Ashridge Estate is a special place that welcomes an estimated 1.7 million people each year, who enjoy spending time in the beautiful, historic landscape.
However, the popularity of the estate is having an impact on this very special landscape that people love so much. In order to safeguard its future we need to make changes to the infrastructure across the estate so we can continue to welcome visitors in a way that allows nature and wildlife to thrive.
Our General Manager tells us about some of the challenges facing Ashridge Estate and why action is needed now to secure its future.
With more than 30,000 new dwellings planned in the local area over the next 10 years, Ashridge Estate could see upwards of an additional 200,000 visitors each year, placing unprecedented pressure on the estate’s delicate habitats and wildlife.
Monument Drive is where most people start and end their visit to Ashridge. The majority of people come to this area as it is where the only visitor facilities are located, as well as most of the hard-standing and informal grass verge car parking.
However, this area is at the heart of the Special Area of Conservation (SAC), with Monument Drive and the walking routes around it being some of the most vulnerable and highly designated parts of the estate.
The concentration of car parking and visitors in this one area is causing severe damage to the landscape. The volume of feet, tyres, paws and hooves on the same ground is causing the ancient soil and the special biodiversity within it to become worn away.
Wildflowers and special plants are getting trampled and cannot continue to grow year after year. Birds, insects, butterflies, mammals and other wildlife are losing the vital habitats they need to survive.
The current hard-standing car parks are not big enough to carry the weight of visitors who arrive by car, forcing people to park on the badly eroded grass verges along Monument Drive. This is having a detrimental impact on the soil, ancient trees and special habitats in this part of the Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
An ecological report published by Dacorum Borough Council in 2022 showed that damage was widespread across the estate but also concentrated in a number of areas. Here are some examples:
Trampling from feet, paws and hooves and friction from bike tyres can damage plants and disturb the ground nesting birds and other wildlife habitats.
Ashridge Estate is at a pivotal moment in its history and action is needed if we’re to secure its future for generations to come.
The challenges faced at Ashridge Estate are not new. For many years we’ve been exploring ways to help manage the volume of visitors to limit the impact on the estate. However the size, scale and diversity of the landscape along with its ecological and historical significance makes this difficult.
Previous smaller scale projects have focussed mainly on car parking at Monument Drive, but during the Covid pandemic, we saw a significant increase in footfall in all areas of the estate and an acceleration in the rate of impact.
It was clear that a more holistic approach was needed, looking at the whole estate to identify solutions to balance how we can welcome visitors while protecting the landscape in our care.
‘Protecting Our Roots’ is our strategic project dedicated to safeguarding the future of Ashridge Estate by allowing us to welcome visitors in a way that allows nature and wildlife to thrive.
We’re working closely with local authorities, conservation experts and key stakeholders to find solutions to help manage the careful balance of increased visitor numbers with the impact on nature.
In order to do this we need to make changes to the infrastructure across the estate. This is likely to include new visitors hubs, new car parking arrangements on Monument Drive, surfacing some of the most well used paths and resting other areas to allow them to recover.
Our long-term vision is to be able to welcome visitors to Ashridge in a way that allows nature and wildlife to thrive. In order to do this we need to make changes to the infrastructure across the estate, allowing visitors to enjoy Ashridge in a new way.
At the heart of our vision to protect Ashridge is an ambition to create new visitor hubs in other parts of the estate to help better spread the concentration of visitors across the landscape. We are working closely with local authorities, stakeholders and conservation experts to explore where these might be located and what they might look like.
It is our ambition to create new visitor hubs in less sensitive parts of the estate to help disperse footfall and provide a better experience for visitors. Images are for illustrative purposes only.
Welcome points for staff and volunteers to engage with visitors to provide opportunities to learn and take part in our conservation work. A food and beverage outlet providing a selection of drinks and snacks to be enjoyed in the outdoors. Picnic area close to facilities. Thoughtfully and sustainably designed facilities that are accessible for all.
Introducing new visitor hubs across the estate will move the weight of visitor pressure away from Monument Drive and allow this special area to be rested.
Large concentration of visitors at the heart of the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and many cars parked on the delicate grass verges. The ground becomes churned up, particularly in wet weather and the soil is badly eroded and compacted.
Completed
At Dockey Wood we’ve installed natural fencing to protect the ancient bluebell wood and better manage the large number of visitors who come to enjoy the spectacular bluebell display each spring. Read more about the Bluebells at Ashridge.
Our vision for Ashridge is a long-term plan to secure the future of the estate, but there are small things that everyone can do to help us look after this special place.
Sept 2023
We held our first public engagement event to introduce the ‘Protecting Our Roots’ project and share more about the challenges facing Ashridge Estate and our vision for the future of this special place.
Over a three day period, more than 800 members of the public, local residents, community leaders and other stakeholders visited our marquee on Meadley's Meadow to read materials, meet members of the team and provide feedback.
Thank you to everyone who attended.
If you’d like to get in touch please email the project team.
We would also appreciate it if you could complete our short survey.
Find out when Ashridge Estate is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Ashridge has over 80 miles of pathways 5,000 acres of woodland, from the windmill to Bridgewater Monument and panoramic views of the estate, there’s lots to explore at Ashridge Estate.
Ashridge has over 80 miles of pathways to explore, on foot, on bike and on horseback.
Veteran trees are old trees which are notable for their features, and they play an important part in our ecosystem. Read about the work the ranger team are doing to protect these trees, and how you can help.
We believe that nature, beauty and history are for everyone. That’s why we’re supporting wildlife, protecting historic sites and more. Find out about our work.
