Orchard Park ✦ Ancient woodland 12 ha
Plan your visit
🦉 Wildlife🦅 Birds🍂 Seasonal
Public access Free entry Dogs welcome 12 ha
Places › England › Eastern › Watford Getting here
51.67507, -0.41095
Open directionsv Visiting this summer
Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now
▾ ☀️ June — canopy now fully closed, creating cool dappled shade even on warm days 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 🅿️ Parking 124m away — 20 car parks within reach 🌤️ Visiting this summer
☀️ June — canopy now fully closed, creating cool dappled shade even on warm days 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 🅿️ Parking 124m away — 20 car parks within reach £ Free to visit — no entry charge🐕 Dogs welcome🌿 Ancient woodland — rare wildlife habitat🦉 Wildlife
Very strong match
Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals; Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals
Free
🦅 Bird watching
Very strong match
Birds — Robin, Magpie, Woodpigeon +67 more · last seen 2026; Birds — Robin, Magpie, Woodpigeon +67 more · last seen 2026
Free
🍂 Seasonal nature
Strong match
Ancient woodland — bluebells, fungi and autumn colour; Plants — Parsley-leaved Bramble, Lesser Celandine, Bulbous Buttercup +12 more · last seen 2025
Free
🦋 Insect spotting
Strong match
Insects — Box Tree Moth, Harlequin Ladybird, 7-spot Ladybird +56 more · last seen 2025; Insects — Box Tree Moth, Harlequin Ladybird, 7-spot Ladybird +56 more · last seen 2025
Free
Dogs allowed — public woodland
Free
Deciduous woodland — fungi, berries and wild garlic
Varies
Trails nearby Within roughly 5 km 13 signed routes nearby · 1 public path nearby
Signed route nearby Public paths
Grand Union Canal Walk Walking route ▾
Napton to Coy Carp section
Named route Regional walking route
Show on map Colne Valley Trail Walking route ▾
Named route Local walking route
Show on map Ebury Way Walking route ▾
Named route Local walking route
Show on map Ver Valley Walk 8 Walking route ▾
The Confluence Walk
Named route Ref Ver 8 Local walking route
Show on map Merry Hill Circular Footpath Walking route ▾
NB broken bridge over a stream in SE corner, requiring a diversion
Named route Local walking route
Show on map 82 signed routes nearby
Signed route nearby
Route 6 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 6 National Cycle Network
Show on map Route 61 Cycling route 34 km ▾
Route 61 travels from Maidenhead to Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford before arriving near Hoddesdon.
Named route Ref 61 Length 34 km National Cycle Network
Show on map Rickmansworth to Croxley Green Cycling route ▾
Named route Local cycle route
Show on map Meadow Way, Rickmansworth to NCN61 Cycling route ▾
Named route Local cycle route
Show on map N/A Cycling route 28 m ▾
Named route Length 28 m National Cycle Network On-road Surface asphalt
Show on map Main Route Cycling route 28 m ▾
Named route Ref 6 Length 28 m National Cycle Network Traffic-free Surface blocks
Show on map ✦ Ancient woodland — continuously wooded since at least 1600 AD. A rare and irreplaceable habitat, rich in biodiversity and historical character.
Photos Cutting southern end of the Watford Tunnel
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Weather for this location Next 14 days Nearby places Useful places within 5 km
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id: 6085251c-bb24-4d30-b2ed-b785bad63282
UK green spaces mapped from open public data — so anyone can find the woodland, trail, or nature reserve closest to them.
© 2026 Glade · Made with care for UK green spaces
Wildlife to spot
16,065 records · National Biodiversity Network
▾
Wildlife to spot 16,065 records · National Biodiversity Network 🐦 Birds 38 species
summer autumn winter
2026 ▾
Robin · Woodpigeon · Carrion Crow · Blue Tit · Jackdaw +33
Robin Erithacus rubecula Woodpigeon Columba palumbus2025 Carrion Crow Corvus corone2025 Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus2025 Jackdaw Coloeus monedula2025 Magpie Pica pica2025 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus2025 Blackbird Turdus merula2025 Starling Sturnus vulgaris2025 Herring Gull Larus argentatus2025 Jay Garrulus glandarius2025 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus2025 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major House Sparrow Passer domesticus2025 Moorhen Gallinula chloropus2025 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus2025 Rock Dove Columba livia2025 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba2025 Great Tit Parus major2025 Mute Swan Cygnus olor2025 Dunnock Prunella modularis2025 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris2025 Goldcrest Regulus regulus2025 Redwing Turdus iliacus2025 Nuthatch Sitta europaea2025 Green Woodpecker Picus viridis2025 Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita2025 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis2025 Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata2025 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos2025 Pheasant Phasianus colchicus2025 Kingfisher Alcedo atthis2025 Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs2025 Kestrel Falco tinnunculus2025 Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto2025 Raven Corvus corax2025 Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla2025 🦌 Mammals 3 species
autumn winter
2025 ▾
Grey Squirrel · Feral Cat · Muntjac
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Feral Cat Felis catus Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi 🐸 Amphibians 1 species
spring
2026 ▾
Great Crested Newt
Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus 🐝 Insects 16 species
summer autumn
2025 ▾
Harlequin Ladybird · Southern Green Shieldbug · Halesus radiatus · Hairy Shieldbug · Glyphotaelius pellucidus +11
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis Southern Green Shieldbug Nezara viridula Halesus radiatus Halesus radiatus Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum Glyphotaelius pellucidus Glyphotaelius pellucidus 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata Bulbous Buttercup
Bulbous Buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Wildlife to spot 16,065 records · National Biodiversity Network 🐦 Birds 38 species
summer autumn winter
2026 ▾
Robin · Woodpigeon · Carrion Crow · Blue Tit · Jackdaw +33
Robin Erithacus rubecula Woodpigeon Columba palumbus2025 Carrion Crow Corvus corone2025 Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus2025 Jackdaw Coloeus monedula2025 Magpie Pica pica2025 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus2025 Blackbird Turdus merula2025 Starling Sturnus vulgaris2025 Herring Gull Larus argentatus2025 Jay Garrulus glandarius2025 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus2025 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major House Sparrow Passer domesticus2025 Moorhen Gallinula chloropus2025 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus2025 Rock Dove Columba livia2025 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba2025 Great Tit Parus major2025 Mute Swan Cygnus olor2025 Dunnock Prunella modularis2025 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris2025 Goldcrest Regulus regulus2025 Redwing Turdus iliacus2025 Nuthatch Sitta europaea2025 Green Woodpecker Picus viridis2025 Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita2025 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis2025 Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata2025 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos2025 Pheasant Phasianus colchicus2025 Kingfisher Alcedo atthis2025 Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs2025 Kestrel Falco tinnunculus2025 Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto2025 Raven Corvus corax2025 Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla2025 🦌 Mammals 3 species
autumn winter
2025 ▾
Grey Squirrel · Feral Cat · Muntjac
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Feral Cat Felis catus Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi 🐸 Amphibians 1 species
spring
2026 ▾
Great Crested Newt
Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus 🐝 Insects 16 species
summer autumn
2025 ▾
Harlequin Ladybird · Southern Green Shieldbug · Halesus radiatus · Hairy Shieldbug · Glyphotaelius pellucidus +11
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis Southern Green Shieldbug Nezara viridula Halesus radiatus Halesus radiatus Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum Glyphotaelius pellucidus Glyphotaelius pellucidus 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata Bulbous Buttercup
Bulbous Buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Southern Oak Bush-cricket Meconema meridionale
Southern Oak Bush-cricket Meconema meridionale
Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima
Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima
Figwort Weevil Cionus scrophulariae
Figwort Weevil Cionus scrophulariae
Cionus tuberculosus Cionus tuberculosus
Cionus tuberculosus Cionus tuberculosus
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Rhinoceros Beetle Sinodendron cylindricum
Rhinoceros Beetle Sinodendron cylindricum
Xylota segnis Xylota segnis
Xylota segnis Xylota segnis
Syrphus Syrphus
Syrphus Syrphus
Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea
Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea
14-spot Ladybird Propylea quattuordecimpunctata
14-spot Ladybird Propylea quattuordecimpunctata Events & activities nearby Switch provider to compare local events, tours and bookable activities.
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