Circling in the park

Above: Pishiobury Park

PISHIOBURY Park is managed to reflect its parkland character, for nature conservation and quiet informal recreation and is an important area for wildlife with much of the park grazed by cattle in summer. The many native grasses and wildflowers provide an important breeding and feeding area for butterflies.

A recent Countryside Management Service initiative called the Pollards and Poplars Project has taken place at the park and there is an information board about this at the crossing of Springhall Lane. The project involves pollarding old willow trees and planting new Black Poplar trees along the River Stort and there are a few examples of each after crossing the river after passing Feakes Lock.

The Lime Avenue was the original entrance to Pishiobury House, which dates back to Norman times, but was superseded by the Horse Chestnut Avenue in the late 18th or 19th century. Oak Walk is thought to date back to the 15th century and would have been well used by members of the Pishiobury household in Elizabethan times.

The River Stort has been used for commercial navigation since Roman times. In 1769 15 locks were built to enable barge loads of malt, flour and timber to reach Sawbridgeworth and Bishop’s Stortford but the completion of the railway and improvement of the London Road led to the decline in canal traffic.


The route

1. From the car park at Pishiobury Park, pass through the main kissing gate and bear right towards Lime Avenue.

2. At the junction with Oak Walk, turn right, pass through the gate and leave the park. Follow the waymarked path, crossing Pishiobury Drive.

3. Continue straight on across a small stream and bear right. At the gate, turn left towards the river bank, turn right, then follow the path alongside the river.

4. At the main road, turn left over the bridge, then left again onto the tow path. Continue on the tow path until you reach Feakes Lock.

5. At the lock, cross the bridge. After crossing two more bridges in about 50 metres you will arrive at a waymark post. Turn left over a wooden bridge and take the path leading straight ahead.

6. Join the boardwalk, turn left at the waymarker post and go straight ahead until you reach Springhall Lane.

7. Turn right, then left. At the four way finger post, turn left onto Oak Walk and back into the park.

8. Follow Oak Walk for about 100 metres, then bear right and head across the park in the direction of the car park.


Start walking

Start and finish Pishiobury Park car park
Distance 3 miles (5km)
Time 1½ hours
Refreshments Harlow Mill pub and restaurant at point 4
Transport For bus and train details call the Hertfordshire Traveline on 0845 7244344
OS Map Explorer 194