Exploring the estate at Baddesley Clinton

A view of Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire from the wider estate in early summer — Come and explore the estate at Baddesley | © National Trust/John Bayley

At Baddesley Clinton the 150 acres of parkland, open farmland and dense woodland is home to a rich variety of wildlife, from ducks to deer. You can relax by the lake and stewponds, practise your photography skills and see what wildlife you can spot on a walk.

Summer highlights

As the weather gets warmer, butterflies and bumblebees can be seen pollinating the wildflowers. If you’re lucky you’ll see the green flash of a dragonfly or a frog hopping by in the long grass when you’re near the lake and stewponds.

The swallows return to Baddesley in summer, scoping out the gatehouse and making their nests above the door ready to lay their eggs. You can see them whizzing in and out of the courtyard while you wait to enter the house.

A man using a tramper in the background with a foxglove plant in front — You can borrow one of our Trampers to help you get round the estate | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris

Head off on a walk

When you arrive, pop into Visitor Reception and pick up a walks map, which will help you find your way along the miles of fields and woodland here. Take a quiet stroll around the parkland taking in both open grassland and quiet woods or follow one of the walking routes.

You can meander gently around the estate, take a longer walk to our neighbours at Packwood House or follow country lanes to the Grand Union Canal.

The lake and stewponds

Baddesley Clinton is well known for its resident ducks; although watch where you sit to eat your sandwiches as they have quite an appetite.

In spring, the stewpond is usually full of spawn, but is it frog spawn or toad spawn? It’s easy to tell – frog spawn comes in shapeless clumps, but toads lay theirs in neat strings.

Wildlife spotting

If you take a stroll out across the estate, you’re bound to come across some of the resident sheep who are owned and managed by a tenant farmer.

Roe deer and muntjac deer have been spotted occasionally running through the estate. Muntjacs are not native to Britain, coming from south-east Asia, but escaped from the Woburn Abbey estate in about 1925, and have made themselves at home all over the country.

Birdwatching

Baddesley Clinton is a great place for birdwatching. From our resident ducks on the moat to really wild birds out in the parkland. There are many species of birds on the estate, some more common than others. Tawny, little and barn owls live here, but are elusive to spot.

Sheep grazing in the parkland at Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire in the summer. The grass of the field is beginning to yellow and in the background mature trees are in full leaf. — Sheep grazing in the parkland at Baddesley Clinton | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

Family fun in the grounds

There are lots of things for families to enjoy in the garden and on the wider estate at Baddesley Clinton. From lakeside strolls spotting fish to walks exploring the surrounding countryside, your next adventure awaits.

Whatever the season, there's plenty to see, do, and have fun in the great outdoors.