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AUDLEY END

248 ha

Plan your visit

BirdsFamilyPlay
Public accessDogs welcome248 ha

About AUDLEY END

Audley End House is an early 17th-century English country house near to Saffron Walden in north-west Essex. The Jacobean house was built by the first Earl of Suffolk on the site of a Benedictine monastery that had been awarded to his grandfather, chancellor Thomas Audley, during the dissolution of the monasteries. Suffolk demolished his grandfather's Tudor mansion and built a house of palatial proportions in which he entertained King James I.

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Historic house museumGrade I listed buildingc. 1700

Visiting this summer

Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now

  • 🐦66+ species recorded in this area — summer evenings are best for activity; watch for Woodpigeon and Tufted Duck
  • ☀️Summer family visits work well here — arrive early and plan for a longer stay
  • Cart Yard Cafe — makes this an easy full-day family visit without needing to pack food

Good to know

  • 🐕Dogs welcome
CaféParking· PaidPlaygroundToilets

Best for

13 activities

Bird watching

Birds — Woodpigeon, Tufted Duck, Mallard +63 more · last seen 2026; Grazing marsh — lapwing, redshank, snipe and wintering wildfowl

Free

Family friendly

playground, café, toilets

Free

Playgrounds

playground, toilets, café, parking

Free

Heritage

Grade I listed building: TEA HOUSE AND BRIDGE AT TL 522 385, NORTH WEST OF AUDLEY END HOUSE; Historic site with public access

Free

Picnic day out

café, toilets, car park

Free

Wildlife

Birds — Woodpigeon, Tufted Duck, Mallard +63 more · last seen 2026; Deciduous woodland priority habitat

Free

Trails nearby

Within roughly 5 km
🚶

Walking

5 signed routes nearby · 39 public paths nearby

Signed route nearbyPublic paths
Icknield Way PathWalking route169 km

long distance footpath 169 km

Named routeLength 169 kmRegional walking route
Harcamlow WayWalking route
Named routeRef HARRegional walking route
Lime Tree WalkWalking route
Named route
Kitchen Garden WalkWalking route
Named route
Temple WalkWalking route
Named route
Audley Endpublic footpath · 23 m
Public pathpublic footpathLength 23 mPath type: residential
Catons Lanepublic footpath · 100 m
Public pathpublic footpathLength 100 mPath type: unclassified
Catons Lanepublic footpath · 9 m
Public pathpublic footpathLength 9 mPath type: unclassified
🚴

Cycling

10 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby
National Byway (Cambridgeshire)Cycling route

National Byway route through Cambridgeshire

Named routeRef NBRegional cycle route
NCN National Route 11Cycling route
Named routeRef 11National Cycle Network
Main RouteCycling route2.9 km
Named routeRef 11Length 2.9 kmNational Cycle NetworkOn-roadSurface asphalt
Main RouteCycling route240 m
Named routeRef 11Length 240 mNational Cycle NetworkOn-roadSurface asphalt
Main RouteCycling route1.9 km
Named routeRef 11Length 1.9 kmNational Cycle NetworkOn-roadSurface asphalt
Main RouteCycling route211 m
Named routeRef 11Length 211 mNational Cycle NetworkOn-roadSurface asphalt
🚵

Mountain biking

1 signed route nearby

Signed route nearby
Icknield Way Cycle TrailMountain bike route226 km

This is the off-road or mountain cycling route of the Icknield Way Trail.

Named routeLength 226 kmRegional cycle route
🐴

Horse riding

1 public path nearby

Public paths
Adcock's Lanebridleway · 377 m
Public pathbridlewayLength 377 mPath type: bridleway

Wildlife to spot

Photos

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