A Great Free Day Out. (Rufford Country Park)

Member Name: daseaford

Product:	Rufford Country Park
Date:	27/02/01 (179 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to see and do.

Disadvantages: Can get bust at weekend.

Rufford Park was bought by the Nottinghamshire County Council in 1969 primarily as a country retreat for the residents of the City of Nottingham.

Originally the park was the site of a Cistercian Abbey which was in existence between 1146 and 1536. When Henry VIII started dissolving the monasteries Rufford was one of the first to go as at that time there were very few monks present and the building was in a poor state of repair. Remains of the Abbey are still present and there is an exhibition depicting what life would have been like for the monks at that time.

In 1536 the Earl of Shrewsbury took over the park and turned the Abbey into a private home. In the 17th century the house was transferred to the Savile family who continued to live in it until the early 1900’s. By 1940 much of the house was falling into disrepair and much of it was demolished in 1956. The County Council is currently applying for a large amount of European funding to restore a lot of the buildings and give visitors a perception of what the whole building would have looked like originally.

For any literary people out there – Wragby Hall in DH Lawrence “Lady Chatterly’s Lover” is based on Rufford.

But, Rufford Park is much more than just the Abbey, in fact a lot of the visitors don’t even visit the Abbey ruins. The park has large areas of open grassland that are ideal for ball games or just relaxing on a hot Summer’s day. There is also a children’s playground with all sorts of things to play on or climb over. Next to the grassed areas is a large wooded area with paths criss-crossing and making an ideal area for strolling through the trees. Hidden in the woods are the Ice Houses. These are large pits with a stone building used for storing meat packed in ice. These were used around 1660 and two are still in existence today, although the domestic fridge made them redundant a long time ago.

There is a large la
ke with hundreds of ducks, geese and swans and it seems almost compulsory to take a loaf of bread with you to feed the birds. If you visit the park on a Sunday afternoon don’t be surprised if the birds do not seem too interested in the food, they have probably eaten so much over the weekend they probably can’t manage to eat any more. If however you visit mid-week in winter to feed the birds be prepared to be surrounded, especially by the very noisy geese. You can walk the complete way around the lake (about one mile) and on the far side there is a bird sanctuary where you may well see some unusual birds. (Please don’t ask me what types as I can never remember the names, but there are display boards showing the types of birds and their names).

Around the lake there are a number of platforms that overlook the lake and many of these have picnic tables that make ideal spots for a Summer’s picnic. Throughout the park there are many picnic tables and benches so there are plenty of places to stop, take a rest or just admire the view.

The lake was built by damming the stream that runs through the park in order to drive a Corn Mill that was built in 1750 at the far end of the park. The Corn Mill was used until the 1860’s when it was converted into a Saw Mill which was in use until 1938. The old mill wheel is still in place but it is not operational. The old mill building is now a heritage centre which includes a country style shop called the Outdoor Living Store. Where the mill stream runs away from the mill it crosses a road as a ford. Whilst parents are looking around the shop it is a very popular pastime for children to stand next to the fencing by the ford and get splashed by any speeding cars passing through the ford. Although rather silly it can look rather spectacular.

Next to the old mill is the Lakeside Garden Shop. This garden centre always has some very interesting plants and garden accessories and is well w
orth a visit. There is also an information room in the garden centre informing visitors about events in the park.

During the Summer there is an event on most weekends including craft fairs, goat shows, band displays, barbecues and many more. For the younger members of the family (7 – 14 year olds) there is the Green Gang. This is a club run by the Park Rangers on the first Saturday of each month for two hours and costs £1 per session. When our eldest son was younger he went to this for some time and thoroughly enjoyed the sessions. These included such things as making bat and bird boxes, animal tracking, laying hedges, insect hunts, bird spotting and making shelters.

There are also some of these events organised for the whole family and one we always particularly enjoy is the bat watch. For this you meet the Rangers about an hour before dusk and are taken around the park to the different areas where the bats can be found. Before starting the tour there is a talk and slide show telling you about the different bats that you should see. As well as some spotlights set up over the lake and by the buildings the Rangers also have bat detectors which change the bat signals into audible sounds so that they can find and track the bats. It is amazing just how many bats there are. The whole evening is normally finished off with soup and bread. This may not be everybody’s idea of a good night out, but we always thoroughly enjoy it.

In the converted stables at the main buildings there are two shops, a gift shop and a craft shop. Most of the items in the craft shop are made by local craftspeople, but this is not the place to go if you are looking for a bargain. The items all look very nice, but I don’t think I have ever seen anybody buy anything.

Above the craft shop are two exhibition areas: The Gallery has a programme of regular exhibitions (each normally about a month) which are normally worth a visit. Then there is the Ce
ramic Centre; this is a permanent exhibition for the work of local craftspeople and includes computerised information about the artists and their work. There is also a collection of computers, which can be used for Internet access at £1.50 per hour.

In the old coach house there is a snack bar selling light meals, snacks and drinks. The prices are reasonable, but this does get very busy and it is often difficult to get a seat. Although there is a large number of tables outside, which is OK in good weather.

In part of the restored Abbey is the Savile Restaurant. We have never been in here but it does look very pleasant. Meals here probably work out about £10 each. (2 courses and drink.)

Adjacent to the Abbey buildings is the Orangery. This was built by Sir George Savile in 1730 as a bath house. Most of the original swimming area is still in place. In 1889 the building was converted into an Orangery and now it is used for sculpture exhibitions, both for large pieces of sculpture outside and smaller pieces in the Aspinal Gallery.

From the Orangery you can walk into the formal gardens which includes a permanent sculpture collection. The gardens are split up into many small gardens, each specialising in particular types of plants and it seems like a maze as you wander from garden to garden.

You can easily spend a whole day at Rufford Park. It is easy to find on the A614 (about ten miles north of Nottingham.) Admission to the park is free, but there is a £1.50 car park fee at weekends and on Bank Holidays. Parking can be difficult on sunny Summer afternoons as the park gets very popular. Although a lot of people visit the park, because it is so big you do not feel that it is ever crowded.

To find out more about the park then you could have a look at their web site on:

http://www.ruffordcraftcentre.org.uk

This park is a great place for a traditional family day out. You can have a walk through the woods
or the gardens, feed the ducks, play games or just relax, enjoy a picnic or a meal in the café or restaurant.

Go to Rufford Park and just unwind and feel any tension or stress slipping out of your life.

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