Walking at Newark Park

Visitor stands at the gate in the woodland garden at Newark Park, Gloucestershire — Visitor stands at the gate in the woodland garden at Newark Park | © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

There’s more to Newark Park than just the house and garden. With over 700 acres, the estate is a great place to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy a walk. All you need are your walking boots and a sense of adventure to follow three waymarked walking trails around the estate.

Walking trails

Set on the Cotswold escarpment the Newark Park estate, with its uninterrupted views across the countryside and network of woodland trails, is the perfect place for walking.

There are three easy-to-follow waymarked trails around the estate. Wellies or walking boots are a must - they can be muddy, even on sunny days.

Pink route

For the more adventurous, the pink route takes you through the estate, following the original Georgian carriage drive around Lower Lodge Wood.

At the furthest point, where the wood gives way to the grassy valley below, you can see a small overgrown field which we're hoping to return back to an orchard.

If you walk along the path a little further, you can see the remains of some old farm buildings, slowly being reclaimed by nature. Don't be tempted to leave the path and explore them further - they are very fragile.

A white dog on the lead at Calke Abbey with the legs of two people behind — Newark Park is the ideal place to walk your dog | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Purple route

Unfortunately, the purple route has become very muddy over the winter and is currently not accessible.

At nearly three miles, the purple route offers views of the woods, Newark House and the Ozleworth valley.

This is the ideal trail if you want to get your heart racing. There are a couple of steep slopes as you ascend back up the valley along the grassland by the side of the woods.

The climb is definitely worth it. At the top you can look back at where you've just walked and see the Ozleworth valley in all its glory.

Orange route

The shortest of the estate walks at 1.5 miles, the orange route has recently been resurfaced. It is also the least steep, and gives gorgeous views of the valley below.