Parks and Open Spaces in Bishop’s Stortford
This page gives information on parks and open spaces in Bishop’s Stortford, which are in alphabetical order by name. Parks are open all year round, unless otherwise stated. If you would like a park added please do get in touch.
Bishops Park: Bishop’s Stortford
The site is divided by a road and has an enclosed young children’s play area on one side and separate sports wall area and space for informal kickabouts on the other. Most of the site is amenity grassland with trees around the edges. Recent improvements to the park have seen installation of an interactive goal wall and upgrading of the existing playground, a new car park and a number of improvements to pathways and lighting to improve park access. At Woodpecker Close, Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 4QA.
Castle Park: Bishop’s Stortford
The former site of Bishop’s Stortford’s Waytemore Castle, the Castle Gardens are now laid out with flower beds, tennis courts and the Town Council’s children’s play areas in the adjacent Sworders Field. The ancient Castle Mound can be seen from within the castle grounds and you can walk from here along the River Stort through Grange Paddocks north to Red, White and Blue open space. At Castle Park and Gardens, Bishops Stortford.
Northern Parkland: Bishop’s Stortford
Northern Parkland is an 8.32 hectare open space, located to the north of St Michaels Mead. The large grassed open space is dotted with small pockets of young plantation woodland. There are two enclosed children’s play areas and goals for informal kickabouts. At Northern Parkland, Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 4NE.
Red White and Blue: Bishop’s Stortford
Red, White and Blue is a large open space located to the north of Grange Paddocks, linked via a walk through woodland and meadowland along the River Stort. Part of the open space is grazed by rare and traditional breeds of cattle in the summer months. There is a picnic area adjacent to the car park. At Cannons Mill, Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 2BN.
Southern Country Park: Bishop’s Stortford
The park has several distinct areas, with the balancing pond for fishing and duck feeding, the enclosed picnic area and large grassed areas for informal play and kite flying, plus an exciting older children’s play area adjacent to the car park off Thorley Lane East. There are also a wide variety of wildlife habitats and features such as woodland, grazing areas, chalk banks, informal play spaces, streams and a small natural pond. A trip across the boardwalk gives you a chance to get up close to the wetland wildlife that lives in the Reedbed and lake. Look out for dragonflies and damselflies hunting for food above the water during the summer months. Between June and August, the chalk banks become ablaze with wildflowers and alive with bees, hoverflies and butterflies.
Main Entrance: Southern Country Park, Moor Hall Lane, Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 4GZ. Car Park Entrance: Southern Country Park, Thorley Lane East, Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 4BH.
Thorley Wedge: Bishop’s Stortford
The open space consists mainly of amenity cut grassland with a scattering of trees along its length. At the eastern end of the site there is an area of mixed woodland and some old oaks, hazel, field maple, ash and blackthorn scrub. Woodland management is undertaken to maintain the woodland for wildlife and people. Thinning and coppicing the woodland on rotation – cutting trees down to ground level and allowing them to regrow, allows more light to reach the woodland floor benefiting the ground flora and creating a more diverse structure to the woodland. There is a well-used surfaced path that runs along the southern site and leads to Bishops Stortford town centre.
