Great Notley Country Park

Home to Essex's longest play trail and Sky Ropes, Great Notley Country Park offers the perfect family day out.

At a glance

Opening times

Please note the park is open from 8am to dusk. The car park is open until 10.00pm.

The park is open every day including Christmas Day. Toilets will be open 9.30am to 4pm and closed on Christmas Day.

*Skylark café festive opening times*

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 December: 8.30am to 3.30pm

Monday 23 December and Christmas Eve: 9.30am to 3.30pm

Christmas Day: Closed

Boxing Day: Closed

Friday 27 December: 9.30am to 3.30pm

Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 December: 8.30am to 3.30pm

Monday 30 December and New Years Eve: 9.30am to 3.30pm

New Years Day: Closed

Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 January: 9.30am to 3.30pm

Saturday 4, Sunday 5 and Monday 6 January: Closed

For park enquiries: 0333 013 2900

For event enquiries: Events.ExploreEssex@essex.gov.uk

For filming enquiries: film@essex.gov.uk

Find & contact

Great Notley Country Park, Braintree, Great Notley, Essex, England, CM77 7FS
Get directions

0333 013 2900

country.parks@essex.gov.uk

Parking & prices

Up to one hour: £2.80

Up to two hours: £4.00

Up to four hours: £5.20

All day: £6.30

Please note that there is a 15 minute free drop-off and turnaround time for those using the 3G football pitches and other facilities that are accessed via the park.

Coach parking: £15.00 per day.

How to pay

The car park at Great Notley has been migrated over to a pay and stay to bring it inline with the rest of the Essex Country Parks.

You can pay in the following ways at the beginning of your visit:

  • Visit the MiPermit website
  • Download the MiPermit app from all the usual app stores
  • Use the onsite terminal
  • Call MiPermit on: 0345 520 7007 and quote Great Notley 702106
  • Text an SMS message to 61600 MiPermit with the word PARK and your vehicle registration number. For example: PARK T123EST
  • Read more on ways to pay and help at MiPermit

As from Tuesday 3 September 2024 our few remaining cash machines at the Essex Country Parks will be removed because of ongoing theft and vandalism.

Discover the Explorer Pass from just over £1.63 a week, to save on multiple visits, valid at all Essex Country Parks. Money from car parking is ultimately reinvested to maintain the park and protect its wildlife.

For any further enquiries please email: parking.explore@essex.gov.uk

At this place

  • Kid's Play Trail
  • Sky Ropes
  • Lake
  • Fishing
  • Café
  • Wi-fi available
  • Mobility Scooter
  • Dogs allowed
  • Picnics allowed
  • BBQs not allowed

Skylark café

8.30am to 3.30pm on weekends and 9.30 to 3.30pm during school holidays, subject to staffing. Festive opening times may vary.

The café is open but it is currently limited to drinks and snacks (not paninis etc).

We aim to have a van in place selling hot and cold drinks when the café is closed where possible.

The café welcomes well behaved dogs on leads.


Discover Sky Ropes at Great Notley. Now closed for winter.

*Fishing
An Environment Agency rod licence and a fishing permit is required. Fishing permits can be purchased here.

Introduction

Green Flag Award logo

Great Notley Country Park is one of the Essex County Council group of Country Parks and is proud to be the recipient of the Green Flag Award. Read more here.

*Download our new map here.
*Download the Active Essex 'Daily Mile' walking route as a PDF or Jpg.

Play Trail updates:
We have been carrying out maintenance on some of our play equipment. The following equipment is still closed but should be open soon: Sand Play Slide.

Please note our water play has now closed but we hope to bring a new activity to the park in the future. Work is also taking place on what was the 'Climbing Forest'.


Please visit safely. Always:

  • Keep dogs under control, keep dogs on the lead around the play trail
  • Respect other users on multi-use trails
  • Picnics are welcome but no BBQs
  • Be water aware and supervise children and dogs near ponds, rivers and lakes
  • Note that swimming is prohibited
  • Keep off the ice in the winter

Whether you're an adventurer at heart or just want to relax and unwind in beautiful countryside, Great Notley Country Park offers the perfect day out for all the family in Essex.

Covering 100 acres of open space the park is home to Sky Ropes, the fun, family friendly high ropes adventure course as well as Essex’s longest play trail.

Jump, swing, slide, crawl and climb your way around 1.2km of fun including giant seesaws, swing scales, rope climbers, slides, forts and a large sand play area.

Looking for something a bit quieter?

The park also offers some lovely areas to explore and enjoy nature including a fishing lake and wildflower meadows.

It’s also popular for a wide range of activities including birdwatching, walking, cycling, fishing, horse riding, football, picnics and kite-flying.

Activities

Sky Ropes

Looking for a thrill and an unforgettable adventure with family and friends? Try Sky Ropes - Great Notley Country Park’s high ropes experience. There’s also Sky Ropes Junior, suitable for children from 2 years. Open every day throughout the school holidays.

Play Trail

Come and explore our exhilarating 1.2km play trail featuring a giant see-saw, tyre swings, zip wire, sand play area, rope climbers, slides, forts and much more.

Please see above for any maintenance works.


Walking & Dogs

We strive to be accessible to all and as such our pathways are relatively flat. As well as many informal grassy pathways our main trail takes you around the park, including the play trail, lakes, wildflower meadows (where you can see wild orchids and ox-eye daisies depending on the season) and a small woodland. It’s a good route for dog walkers however we do ask that they are kept on the lead while in the play trail section.

Birdwatching & Wildlife

Bird and wildlife spotting are popular activities while out walking at Great Notley Country Park. You could see anything from skylarks, owls and woodpeckers to bats, foxes and weasels.

Cycling

A 1.8-km cycling and horse-riding route cuts north-south through Great Notley Country Park. A fairly flat, hard-surface track, it’s perfect for cycling as a family and a great place for younger children to become more confident on their bikes. Please note that we don't currently have any hire facilities, so bring your own!

Fishing

You can fish in the large lake in the south of the park. You can fish with up to two rods but you must have an Environment Agency rod licence and a fishing permit(s) before you visit.

Please see our fishing terms and conditions here.

A daily permit is available to purchase here.

Please note: Essex Country Parks reserve the right to close the fishing lakes on an annual basis to maintain the health of the fish stock.

Football Pitches and Games Area

The park’s 3G (3rd Generation) artificial turf football pitches are suitable for playing in all weather. There are full and half pitches, and a multi-use game area (MUGA) for tennis, basketball, netball and more.

To hire our football pitches or games area, call Braintree District Council on 01376 332326.

Horse Riding

Horse riding is popular at the park with the designated horse-riding route cutting North-South through the park. Bring your own horse, and please stick to the bridleway.

Volunteering

Want to give something back or learn something new? We work closely with the Friends of the Flitch Way and Associated Woodlands, with volunteer work undertaken most Tuesdays and Thursdays (during term-time). So come along, get involved and learn some new skills – you might find yourself helping to construct fencing or even a bridge! For more information please visit: https://www.friends-of-the-flitch-way.org.uk/


Facilities

The Visitor's Centre (Discovery Centre)

For enquiries please call 03330 132900 between 8.00am to 4.00pm.

Toilets

Public toilets are located at the park’s visitor centre and include accessible and baby changing facilities.

Open from 9.30am until 4.00pm. *Closed Christmas Day.

Changing Places

*Currently out of order due to vandalism - we are working to get this facility fixed as quickly as we can*

A changing places facility located on the ground floor at the rear of the visitor's centre. It is open every day from 8am until dusk. Access is at the back of the centre, which is all paved.


Mobility Scooter

A mobility scooter is available to hire from the Discovery Centre building.

Call to book in advance: 03333 0132900

The max period of loan will be between 10am and 3.30pm.

Accessibility

Full information on access to Great Notley Country Park can be found on AccessAble (formerly Disabled Go).

History

Excavations in Great Notley revealed the remains of Iron Age and Roman settlements with a series of enclosures overlaid with a Roman development on the site of the Skyline Business Park. It is thought that there was a series of occupations on the site from the late Iron Age onwards, which included brewing, farming and the production of textiles.

Great Notley Country Park however is relatively new, having been created from the remnants of Gt Notley Village when it was developed as part of the new 'self-sustaining' garden village.

It has grown up with the community surrounding it, and is quite unique in that its wildflower meadows, lakes and other landmarks were created from scratch and over the years have grown and developed in to what you see today.

Shop, Eat & Drink

Eating and Drinking

The café offers light refreshments such as hot and cold drinks, ice creams, cakes and snacks all subject to availability.

The Skylark cafe aims to open most weekends and school holidays, but due to staffing will not be open every day during the school holidays.

The cafe is dog friendly. We welcome dogs on leads into the café.

Poor weather and exceptions may apply.

For enquiries or further information, please call 03330 132900.

*Skylark café festive opening times*

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 December: 8.30am to 3.30pm

Monday 23 December and Christmas Eve: 9.30am to 3.30pm

Christmas Day: Closed

Boxing Day: Closed

Friday 27 December: 9.30am to 3.30pm

Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 December: 8.30am to 3.30pm

Monday 30 December and New Years Eve: 9.30am to 3.30pm

New Years Day: Closed

Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 January: 9.30am to 3.30pm

Saturday 4, Sunday 5 and Monday 6 January: Closed

Image gallery

  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0929
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0705
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 1018
  • A large grass meadow with path running through it
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0747
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0785
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0806
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 1070
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 1066
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0605
  • Reeds at Great Notley Lake
  • The paths and space at Great Notley
  • A wooden bridge and trail sign
  • A wooden bridge over a small stream leading to an open grassy area with trees
  • Swans on the lake at Great Notley
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0929
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0705
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 1018
  • A large grass meadow with path running through it
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0747
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0785
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0806
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 1070
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 1066
  • Med res ECP Notley 22 0605
  • Reeds at Great Notley Lake
  • The paths and space at Great Notley
  • A wooden bridge and trail sign
  • A wooden bridge over a small stream leading to an open grassy area with trees
  • Swans on the lake at Great Notley

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