Elvaston Castle Country Park Reviews Summary

Park Grounds and Gardens

Pros:

• "Beautiful scenery. Take a camera."
• "Lots of different paths to take, a beautiful walled garden to explore too."
• "The castle is beautiful, set amongst superb rose garden, lake, woodland, so pleasant to walk there and is 'dog friendly' too."
• "Amazing country park estate with lots of grounds and a cafe/giftshop on the main site you can get lost for hours and enjoy the wildlife around you."
• "Beautiful formal, listed gardens."
• "The grounds were very well kept and the garden was beautiful."
• "A beautiful oasis of calm for all ages. Acres of mature woodland. Topiary garden. Restored old English walled Garden. Large Lake."

Cons:

• "In need of much care and attention."
• "The Victorian garden has great potential but not enough effort /money is invested into it so it always looks sad and neglected."
• "The tranquility and beauty of the place though is slightly disturbed by the large number of dogs set loose over it's garden and grounds."
• "Whilst the castle and grounds are a good place to walk your dogs, let the kids run wild etc the walled garden is a disgrace for which the county council should be ashamed."
• "It is a pretty place though some areas could do with some TLC."
• "I love the park and its castle but feel sad that there is so little investment to rejuvenate the planting, fences etc."
• "Unfortunately the whole place is now run down and unkempt, the water in the lake is awful, clearly not being looked after."

Cafe and Food Options

Pros:

• "Cafe with social distancing rules offering take away food and drinks, places to sit to enjoy your purchases."
• "Good cafe in house with inside and outside seating."
• "The tea rooms are quite food although they can sometimes be quite busy."
• "Enjoyed the icecream and hot drink vans in the car park."
• "Samosas from the café are very good also."
• "Café is lovely, with a range of drinks, fresh cakes and sandwiches/pastries etc available, and staff very friendly."
• "The sausage rolls are amazing, the best I’ve EVER HAD, no exaggeration."

Cons:

• "But don't bring a child with you if bedtime is 7pm and school next day! 1 waitress and half hour wait so had to leave."
• "Finally cafe is good quality food but very overpriced £4 for a can of coke!!! The service is also extremely slow we waited 20 minutes."
• "Only thing that is annoying is the outrageous prices in the cafe which means we dont take pit stops there anymore."
• "Don't waste your money on the overpriced sludge claiming to be coffee from the little red caravan near the park."
• "The cafe seating area needs some attention; table legs, chairs, and floor need a good clean."
• "The cafe isn't worth visiting, I miss Emma's fabulous scones!"
• "Very disappointed with the cafe within the castle grounds the staff were unhelpful and everything was very expensive."

Parking and Accessibility

Pros:

• "Good parking prices."
• "Plenty of car park spaces with pay at the meter process."
• "Reasonably priced parking."
• "Low cost parking too, less than £2 for 2 hours parking."
• "Parking great value £3 for 4 hours."
• "Excellent reasonable priced parking. Maximum £4.80 all day good value. Disabled parking access."
• "Ample parking, £2.50 for two hours."

Cons:

• "But the parking was ridiculous. There should be a limit on how many people are allowed in when you have to start directing people to the fields."
• "Firstly it was £15 for all day parking which is basically an entrance fee."
• "The car park isnt free! So bring change!"
• "Parking at the weekends can be a bit tricky, but persist and it will be worth it."
• "The parking, however, has pretty much doubled in price which is a bit disappointing."
• "Parking however is a nightmare. Always an issue with the machines with people queuing for 15-20 minutes at least just to get their ticket."
• "Very Limited Disabled access the paths are shocking and there is no access near the house because of the cobbles."