Heritage Trails

The King's Giant Hosepipe

Welcome to Bushy Park and our heritage trail, The King’s Giant Hosepipe. This trail takes you on a journey along the course of the mysterious Longford River through Bushy Park.

Details

Start: Fountain Car Park.
Finish: Upper Lodge.
Length: 1 ½ mile or 2.3km.
Duration: 1 ¾ hours.
Accessibility of route: Narrow paths, some steep slopes, some uneven ground.
Hazards: Long stretches with unfenced edges of ponds. and streams. One section is through a very remote part of the park.
Number of stops: 10.

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Stops are marked on the map with their number. Print the map to go with your Podcast.

Directions

To find the start - Stop 1: The trail begins in the Fountain Car Park, the large car park near the Diana Fountain.

Audio guide for Stop 1

To find Stop 2: Find the refreshment van at the entrance to the car park. Stand with your back to the van then cross the car park entrance until you come to the grass on the other side. Take a few more steps to the straight ditch of water. This is Stop 2.

Audio guide for Stop 2

To find Stop 3: Take care on this part of the route because you need to cross a road that is often busy. Return to the refreshment van and face the car park entrance. Follow the edge of the road out of the car park until you see a stone plinth with a statue on top of it ahead of you. This is the Diana or Arethusa Fountain. Walk towards the statue until you come to a circular road. Cross the road and walk down to the pond with the statue in the middle. This is Stop 3.

Audio guide for Stop 3

To find Stop 4: Walk round the pond to the opposite side from the car park. You’ll pass Chestnut Avenue, the avenue with the long straight road that runs through the park. Keep walking until you see a wide grass avenue leading to a white house in the distance. This is Lime Avenue.

Now cross the circular road, looking out of cars as you do, and stop on the grass bank on the other side of the road. Look to the right of Lime Avenue for a low stone parapet in the grass just beyond the trees. This is a where the Longford River goes underground. Walk over to the parapet. This is Stop 4.

Audio guide for Stop 4

To find Stop 5: From the parapet, walk along the river on whichever side you choose for about 5 minutes until you reach a red brick bridge next to a tarmac path. This is Stop 5.

Audio guide for Stop 5

To find Stop 6: Stand on the bridge. Make sure the route you have just followed is on your right and an ornamental garden behind a wooden fence is on your left. There should now be a wide tarmac path in front of you. Follow the path, with a wooden fence on your left, until you come to the 2nd gate in the fence. This is next to a notice board.

Go through the gate into the garden. You’ll pass a tall wooden box like a sentry box on your right. Walk along the path for about 40 paces and look for a new, narrow path leading away on your left. Turn left onto this new path and follow it for two or three minutes until you come to a pond. The pond is Stop 6.

Audio guide for Stop 6

To find Stop 7: Follow the path on your right around the pond, keeping the water on your left hand side. You’ll soon come to a junction in the path. Turn left here. Continue along the path until the next junction. Now follow the path which bears to the right. Almost immediately after this there’s another pond. It’s up a slight rise on your left. Go up to the pond. This is Stop 7.

Audio guide for Stop 7

To find Stop 8: Follow the path on your right round the edge of the Waterhouse Pond all the way to the opposite corner, where the Longford River enters. Now look for a narrow path that follows the river away from the pond. Walk along this path, away from the pond, keeping the river on your left-hand-side.

Carry on walking for about 3 minutes until the river bends to the right. Now continue for another 4 or 5 minutes until the river bends to your left. Here you’ll see an avenue of trees on your right. There’s a path leading through the trees to a house at the end. This junction of paths on the bend is Stop 8.

Audio guide for Stop 8

To find Stop 9: Continue along the path with the river still on your left. After about 3 minutes you’ll come to metal railings that block your way on the bank. The river continues ahead under a metal bridge and the path turns to the right. Follow the path to the right for a few minutes until you reach a gate in a wooden fence. Go through the gate and turn left onto a tarmac path. Follow the path back to the bridge over the Longford River. The bridge is Stop 9.

Audio guide for Stop 9

To find Stop 10: Turn round and go back along the tarmac path to the gate in the fence. Now walk a little further along the path to a second gate. Go through this into open parkland. Turn left and follow the wooden fence on your left for about 10 minutes. Eventually you’ll come to a large house. This is Upper Lodge, the final stop.

Audio guide for Stop 10

To return to the start: Follow Upper Lodge Road until you reach Chestnut Avenue and then turn right.