Dob Park Lodge

Directions to Dob Park

1. Beginning on Dob Park Road, walk down, with your back to Newall Carr Road, the main road. You will follow this quiet tarmacked track past the houses until it become a rough track. Follow this downwards as it bends right and left, passing Middle Farm (who has an exciting old tractor in the field the last time we walked it!) Towards Dob Park Bridge. There is a little point here where you can paddle in the River Washburn.

2. Don’t cross the bridge. You need to take the path to your left, which follows the river. Up until you see a gate into a small field. It will feel like you want to cross through the field through the gate, but don’t, there is no path through. YOU SHALL NOT PASS!! (sorry, on a Lord of the Rings tangent there, if you know, you know! 😆)

3. So head slightly upwards on the track to your left. The path skirts the edge of the field, and then continues along the hedgerow. It will soon run closely parallel to the river again it will cross the boundary of the field, across a stream, and into a little wooded area, where you can find some cup and ring marked rocks. We looked, we couldn’t see any, but let us know if you do!

4. Why not explore this little wooded area, but once you have, you need to take the path that turns left, along the edge of the stream. You will exit the field in the top left corner of it (or the Southern most corner) and continue along the path running next to the stream, keeping it to your left. You will then climb a stile over the wall, and keep heading upwards through the field, next to the stream.

5. This is Low Park (see note under terrain). You will see the property, then a small field, and then a stile. Climb the stile. The path leads alongside the fence of the field, directly straight on. It was overgrown with brambles when we were there, and was impassable, but a slight deviation to the right, into the tree cover, and parallel to the overgrown path will take you to where you need to be. Hopefully the persons responsible for maintaining the path will have rectified this in the meantime.

6. The path from here heads upwards through the middle of the woods, bearing slightly to the right. Follow it up through the woods, until you reach the perimeter wall. Exit the woodland perimeter, and keep heading upwards, past a rocky outcrop. Here the terrain is open, and your view (if you turn backwards) will be across the Washburn Valley.

7. To your left, you will see the perimeter wall of the woodland, turn at a right angle away from you, so does the path. Follow the perimeter wall, keeping parallel to it, until you see a walled track straight ahead of you. At this point, you might catch a glimpse of the ruins of Dob Park Lodge in the distance to the left.

8. Once crossed into the walled track, the remains of the early 17th Century hunting lodge is clearly visible to your left You cannot gain access directly to it, but the views of it are pretty atmospheric. Follow the walled track straight on until you get to Dob Park House Farm. Here you will see the access point to the property ahead, but the path circumvents the property, through a small gate in the wall to your right. Follow this round to the left, through the stile through the wall, and continue back down to the concrete road leading away from the Farm.

9. This will join the track you started the walk on. Turn right, and head upwards back to where you started.