Queen Elizabeth Country Park

country parkcafeplay areawoodlandsouth downs

14 Oct

Written By Sally Broom

Children will enjoy the woodland play area, the mini-wheels track, the assault course and the giant, Ascapart, on this walk.

The Basics

Time: 40 mins

Distance: 2.7 km

Terrain: Easy woodland paths

Pushchairs: It might be a bit bumpy, but if the ground is firm, you should be ok

Dogs: Yes, and they might like the dog agility course

Refreshments: Juniper kiosk, café at the visitors centre, BBQ hire, picnics or even pizza oven hire!

Toilets: Yes

Parking: Juniper car park, charges apply - summer is £5 for two hours, winter is £3.50 - number plate recognition (Postcode: PO8 0QE - W3W: organisms/digital/lost)

There is plenty to do on a day out at Queen Elizabeth Country Park. Easily accessed from the A3, one side the park consists of wooded hillsides, perfect for walks and mountain biking. The other side comprises Butser Hill, a typical South Downs landscape. There are lots of possible walks you can do and we have chosen ours to start out beside the play area. Here you will also find picnic benches, toilets, bbqs for hire, woodland play area, snack kiosk (weekends and school holidays) and an assault course and dog agility course.

The Route

There are plenty of trails you can do here, but we like this one as it takes in all of the key features that children will enjoy and there are no steep paths.
From the Juniper car park at the top of the park, take the large, wide path heading north past the pizza oven area. The play area should be to your left and the pizza oven to your right. This path passes three more, often quieter picnic areas on the left. At the first fork, you will find the sculpture on your right. This depiction of Hampshire’s legendary local giant, Ascapart, is by environmental artist, Mark Anthony Haden, and is so large, our whole family could fit inside using a doorway near his ear.
Return to the path and continue in your original direction, ignoring any paths to your right, until you reach the end of War Down. Here there are glimpses of a view to Petersfield through the trees.
As the path turns a corner to the right, look behind you and take the path in the middle of the fork. This path will eventually join up with the one you started on (the fork by the sculpture), taking you back to the juniper car park.
Just before you arrive back, dip into the trees when you spot the sign for the assault course. This is great fun for older children and adults, with some challenging obstacles.

Young bike riders will enjoy the new novice mountain bike tracks at Benham’s car park, and the smallest riders will find a mini wheels track beside the visitor centre.