What Rushmere Country Park has to offer!

A great place to discover nature and enjoy the outdoors with over 400 acres of woodland, heathland and meadows to enjoy. 

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, specialist cycling facilities with Ridge Riders cross country trail, ride your horse – 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.

If you would like to bring an educational group to Rushmere Country Park, you will need to book.

Please email: [email protected]

Heron's Hangout Children's Play Area

Our new, bespoke Children's Play Area Heron's Hangout is now open! Perfect for young adventurers, Heron's Hangout includes nature-inspired play equipment where kids can climb, balance and explore in a safe outdoor setting. Nestled in the heart of our beautiful woodlands, it's the ideal spot for big imaginations and boundless energy!
For children aged 7+
All children must be accompanied by an adult - thank you.  

The Bug Stop for Toddlers

Our Toddler Play Area was refreshed in early 2026 and named The Bug Stop following a public vote via our Facebook page. The play area is aimed at children aged 2-7.

This project was funded by Central Bedfordshire Council and by the government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, administered by Central Bedfordshire Council, which respectively awarded £7,530 and £24,978.

Jump to:

• Attractions available
• Parking
• Opening Times
• Contact Us
• Park rules

Attractions include

Family accessible trail suitable for buggies and wheelchairs where visitors can search for fairies and have a photograph in our new Giant’s Chair

Sculpture Trail

• Play areas - play areas and play spots around the site, Herons' Hangout for age 7+ and the Bug Stop toddler play area for children aged 2-7.
• The heronry - watch herons raise their young in the Spring 
• Specialist trails: A network of walking, cycling and horse-riding trails - we have free entry points into the park for cyclists to enter the site and a Family Cycle Trail and Pump Track but to use our specialist cross country cycling and horse riding trails, you will need to purchase a Greensand Pass.
• Dog walking at the park: Areas where dogs can be walked on and off the lead, including a dog fun area specifically for our canine friends
• Facilities: Herons View Visitor Centre, toilets, Tree Tops Restaurant and The Deck Herons Hatch takeaway, meadow for picnics, Stockgrove Visitor Centre and cafe

Love coming here, with lots of trails through the woods to do. We especially like coming across the many wooden sculptures hidden amongst the trees and finding the goblin doors. This makes wondering through the woods quite magical for children and adults alike. There are lakes, toilets, buggy friendly routes and plenty of picnic areas and a nice cafe.

Carol - Google review

Parking at the park

We operate an automatic number plate recognition (APNR) parking system  - you must pay for your parking before you leave the car park at both entrances, as there is no payment possible at the exit barrier.

Pay by using payment machines located near both visitor centres, where you can pay by card or cash - or you can pay inside at visitor services during opening hours.

 Parking information

Holders of the Greensand Parking Pass are no longer required to present a card - their number plates will also be recognised on exit. 

The Annual Greensand Parking Pass offers regular visitors to the park huge savings on parking. It is available for £77 for a whole year's parking or you can support our sites further by choosing the donate and Gift Aid option for just £85 - this equates to just £6.41 per month (or £1.48 per week) at the lower rate or £7.08 per month (£1.63 per week) when opting for Gift Aid. 

Purchase your Greensand Pass for parking, cycling and horse riding

Opening Times

The park main entrance on Linslade Road OPEN 8am - 8pm with last entry 7.30pm

The Stockgrove entrance opens by 8.30am - 8pm with last entry 7.30pm 

Tree Tops Cafe opens 8am - 4pm (hot food served until 3.15 pm) and Visitor Services available 9am - 5pm daily.

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

Please note that our Ranger team try their hardest to open up and close at the advertised times, but there may be times when circumstances do not allow this. We will try to keep these to a minimum.

• Rushmere main entrance car park - 8 am - 8pm 
• Stockgrove Car Park - 8.30 am to 8pm
• Rushmere Tree Tops Café - 8 am to 4 pm
• Stockgrove Cafe - 9.30 am to 5 pm
• Toilets - Rushmere 8 am - 6 pm (Stockgrove 9.30 am - 6 pm)
• Visitor Services Desk 9 am – 5 pm

CLOSED CHRISTMAS DAY ONLY

Contact Us at Rushmere Country Park

You can call Rushmere Visitor Services during office hours on 01525 234260.

Email us on [email protected] and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

You can also send us a message via our Rushmere Facebook page, but we may not be able to respond immediately.

Park Rules   

• No BBQs 
• No drones, metal detectors, kites or model aircraft please
• No open fires and no camping!
• Please take all rubbish home as no general waste bins are provided.
• Dog waste bins are provided: bagged dog waste only please 

Please follow The Countryside Code at all times

Rushmere Country Park is a holder of the prestigious Green Flag Award, placing it among the highest-ranking green spaces in the country.

Before your first visit, you can get to know the layout of the park and all it has to offer by downloading a copy of our park leaflet with map or just the map available here:

Rushmere Country Park leaflet

Park map

Accessibility at the park

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.