Cassiobury Park (and Whippendell Woods)

Cassiobury Park is known as the main public park in Watford, England. Created in the early 20th century, the park is 190 acres in size and includes a nature reserve. The park is an important part of Watford, and we wanted to highlight this often underrated part of Hertfordshire.

Cassiobury Park highlights

We've mentioned the nature reserve, but there are plenty of other notable features to be found at Cassiobury Park. The park is known for having specimens of American oak trees, such as the pin oak and the scarlet oak. You can also find some exotic plants that have been planted in recent years, including Asian rowans. These are beautiful to look at and worth making the trip for.

The River Gade also flows through the park, and there is a valley that can be explored. In fact, most of the park is freely accessible which is one of the best aspects of this park.

Another draw to the park is the birdlife - Nuthatches and spotted flycatchers have been seen at the park, as well as redwings. Near the water, you can often spot grey herons and teals.

Whippendell Wood

Beyond the River Glade lies Whippendell Wood, which is well-known for once being used as a Star Wars filming location for The Phantom Menace. That movie hasn't held up very well, but the woods are still excellent to visit and we can see why George Lucas wanted to film there, they do have a romantic, mystic quality. Whippendell is an ancient wood and has been wooded since at least the early 17th century. If you're visiting the woods then keep an eye out for the line of Lime trees, which have run diagonally through the woods and have been there for more than 300 years.

Once you've visited Cassiobury Park, make sure to head North West towards the Cotswolds.

Cassiobury Park (and Whippendell Woods)

Cassiobury Park highlights

Whippendell Wood

Finn H

Leave a Reply Cancel reply