00:00Today we're going to have an explore of Staunton Country Park.
00:05Staunton Country Park in Havent is a historic estate with parkland which was in its prime in
00:09the Regency period. There are a number of footpaths which connect to it from the local area but today
00:14I've parked in the main car park which can be found off Petersfield Road. So when you arrive
00:19you go through the main entrance and you immediately join the main path and you can
00:23see some information boards that tell you all about Staunton. If you head around to the left
00:28hand side there's a cafe and toilet facilities there if you need them as well as a dog wash but
00:34otherwise head towards the right and you can go for your walk immediately. You have a choice of
00:39three main trails though today I'm going to the easiest route in red.
00:44One of the fantastic things about Staunton Country Park is it really is geared up for all the
00:59family. It's got this lovely little wooden play area for the children enjoy and lots of places
01:04for them to explore so it's more than just a little walk through the woods for them. If you
01:09keep going on the path there is this fantastic wooden structure which is great to climb and explore
01:14and it gives you a real bird's eye view of the parkland as well as an outline of the mansion
01:19which once stood here so you can really understand how much space it took up.
01:39So as I've already said there are three official main walking trails at Staunton and each of them
01:46are signposted in different colours so you can follow them though of course you can just make
01:50up your own route and explore but just be aware that there's ongoing work at Haven Thicket at the
01:55minute where a new water reservoir is being created so there's some changes in that direction.
02:00But this easy access trail which centres around the lake is the best one for all the family.
02:05Just be aware that the path is made up of loose stones up and down these hilly bits so you just
02:10need to take care with any pushchairs or small children that might fall over and scrape their knees.
02:35So
02:40you
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03:05So while you're on your walk, you'll come across this lovely little bridge that takes you over from the mainland on to a small island which can be found in the middle of the lake.
03:14It's popular with anglers, so they're often found along the edges, but it's a great little spot to go to and just have a little bit of a different point of view looking out across up the lake up towards the main house where the main house was rather than looking down.
03:35Transcription by CastingWords
04:05so walking around the park on this route you will stumble across some lovely little structures which
04:24are called follies we saw the chinese bridge earlier and another one is this shell house
04:29which features shells from hayley island and as part of a project to look after the site
04:35it's been restored and it's a great little place to stop and have a look
04:59so
05:07so
05:09so
05:19One of the great things here at Staunton is this plant and produce area which is looked
05:37after by volunteers and it's a great little stop off on your walk just to have a look
05:41and see what it is that they've got
06:11So as we come towards the end of our walk you'll come back towards the cafe, shop and toilet
06:24facilities and the dog wash as well in case you've brought a little four-legged friend
06:28with you. There are lots of picnic benches and wide open spaces and it's a great little
06:33stop off just to end a lovely visit here at Staunton
