Enjoy outdoor adventures at Calke Explore

What is Calke Explore?

Calke Explore is the perfect base to start your outdoor adventures at Calke Abbey, offering lots of opportunities to get outdoors and active.

Situated in a peaceful woodland area away the house and gardens, you'll find a car park, toilet facilities, a Changing Places toilet and refreshments kiosk. Calke Explore has easy access to walking and cycling routes, exciting natural play areas nestled in the woods, and spaces for relaxation and reflection.

Things to see and do at Calke Explore

Whether you’re planning a family day out, a gentle bike ride, or a walk with the dog, Calke Explore has something for everyone, whatever the weather. With easy access to the wider estate, you can jump straight on the Tramway Trail – a family friendly walking and cycling route with hard paths, making this a great wet-weather route. 

Families are invited to come out and play at Calke Explore, where you’ll find a natural woodland play area. Kids can go wild in nature from spring all the way through to winter! 

If you’re looking for a moment of peace, there’s plenty of space for reflection and refreshment at Calke Explore. With new benches overlooking the wetlands, and a courtyard with covered and uncovered seating, you can relax with a cuppa among the sights and sounds of nature. The Food and Beverage kiosk is open at weekends and peak times, 10am–3pm. 

Cycle hire now available

Find your pedal power at Calke’s brand-new cycle hire facility, open now at Calke Explore, within close pedalling distance of the Tramway Trail, Calke's accessible multi-use trail.   

Cycle hire is available Weds–Sun (until Sun 31 Oct) from 10am to 4.30pm (last hire 2.30pm). 

Prices: £6 for the first bike, £4 per additional bike for 2 hours hire, or add an extra hour for £1 per bike. Adult and children’s bikes are available, with a limited number of trailers and balance bikes.   

With hard surfaced paths, a relatively flat terrain and figure-of-eight route, it’s ideal for beginner cyclists and anyone seeking a picturesque ride through the countryside. To find out more about cycle hire and to read our guide for happy cycling, follow the link below. 

Conservation and sustainability

As part of our commitment to creating a healthy, natural environment, we’re taking steps to make Calke Explore as green as possible – from large-scale projects to protect the habitats in the area, to introducing new recycling bins and environmentally friendly hand dryers.

We’re even banning single-use cups from the new Food and Beverage kiosk – instead, we’re encouraging visitors to bring a keep cup with them. You’ll receive 25p off your hot drink, and you’ll be helping us reduce the amount of waste we produce.

Accessible Calke Explore

Everyone is welcome at Calke Explore, and we’ve been looking at how we can create solutions for accessibility at the new site, so that you can enjoy the parkland fully. You'll find 10 accessible parking bays next to the facilities, a disabled access toilet, and an adult Changing Places facility if you have additional needs.

Calke Explore is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, with a short trail suitable for wheelchairs and mobility scooters, as well as direct access to the Tramway Trail – a flat, circular route with a hard surface. Families can be inspired by nature in the human-sized badger sett, which is wheelchair accessible.

If you'd like more information about access, get in touch or speak to a member of the team when you arrive. We'll be happy to help.

When you immerse yourself in nature, we can continue to protect and preserve Calke's special outdoor spaces. Thank you for your support.