Walking for Health Initiative - Landseer Park A brief history
21 Hectares.
Area originally one of a number of small stream valleys flowing into the Orwell. Canalised and diverted through the needs of the local brewing industry in the nineteenth century, the area became a landfill site after the Second World War and was landscaped into the present site in the sixties.
The central area was levelled for sports pitches but the settling of the landfill created the undulating grassland of the present. It is an open park with a woodland fringe, one of the few original features of the valley which remains.
Recent community developments include a new play area, teenage shelters and the formation of a community based Parkwatch scheme.
Main management has been the maintenance of an orchid colony on the northern fringe, introduction of long grass habitat and some planting and fencing for natural regeneration on the entrances.
The park is bordered by privately owned housing, a large council owned estate and some light industry units.
Walk Directions
Access to the Park and the accompanying walk can be made through a variety of entrances around the perimeter:
North: Cliff Lane and Dereham Avenue
East: Clapgate Lane
South: Landseer Road
The park offers mainly undulating open park land with a wooded area on the north side. The park also has a large BMX Track which is signposted from Landseer Road.
This 1 mile (approximate) walk starts and finishes from the car park entrance at Landseer Road but can be increased in dry weather to suit your own capacity and can be started from any entrance.
From the car park take the hard surfaced path which runs parallel to the houses (on your right) through the open park land passing the BMX Track on your left until you reach the play area. On reaching the play area gate, turn to your left following the pathway along the east side of the park until you reach Clapgate Lane entrance.
Turn left and take the well trodden path through the wooded area with slight up and down slopes until you reach the Dereham Avenue entrance with steps leading down gradually to the open park land. A good view of the open park land can be seen from this point. Proceed down the steps joining the hard surfaced path across the park leading back to the car park.
(If you wish to extend the walk then it is possible to continue along the wooded area path passing the Dereham Avenue Entrance until you reach Cliff Lane).
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PDF - 27Kb) MAP - click this link to view a map of this walk