Opening Times

October Opening times now in operation: 8.30am - 7.30pm daily until 27 October when the clocks go back and we revert to Winter Closing at 5pm.

The Park gates open at 8.30am every morning all year round (except Christmas Day when the park is closed).

The Visitor Centre and Tree Tops Cafe open at 10am and close at 4pm. The cafe opens until 5pm during summer weekends and school holidays from Easter to September.

With darker evenings we close the park earlier in October ahead of our Winter Opening hours which begin when the clocks go back at the end of the month (from Sun 27th October when 5pm closing begins).

From Tues 1st October - Sat 26th October the park will close at 7.30pm.

Rushmere Country Park is a great place to discover nature and enjoy outdoor leisure pursuits

Come and view herons nesting in Spring from our outdoor café terrace, discover fairy doors and the Giant’s Chair along our Sculpture Trail, walk the dog, bring your bike – we’ve something for everyone.

Managed by The Greensand Trust, working in partnership with Central Bedfordshire Council, the park is run on a not-for-profit basis for the benefit of visitors and wildlife.

Visitors can enjoy this wonderful park with its 400 acres of woodland, heathland and lakes, for a whole day for just £3.

Attractions include:

  • An ‘access for all’ Sculpture Trail where visitors can search for fairies and have a photograph in the Giant’s Chair
  • Play areas, a giant slide and play spots around the site
  • The heronry where you can watch herons raise their young in the Spring
  • A network of walking, cycling and horse-riding trails
  • Areas where dogs can be walked on and off the lead including a dog fun area specifically for our canine friends
  • Access to the Visitor Centre, toilets, the deck, Tree Tops Café, Herons Hatch, meadow for picnics and Stockgrove Visitor Centre and cafe

Rushmere Country Park is the holder of a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence as a result of the high number of excellent reviews it receives via the website.

You can download a copy of the latest Rushmere Country Park leaflet here.

Download a copy of the latest map of the park here.

Contact Us

You can call Rushmere Visitor Services on 01525 234260 - please note this office is manned during office hours only.

You can contact our team based at the Stockgrove offices on 01525 237760 also during office hours only.

The Ranger on duty can be contacted on 07817 205870 (please note this is not a 24/7 service).

Opening Times

The park opens at 8.30am all year round but closes at different times around the year as follows:

  • April to September 8pm
  • October and March* 7.30pm
  • November to February 5pm

* On the days at the end of March and October when the clocks change to BST/ GMT, park closing times revert to those of April/ November from that day onwards.

Please make sure you exit the park before these closing times as we don't want any visitors to be locked in!

The park is closed on Christmas Day and may close at other times when we perceive there to be a risk to visitors such as high winds.

Rushmere Country Park has been made available for visitors through The Greensand Trust and Central Bedfordshire Council working in partnership for the benefit of both people and wildlife.