Queen Elizabeth Country Park
Children will enjoy the woodland play area and the assault course on this walk. If they have a bike, they should bring it for the mini wheels pump track too!
The new pump track near the visitor centre at Queen Elizabeth Country Park
The Basics
Time: 40 mins for the shorter trail or 1 hr 5 mins for the longer trail
Distance: 2.7 km / 1.7 miles for the shorter trail or 3.5 km / 2.2 miles for the longer trail
Terrain: Mainly flat and firm woodland paths, a steady hill to walk up on the longer route.
Pushchairs: A good off-road pushchair should make it around the shorter route, but would struggle with hills and uneven ground on the longer route.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome on this walk, and they might like the dog agility course too!
Refreshments: Juniper kiosk (weekends April - October and school holidays), café at the visitors centre (daily, year round), BBQ hire, picnic tables or even pizza oven hire!
Toilets: There are toilets at the Juniper car park and the visitor centre.
Public Transport: Stagecoach service 37 between Havant and Petersfield stops at the park (not Sundays).
Parking: Juniper car park at the top of the park, charges apply - summer is £5 for up to two hours, winter is £4 - number plate recognition (Postcode: PO8 0QE - W3W: ///organisms.digital.lost)
The assault course at Queen Elizabeth Country Park
There is plenty to do on a day out at Queen Elizabeth Country Park. Easily accessed from the A3, one side the park consists of wooded hillsides, perfect for walks and mountain biking. The other side comprises Butser Hill, a typical South Downs landscape. There are lots of possible walks you can do and we have chosen ours to start out beside the woodland play area. Here you will also find picnic benches, toilets, bbqs for hire, a snack kiosk, an assault course and a dog agility course.
The Route
From the Juniper car park (the last stop for cars at the top of the park), take the large, wide path heading north past the pizza oven area. The play area should be to your left and the pizza oven to your right. Continue along the straight path passing a series of two grassy clearings/picnic areas to your left called Larkwhistle and Roebuck. At the third grassy clearing, you should spot a disc golf basket and a post with a red number one nailed onto it. Continue straight along the path towards the far end of the park.
After the clearing, pass a track going off to your right with a horse shoe marker. The next right turn that you see will be marked by a green badge with a picture of a bike. Turn right here for the shorter route back to Juniper car park.
To continue on the longer route, keep going straight. There are glimpses of views over Petersfield through the trees, which tend to be clearer in winter when the trees are without leaves. The path will bend right around the bluff, and the wooded slope will drop away to your left. Keep bending right at the purple footstep badge and follow the path as it gradually descends down the other side of the forest.
As the path drops down, you will come to a post marking The South Downs Way. Bear right and join this for a few metres.
At the next fork, bear right and join The Hangers Way, passing a series of wooden posts.
At Gravel Bottom, you will pass a mountain bike training track within a fenced area. Turn right here and head upwards along the long straight path.
At the top, just before the barrier for Lower Juniper Car Park, turn right off the track and pick your way through the trees for around a hundred metres before arriving at Upper Juniper Car Park and the kiosk.
Young bike riders will enjoy the new novice mountain bike tracks at Benhams Bushes car park which you will see as you drive up the hill to Juniper car park. The smallest riders will find a mini wheels track beside the visitor centre. Expert riders will find a variety of downhill mountain bike trails - walkers watch out for the points where they cross the footpaths!
The wildlife pond can also be found the visitor centre as well as a café, toilets and shop.
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Did you know?
The beech forest at Queen Elizabeth Country Park is relatively infant, having mostly been planted in the 1930s.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try this one at Itchen Valley Country Park which has an equally brilliant woodland play areas and a café.
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