Jane's Midlife Journey

Upton Country Park, the grounds surrounding Upton House, on the outskirts of Poole consists of over 160 acres of parkland, including woodland trails, formal gardens and shoreline. In addition, there are tea rooms, an art gallery and play areas for both children and dogs.

How to get to Upton Country Park

The park is located 8 miles west of Bournemouth, 3 miles north of Poole, just off the A350. There is no direct bus from Bournemouth; travelling by bus requires a change in Poole. From Poole, the No 9 bus and the No 40 Breezer stop at Upton Country Park, near the park entrance. Or you can catch the train to Hamworthy and walk up through the park from the southern end.

Alternatively catch a bus/train to Poole, then hire a Beryl Bike to cycle the final three miles, which consists of a pleasant, traffic free route around the edge of Holes Bay.

Parking

There is plenty of Pay & Display parking. Parking costs from £2.50 for one hour up to £8 to stay all day (or you can purchase an annual pass for £50).

Opening Times

The grounds and car park are open daily from 8 am until 9 pm between April and September (until 6 pm between October and March).

The house opens on some Sundays (roughly every other Sunday) between 12 and 4.30 pm. There is an opportunity to take a guided tour for a small fee. See the full schedule here.

Price

Admission is free.

Upton House

Within the grounds of the park is Upton House; a grade II listed Georgian mansion, which opens to the public for tours approximately twice per month. The house was built in 1816-18 for Christopher Spurrier. He subsequently had to sell it, together with his possessions, to pay his gambling debts. He allegedly lost his final piece of silver in a maggot race – who knew maggots could race? After changing hands a few times, the house and grounds were gifted to the Town of Poole in 1957.

The lawns of the house are a popular place for ball games and picnics, or just somewhere to relax on a summer’s day, enjoying the sunshine (or the shade, if that’s your thing).

Welcome Centre

The newly built Welcome Centre centre features a living meadow roof. Inside, there are nature displays, details of what’s on and a gift shop.

Walled Garden

The walled garden contains formal beds and borders and is a pleasant place for a stroll or a picnic.

Shoreline

The shoreline is not only scenic, but provides the opportunity to observes the plentiful wildlife in the bay. There is also a recently installed hide for birdwatching enthusiasts.

Woodland Trails

There are walking/cycling trails throughout the park. (Note, the trails are gravel, so more suitable fore mountain bikes). Or you could run them…

Food and Drink

The Tea Rooms offer sandwiches, snacks and cakes, which can be eaten indoors or on a patio overlooking the walled garden. In addition, there are additional seasonal kiosks (weekends and school holidays) at various locations throughout the park.

Art Gallery

On the floor above the tea rooms, is an art gallery, which shows a rotating collection of art by local artists.

Create

Or have a go at producing your own artistic creation at Create, which offers a range of activities such as pottery painting, model making and sand art.

Events

Events are organised in the park throughout the years, such as food and music festivals, outdoor cinema and plenty of other activities for adults and children, from clubbercise to forest school. They even had a grandparent/toddler group.

Sports

There are plenty of opportunities to run around the trails of Upton Country Park. Upton House Parkrun takes place here every Saturday at 9 am. In addition, there are other running events, such as the Upton Summer Series and MoRunning. Orienteering and pétanque are also available in the park.

Upton Country Park for Children

There are plenty of activities to keep children entertained, including a play area, adventure golf, a summer splash fountain plus the arty activities at Create. There’s even a fairy grotto. Additional activities are laid on during school holidays, such as activity trails and bouncy castles.

Spurrier’s Play Park

The large timber play park is designed to cater for a wide range of ages. There is plenty of climbing action for older children, while younger children can enjoy a series of ground level tunnels and sand pits.

Summer Splash Fountains

Located in the Walled Gardens, the Splash Fountains are turned on twice a day throughout the summer; from 11 am until 1 pm and from 2 pm until 4 pm. The fountains operate from 4 May to the end of September. To be honest, they’re not that exciting. We went on a hot summer’s day hoping to cool down, but the fountains are in an area with no shade and supply an intermittent trickle of water at best.

Adventure Golf

There is a British wildlife themed 9 hole course, which is open weekends and school holidays. One round costs £3.50 per person or you can play another round for £2. Children aged 3 and under go free.

Upton Country Park for Dogs

Dogs are even better catered for than children with their own play area, a training pen. There’s even a dog walker’s car park and a dog wash.

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.

• Updated: August 2024