Thorndon Country Park

08/10/2025

Thorndon: Perfect for picturesque woodland dog walks 🐶🐕

The Essex Country Parks offer a wide variety of quiet, traffic free routes in beautiful landscapes - ideal for your next doggy day out.

Come to Thorndon and delve into the deep, dark woods- also home to our popular The Gruffalo sculpture trail.

Explore miles of tranquil walking routes with plenty of benches to rest along the way. Plus a dog agility training area! 😊🌳

Discover our new blog for more pawsome walk inspiration: www.explore-essex.com/blog/eight-perfect-parks-pooches

Did you know, you can discover all 8 parks for less with our Explorer Pass. Find out more: www.explore-essex.com/explorer-pass

06/10/2025

Did you know that Essex Country Parks provide high quality habitats for the multiple bat species found in Essex? 🦇🌑

Woodlands, lakes, and streams offer excellent foraging for insects, and historical buildings provide suitable opportunities for roosting.

The bat species that can be found in the Essex Country Parks include common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, brown long-eared bat, Natterer’s bat, Daubenton’s bat, noctule, serotine, and potentially several more. 🦇🦇

The Essex Country Parks team makes a focused effort to run sites in a way that conserves the resident bat populations. The management of ancient trees at Danbury Country Park has been guided by prior bat roost risk assessments, as have new woodland schemes at Belhus Woods Country Park, Thorndon Country Park and Weald Country Park, and the planned roof repairs at the Cressing Temple Barns.



Pictures: Brown Long Eared Bat, Tree canopy at Thorndon and sunset at Cressing Temple Barns.

05/10/2025

*Visitor Notice – Woodland Management at Thorndon South w/c 6 October*

A new phase of landscape restoration is due to start at Thorndon South Country Park during week of Monday 6 October, to benefit plants, animals and veteran trees for the future.

Woodland management work will start in the Menagerie Plantation at Thorndon South.

Work will follow at Mill Wood (also in the South) with all likely to be complete by Christmas.

• The park aim to minimise disruption to the public but there may be temporary closure of some tracks. Diversions will be in place.

• Half of the South car park will be closed for timber storage.

• Large vehicles will be on site, please give them priority and keep all dogs on a lead and under control when in the area.

Read more about what we are doing and why at Thorndon Country Park.
https://www.explore-essex.com/landscape-restoration-thorndon

Essex Country Parks: Restoring the landscapes of the past for the future.

Countryside Stewardship funds significant Landscape Restoration at Thorndon Country Park in Essex to benefit nature recovery and boost biodiversity for the future.

02/10/2025

Wow! Doesn't Thorndon look beautiful this week. 👏😀

Thank you Gill Brignull for sending in these incredible photos.

01/10/2025

Hello October 🍃🍁🎃

Get ready, because we’ve got a terror-ific new trail coming to the Essex Country Parks which is sure to lift your spirits 👻.

Carve out some time to visit Thorndon Country Park from Saturday 18 October until Sunday 2 November and find the spooky characters and curious creatures lurking in our park.

Download your FREE Spooky Trail sheet on our website. 💜

Plus, Spooky Forest School is back at Danbury Country Park!

Read our 'Top ten things to do this October half term' blog for more fang-tastic Halloween ideas: www.explore-essex.com/blog/halloween-country-parks

22/09/2025

Ahhh, autumn is here! 🍁🍂 🧡

Embrace the golden season and catch some autumn vibes with us.

Head to beautiful Thorndon Country Park and watch the landscape turn from green to fiery red and orange, listen to the sound of acorns hitting the ground and feel the crunch of fallen leaves and seeds beneath your feet. ❤️🦔🦇

Enjoy some crisp fresh air and then get cosy in the Thorndon Nature Discovery Centre - EWT café with welcome warm drink. ☕

Read our new autumn walks blog www.explore-essex.com/blog/autumnal-walks

Pictures: Thorndon Country Park in Autumn 😍 Credit Andrew Adams and our park photographer.

12/09/2025

Our billy goat has been working hard to reduce the scrub in the grassland at Thorndon this week. 🐐🤩

10/09/2025

Can you help us collect seeds for new trees? 🌳🌱🌳

We're on the look out for volunteers to join our park rangers, The Essex Forest Initiative and Local Nature Recovery Strategy teams to collect seeds including hawthorn, sloe, rowan, dog rose, crab apple, hornbeam and more!

Participation is free and is from 9.30am to 3pm - but you can stay as long as you like.🥰

Upcoming dates at Thorndon Country Park:
Thursday 18 September

Or choose Weald Country Park on Saturday 13 September and Tuesday 16 September.

Find out more and book your slot:👇
https://essex-self.achieveservice.com/service/Local_Nature_Recovery_Strategy_Volunteers?accept=yes&consentMessageIds

06/09/2025

This , we suggest reading our two favourite books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler - The Gruffalo and Stick Man. 😀

Find our brilliant wooden sculpture trails inspired by these books at Thorndon Country Park and Weald Country Park and discover these two magical stories in person!

Tell us your favourite book in the comments. 👇

Magic Light

05/09/2025

Volunteer at Thorndon and Weald Country Parks to collect seeds for trees 🌳
with the Essex Forest Initiative and Local Nature Recovery Strategy teams.

Various dates available.
Sign up online.
9.30am to 3.00pm - but stay as long as you like.
Participation is free.

Find out more and book your slot:
https://essex-self.achieveservice.com/service/Local_Nature_Recovery_Strategy_Volunteers?accept=yes&consentMessageIds

31/08/2025

*Visitor Notice - Work starting in Jury Hill*

Visitors should be aware that scrub clearance will be taking place in Jury Hill on Old Thorndon Pastures from Monday 1 to 8 September 2025.

Please keep dogs on leads and take notice of any signage if you are intending to visit this area of the park during this time.

This work is part of our ongoing grassland restoration to boost nature recovery for the future good of all. Read more about our landscape restoration and habitat creation projects here:

Countryside Stewardship funds significant Landscape Restoration at Thorndon Country Park in Essex to benefit nature recovery and boost biodiversity for the future.