Project

Stowe Parkland Trail project

illustration showing the route of the new parkland trail at Stowe from above — New parkland trail route at Stowe Gardens | © n/a

The Stowe Parkland Trail project is a proposal to create a 6.7km (4 mile) circular trail through the parkland surrounding Stowe Gardens. By improving the current path surfaces, signposting and gates, and making adjustments to the existing routes, it will create an accessible trail that allows more visitors to experience the joys of nature and outdoor activity, while protecting sensitive wildlife habitats and the historic landscape.

Why the existing route needs improving

There's already an established network of paths through the parkland at Stowe, made up of public rights of way, historic paths and permissive routes through private land.

Unfortunately, many of these paths are not as accessible or as nature-friendly as they should be, due to issues including:

Poor signposting
Steep sections with gradients of more than 10%
Poor surfaces that are difficult to access during the winter
Locations close to wildlife habitats that threaten protected species
Areas impacted by climate change and prone to flooding
Gates that are difficult to navigate

The proposed Stowe Parkland Trail will address these issues, creating an improved route that's suitable for everyone.

A woman walking two dogs and a man in a wheelchair on a path by a pond with grass and trees in the background — The pathway through the parkland at Stowe, Buckinghamshire | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

A trail for everyone

We already welcome a huge number of visitors to the Stowe parkland: dog walkers, trail runners, ramblers, Nordic walkers, commuters, bird watchers, photographers, cyclists and horse riders.

The proposed improved and extended trail will give even more people the chance to enjoy the estate, with improvements designed to increase accessibility for all of the following:

Families and groups: Rest areas, accessible gates and level surfaces will ensure the improved trail caters for multi-generational groups of walkers and wheelers.
Dog owners: We see local dog walkers every day at Stowe. We also host a monthly group dog walk in the gardens. The Parkland Trail will offer additional route options for our regular visitors.
Walkers: We welcome 250,000 walkers to Stowe every year. Ramblers, Nordic walkers and those 'just going for a walk' will all benefit from the extended circular route. We also hope local schools and groups will use it.
Trail runners: We already host runners from the area at our monthly 10k runs, quarterly 5k fun runs and other local events. The new trail will provide a safe space to run, away from public highways.
Cyclists: The low-gradient and improved surfaces of the expanded trail will be perfect for leisure cyclists, commuters and family bike riders. The circular route is only 4 miles, so it won't take long to complete it on a bike.
Wheelers: We hope to see visitors with prams and pushchairs, wheelchair-users, people with mobility scooters and children on balance bikes using the trail. The surface won't be suitable for powered scooters.
Commuters: Around 800 people are employed on the Stowe estate, including at Stowe School, Stowe House Preservation Trust, the Landmark Trust and the National Trust. We hope the trail will make it easier for people to walk to work from neighbouring villages.

Accessibility

Over 70% of trail users on National Trust sites are walkers, while our cyclists are typically leisure and family riders who prefer a calm and safe experience. We also want the trail to be more accessible for wheelchair users and those with mobility needs.

The trail has been thoughtfully designed to improve sightlines and navigation, smooth out gradients and minimise high-speed riding. The route also features stops with seating areas and accessible toilet facilities.

Trail gradient: Where possible the gradient of the trail will be less than 5%. The proposed route never exceeds 10% and has been designed to avoid straight, steep sections. There will be rest points with rustic benches.

Trail surface: The trail will have a limestone dust surface with no hard edges or curbs. It will become smoother the more it's used. It will be primarily self-draining, with other drainage solutions used in certain areas.

Gates: We'll upgrade some of the existing gates and cattle grid systems to more accessible versions. They will be suitable for wheelchair and mobility scooter users, horse-riders and cyclists, as well as walkers.

Wayfinding: We'll install simple oak post wayfinding signage to help visitors stay on the Parkland Trail route.
The visitor centre at New Inn is already well equipped to support the people with accessibility needs we hope will be attracted by the improved trail.

The centre has accessible toilets, courtyard areas with level access and picnic benches with access for wheelchairs and prams.

We provide free accessibility guides to Stowe, and braille maps are available upon request. There are induction loops at visitor welcome points. There are two manual wheelchairs available for loan.

The café has automatic doors, chairs with soft seating and arms, double handled cups and easy-grip cutlery. There is a water fill point on Bell Gate Drive.

All parking for the National Trust's gardens and parkland at Stowe is at New Inn, MK18 5EQ. It includes accessible parking and extra wide spaces, coach parking, cycle and motorcycle bays and charging points for electric vehicles.

A white and orange butterfly on a lilac-coloured flower — The parkland at Stowe is a haven for wildlife | © National Trust Images/David Humphries

A trail for nature

We want the new Stowe Parkland Trail project to have benefits for nature as well as people, by protecting existing and emerging wildlife habitats, and creating new ones.

Much of Stowe is wood pasture, a diverse mosaic of nature-rich habitats including grassland, heathland and woodland that provide food and shelter for a wide range of insects, fungi, lichen, birds, invertebrates and mammals.

Ecology surveys have helped identify the various habitats and resident species in and around the site, as well as the emerging and expanding habitats along the current route.

The proposed new route helps to concentrate footfall away from these ecologically sensitive areas, avoiding negative impacts on protected species such as badgers, bats, newts and other wildlife and allowing nature to recover.

As part of the project, we'll maximise opportunities to create new habitats, including by installing more owl, invertebrate and bat boxes.

We've also undertaken assessments of natural features such as veteran and notable trees, hedgerows and watercourses. The proposed route does not require the removal of any notable trees and provides buffer zones around the root bases of veteran trees.
As well as enhancing biodiversity at Stowe, the Parkland Trail will play a vital role in the urgent effort to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.

Enabling green and active travel will contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions, while planning ahead for increases in rainfall and temperatures will help us prevent damage to the landscape and habitats at Stowe.

The more access people have to nature and the outdoors, the more aware they become of the impact of climate change. We hope the Parkland Trail will help raise awareness, promote interest and increase climate action.

Connecting our community

We hope that creating a larger, more accessible trail at Stowe will attract more visitors than ever from local areas and beyond and will make it easier for commuters from nearby villages to walk to work.

But the new Stowe Parkland Trail can also be part of connecting the wider community.

There are over 2,000 miles (3,000km) of public rights of way across Buckinghamshire. Buckinghamshire Council has a vision of connecting many of these to create a flagship off-road walking, wheeling and cycling route spanning the length of the county – the Buckinghamshire Greenway.

The first section, between Aylesbury Vale Parkway Station and the National Trust estate at Waddesdon Manor, was delivered in 2018.

The Council is working closely with partner organisations across the county to bring its Buckinghamshire Greenway vision to life. We support the proposed development and hope to be able to link Stowe into the Greenway route in the future.

The cream stone Temple of Friendship at Stowe in Buckinghamshire surrounded by greenery and trees — The Grade 1 listed Temple of Friendship at Stowe | © National Trust Images/Hugh Mothersole

How this proposal was developed

Stowe is a designated conservation area with Grade 1 listed gardens and parkland featuring protected views that form part of the historic landscape. We want to protect this, along with the wildlife, and veteran and notable trees in our care.

We also want to ensure the authorities, local community and visitors are happy with our proposals. In 2024, we consulted with Historic England and Buckinghamshire Council. We have hosted site walks and meetings with other statutory consultees and stakeholders. And we're planning drop-in sessions and neighbourhood consultations in early 2026.

We would also like to thank everyone who has already taken the time to share their views or express their support for the proposal. This feedback has helped inform our decisions.

The development process so far has been as follows:

Winter 2023: Feasibility and initial design

Spring 2024: Consultation with Historic England, local planning authority and other experts and stakeholders

April 2024–March 2025: Site visits with some statutory and on-site stakeholders

Summer 2024: Surveys and second design phase

Autumn 2024: Second consultation with local planning authority

We are submitting a formal planning application in December 2025, with construction beginning in 2026, subject to planning consent.

FAQs

The new trail will run from New Inn, past the Farmhouse garden, immediately in front of Corinthian Arch and straight along Queen's Drive.

At the end of Queen's Drive, it will run parallel to the current route along Paddock Course but will be set further back to avoid the main road and a veteran tree.

At the north end of this stretch, as the trail curves to the right, the route will be extended further into the parkland, taking a number of turns and short loops until it reaches Lamport Lodge. These changes to the route will not only extend the trail and reduce the gradient in certain places but will also take it away from major roads, residential areas, areas prone to flooding and sensitive wildlife habitats.

From Lamport Lodge, the trail will follow the existing route south back to New Inn.