Changes to parking arrangements at Ashridge Estate

Planning regulations (governed by national legislation) allow temporary use of the land for parking for a limited number of days each year. That annual allowance has now been reached, so the overflow car park must close until the new allowance becomes available in 2027.

Meadley's Meadow will reopen in Spring 2027 to add parking capacity on busy days.

No. Following requirements identified by Hertfordshire County Council and other statutory bodies, the north verge of Monument Drive will remain parking-free to protect tree root systems, habitats and the historic landscape, and to safeguard public access along the Byway Open to All Traffic.

These changes are required to ensure the site continues to meet the standards that apply to both public access and this special area of conservation, including providing a wider, clearer route for pedestrians and horse riders.

No. Parking on the North verge is prohibited. Please see the answer above for a full explanation for this.

There are other smaller car parks dotted around the estate. The main alternatives are located at Ivinghoe Beacon and Ling Ride, but they might get busy on sunny weekends.

We recommend visiting during the week if you want to avoid car parking issues. On sunny weekends, we recommend considering a visit to Dunstable Downs instead, where we have a large car park, a coffee shop, beautiful views over the Downs, an access path and Whipsnade Tree Cathedral a 30-minute walk away.

We are complying with requirements identified by Hertfordshire County Council and other statutory bodies. One of the requirements is to provide unobstructed access to the byway.

The National Trust and Hertfordshire County Council received complaints that logs were obstructing the byway and affecting public access.

This arrangement is in place for the foreseeable future. We continue to work with Hertfordshire County Council and other statutory bodies to balance competing priorities of providing unobstructed access to the byway, protecting nature in the special area of conservation, and providing sufficient parking capacity for visitors. We will keep you informed in advance of any future changes.

We kindly request that you do not move any of the logs from their position alongside the road. If you observe that any of the logs have been moved, please report to a member of staff at the visitor centre.

Based on recent usage, there are enough parking spaces during weekdays between the south verge, Barracks Square, and the Visitor Centre car park.

During busy weekends, we opened an additional, temporary car park on Meadley's Meadow. This provided additional parking spaces equivalent to the number of spaces previously available on the north verge.

Around 270 car parking spaces are available during weekdays. Around 430 car parking spaces were available when the additional, temporary parking on Meadley's Meadow was open on busy weekends.

There are other small car parks around the estate where you can look for a space. Please do not park on the north verge, and please follow all signage.

We are not limiting capacity. On busy days, we are replacing parking on the north verge with an equivalent parking capacity in Meadley's Meadow.

The meadow will only be available during dry weather and busy days for a limited number of days per year. The location of the temporary car park protects the most floristically rich areas of the meadow.

Blue Badge holder parking is unaffected by the changes and continues to be available at the Visitor Centre car park and opposite our mobility vehicle rental.

Parking remains free-of-charge across the site.

The mobility route going around the meadow will continue to be open to mobility vehicles. However, when a section of the meadow is turned into a temporary car park at the weekend, a small section of the mobility route on the east side of the meadow will be used by cars. If you are concerned about driving your mobility vehicle alongside cars, we recommend that either you book a mobility vehicle on a different day (Monday to Friday) or ride on the mobility route on the west side of the meadow and do a u-turn when the route is open to cars.

The installation of the logs along the north verge of Monument Drive is in response to complaints received by National Trust and Hertfordshire County Council. It is not related in any way to our ongoing planning applications as part of the ‘Protecting Our Roots’ project.

The current changes are not related to any planning application. They are an independent measure put in place to comply with requirements identified by Hertfordshire County Council and other statutory bodies, following complaints received by National Trust and Hertfordshire County Council that logs were obstructing the byway.