Hawkstone Park Follies

Being outdoors is our favourite. We love exploring new and exciting places that we haven’t been to before (or in my case, haven’t been to for many years, as I did head along when I was about ten with my family when it first opened).

Set in 100 acres of Parkland The Follies is a range of dramatic and rugged natural sandstone hills that were developed to include gullies, caves, towers and bridges, becoming one of the most visited landscapes in Britain during the 19th Century.

It is a fantastic place to visit for a family day out – although if you have little ones, be prepared to carry them as the route is not pushchair friendly, not even for an off-road pushchair (which are amazing for families who like to get out and explore the countryside with little ones).

Currently tickets for Hawkstone Park Follies are to be pre-booked online prior to attending. Tickets are per car (up to 3 people) and a car (up to 7 people) . When you arrive, your details and ticket number are taken and then you are guided to the car park. As you leave your car and head up the (steep) hill to the start of the walk (by the Greenhouse), you pass a hand sanitiser station. Please do ensure you use this as there are a number of contact points throughout the site (hand rails) where every bit of hand sanitiser will help. Hawkstone Follies have placed a number of sanitiser stations around the walk which came in lots of use for us. It is also recommended that you wear gloves, although we didn’t see anyone wearing any. Quite a few people were wearing masks, even in the great outdoors which was positive for us to see.

So, what is Hawkstone Follies?

Basically, in short, it is the most amazing 100 acres of parkland you could walk around, so close to Birmingham (50 minute drive). You will find a fine mixed plantation of Deodars, Cryptomerias, Spruces, Pinus excels and other similar coniferous and taxaceous trees, in splendid growing conditions and which may be counted by thousands. There has also been recorded over 150 different species of plants too.

If you’ve got a professional camera (or even just the one on your phone), you’ll have plenty of natural beauty to photograph here. I didn’t get as many photographs as I wanted as had two girls holding my hands at most points, but still, we managed a few shots displaying the beauty.

There are various routes you can choose, with the shortest being an hour and the longest being approximately 3 hours. With little legs and a few breaks, we took 4 hours to do the 2 and a half hour walk entitled ‘The Hermitage Way’.

Favourite bits:

I have to admit I had a few favourite bits of the walk. Firstly it has to be The Cleft.

The two sides of the rock nearly corresponded with each other and at points the area was very small to climb through. It is thought that the two sides once were united. The girls loved climbing up through this.

The further up we got, the narrower it was, until at one point it was only wide enough for one foot at a time in the gap. It was the pathway to the Grotto which we all loved (don’t forget your torch for this as it is pitch black inside). The Grotto is a series of caves and passages excavated from the soft sandstone. The windows originally were glazed in stained glass and walls that were once encrusted with shells and fossils although not any more.

My next favourite bit was the Swiss Bridge. A rustic thin footbridge high in the air, with picturesque views across the golf course and Shrewsbury.

The girls thought this bridge was wonderful. It was designed as part of a scene from Switzerland.

The girls loved the Hermitage. Once home to “The Venerable barefooted Father France” who was then superseded by an automaton which was operated by the guide. The girls have now decided it is the home of a troll. So sshh when you walk through here. Also beware of the pretend rat on the floor – sure to scare you.

There’s a number of other things to look out for. The Monument erected by Sir Richard Hill in 1795 to commemorate Sir Rowland Hill, the first protestant Lord Mayor of London. You can have a picnic here by the monument with a number of picnic benches, wooden toadstools to sit on and plenty of grass. There is a hand sanitisation station here and bins for your rubbish. This is where we sat down for our picnic.

There is also Gingerbread Hall, once known as the Temple of Patience which is where visitors would wait for a guide.

Ravens Shelf gives you the most outstanding view. Especially during autumn with the colours of the trees and bushes in the distance. An absolutely stunning view.

The girls loved doing the troll hunt (we visited during Halloween too, so they had a Pumpkin Hunt too which the girls enjoyed doing and collected two certificates for completing). The trolls are great, along with messages around the enchanted trail. Perfect for the younger children to keep them entertained and happy to walk.

There’s loads more that I could talk about but I think some of the beauty of a place like this, is exploring it all yourself and finding what is around the corner.

We had such a brilliant time and are already looking forward to coming back again in the future.

For more details about Hawkstone Park Follies and to book your tickets, please do visit their website here: https://www.hawkstoneparkfollies.co.uk/