/summer where ball games are allowed and is a great way to let little ones run off some energy!
Flowers to be seen
Carpets of white and yellow snowdrops and aconites at the start of spring (mid Jan - Feb).
Cowslips, daffodils and violets (April - May typically)
See the blossoms of the Hawthorn, Apple and Cherry trees (April - May typically)
May - July sees the park scattered with carpets of cow parsley and yellow buttercups and many wildflowers.
In July - August search out the poppies!
Conclusion:
I love this park! I can easily spend an entire day here just enjoying the peace and quiet and looking for that interesting shot. Despite the number of times I've been to this park, every visit I find something new.
There is a hide in the park where you can try and spot some birds and other wildlife and I've often spent several hours in there.
The park is used by many dog walkers and unfortunately, despite the park clearly stating that dogs should be on leads at all times, many visitors to the park seem to ignore this! So if you have a dog that isn't overly fond of having other dogs run up to it, I'd suggest putting a muzzle on it! This is a pet peeve of mine as I have a Staffordshire terrier, who is a very loving dog to his human family. However, he isn't, unfortunately, very sociable with strange dogs. So it is frustrating that I have to muzzle him when I visit this park because other pet owners are not being responsible. I'm not willing to risk my dog being blamed for an incident that could have been prevented had the other dog owner followed the guidelines at the park.
Be aware that there is only the one toilet at the park which is located near to the pay and display parking on site. Walking the circumference of the outer pathways could take an hour plus at a leisurely pace, so bear this toilet situation in mind if your party contains people with weak or small bladders! There are no other toilets along the path.
If you live in or around Cambridge, I highly recommend Wandlebury as a good day out for the entire family any time of the year. It really is worth visiting the park during each season to see how it changes. There is beauty in EVERY season at this park.