Hawkstone Park Follies
Placed 14th in the Sunday Times `Britain's Best 50 Days Out' feature - 17 June 2007
‘Striking scenes and terrifick grandeur’ were the words Samuel Johnson used to describe The Follies of Hawkstone Park when he visited them in 1774.
The Follies is a fantasyland of cliffs, crags, caves, deep woods and a series of extraordinary monuments built more than 200 years ago. After years of neglect, the magical landscape was lovingly restored and reopened in 1993. English Heritage awarded Hawkstone Park Follies with Grade I certification on its Register of Historic Gardens and Parks and the Good Britain Guide voted it ‘Family Attraction of the Year 2004’. (For more on the history of Hawkstone Park, please click here).
Highlights include Grotto Hill, where you can explore a pitch-dark labyrinth of ancient mines cut into the cliff; the Swiss Bridge, a rustic wooden structure perched over an unnervingly deep chasm; the Cleft, a path winding between two cliffs which narrows into a dark, creepy tunnel; and the Monument, a 100ft high column which can be climbed to enjoy panoramic views of up to 13 counties!
Roger Whitehouse, The Follies’ Head Park Warden, says: ‘The park brings back a wonderful sense of mystery and adventure from your childhood. You never quite know what’s around the next corner. You can take your time and let the kids run about. Children love the Park and Follies. It’s not a place where they are entertained in a controlled way, like a museum, but somewhere they can explore and use their own imaginations. Each child gets something unique from the experience.’
Exploring the 100-acre site can take up to three hours, if you take the full route. Toilets are available halfway along the circular route. Refreshments are also available in the summer months. Many picnic tables are situated along the way. Hot and cold drinks and a wide range of hot and cold snacks can be enjoyed at the Greenhouse Tearoom and Visitor Centre situated at the beginning and end of all the routes. More substantial meals are available at nearby Hawkstone Park Hotel’s two restaurants.
Please note: Hawkstone Park and Follies is not wholly suitable for pushchairs, the elderly and disabled due to its hilly terrain. Free admission is given to wheelchair users because their access is limited to the Tearoom and Grand Valley.
Please bring a torch for the tunnels and caves. There are a limited number available to hire or purchase in the gift shop.
For more information on Hawkstone Park and Follies, please contact:
bookings@hawkstone.co.uk
Tel: 01948 841700
Fax: 01939 200311
