Favourites on Friday - Autumn Trees at Upton Park

All the years I’ve lived here, I’d never been to Upton Country Park until a week ago. I know it’s gorgeous, I know it’s somewhere I’d enjoy walking … I suppose because it’s ‘on my doorstep’, I haven’t made the effort to go. As if that’s not embarrassing enough, when I finally went, I find it’s barely a 10 minute drive from the stables!

Gorgeous tree in car park

The house itself is Georgian, built between 1816 and 1818, and is used as offices for the estate staff. It isn’t open to the public all year around, only during certain weekends from March to September, but is available to hire, and is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies.

Stupendous front lawn!

The park is a mix of formal and informal gardens, woodland and farmland. There’s a walled garden, which is open to the public; a lake filled with ducks; and the edge of it is right against the mudflats and marshes of Poole Harbour. The Estate is one of the oldest sites in Poole, and there’s a Roman road between Hamworthy ( Moriconium), and Corfe Mullen (Alavna), where the stables are.

It was still early when I visited, before 09:00, having just left Liam at the stables. It was gorgeously quiet, only a few dog walkers about, and I felt I had the place to myself. By the time I left, around 10:30, it was getting busy and noisy. Glad I went when I did.