Clare Castle Country Park Trust

What a gorgeous park! We're always looking for novel and interesting places to walk our dog off lead, and we enjoyed this one a great deal and will certainly be back. I'm a railway enthusiast and my husband and I are both history buffs, so this park has our names written all over it!

The motte and bailey castle ruins, old moats, views of the village from the keep, nature trail, and defunct railroad station turned tearoom are all treasures in their own right, but you can find them all in one place at this park! We didn't pop in to the station cafe this time; next time, we'll bring more of an appetite. It looked very cute as we passed by walking along the platform to follow the dismantled railway.

Our dog enjoyed his walk and got to meet and interact with other well-mannered dogs, and we enjoyed all the historical information on display throughout the park and the beautiful scenery that really allowed us to imagine what it might have been like 600 years ago. We got lots of great photos of our doggo to send to family as well! A fantastic outing for those of us lucky enough to live nearby.

Absolutely beautiful location, parking is a reasonable price at £1 per hour. We took our children and dog for a trip out and they all loved it. The fresh air and views are fantastic. There is an old disused railway station with a cafe, you can sit in or on the opposite side you can take away, I would say the staff are friendly but the organisation needs work as two coffees took ages to order and receive (this was on a cold day with very few visitors). Aside from this small annoyance, I think the place is beautiful and I think everyone who can go, should!.

This was such a lovely little park to stroll through. Especially to the top of the hill where the castle is. What a great view!! Great little afternoon out. There is a cafe, although it seems pretty small inside from what I saw. Felt very cramped, but I'd prefer to grab and go or sit down somewhere. There is a seating area outside too. Nice play park for the kids. Parking right next to the park, but you do need to pay.
This will definitely be a regular spot for us!

I used to come here in primary school trips in the early 1980's. I vividly remember the big wooden door at the foot of the castle, but this time round I could see over it (just)

We absolutely love this place for a nice family walk, if you have a baby I'd recommend a carrier rather than pram/pushchair so you can get around easier

Stunning... Peaceful, beautiful. Lots of information dotted about which I stopped and read every piece. Will definitely be back.

Lovely park with various points of interest. The remains of a railway station and lines, a goods shed, a motte with a few remains of a castle, nature walks, a children's play area and a nice tea room in the old railway station and one at the entrance to the park. Plenty of areas for children to run around and also quiet bits too.
Lots of wildlife and wildflowers, archeology and industrial heritage. Very interesting place.
Highly recommended.

Not been here since I was a baby so can't say how much it's changed lol. Saying this though what a lovely space with the castle with the fantastic view from the top of the motte. We'll worth the walk and effort. The railway station and exhibits were well done and informative. Great play area for the little ones too. We will be back in the summer to stay for a bit longer.

I was born in Clare but moved when I was young. Haven't been back for over 10 years. Recently visited with my partner on a weekend. We went on a Saturday and we were expecting it to be busy but we pulled up to find a few spots left in the car park.

Reasonable price for parking and plenty of room to get pushchairs and wheelchairs out of cars if needed.

We started walking around the grounds and realised we needed the loo. Found one very close to the car park and whilst queueing was told there was another down the end of the park.
The toilet wasn't really looked after. It didn't look top notch or like it had just been re stocked and cleaned. BUT if you are like myself and my partner..if you need to go you need to go. We had hand sanitiser and used that after touching things in there.

Walking around the grounds was lovely. Plenty of places to sit whether you need a bench or can just sit down on the grass. We had a climb up to the castle and was greeted with an amazing view. There was no one up there at the time which was great as we both hate it when places are crowded.

If you wanted to go up to the castle with a wheelchair or pushchair it might be a little difficult.

Once down from the castle we went and walked along the little river. Which was absolutely lovely. Very quiet apart from the few odd people walking past.
They had information boards along the way.

Carrying further on up you end up walking past the car park which will be on your right.. you come to a bridge. This leads into a forest area.

Because my partner suffers with Fibromyalgia we couldn't walk to far either way, but from what we did see of the forest it looked absolutely amazing. Very tranquil and peaceful.

I recommend going there for 2-3 hours with a picnic. You can even bring dogs along as I saw a few running into the river.

Will definitely be going back and exploring more !

Clare Castle is a well-managed park. Always clean, has a great play area for kids of all ages. The restrooms have always been clean. Lots of space for the dog. Tje picnic tables are always clean and the kiosk sells a great coffee. All round lovely experience.

Stunning views and well worth a visit.

A favourite of our family and my daughter. Centered around the old Clare train station, (long since closed), and castle, with reinstated medieval ponds and a 400+ yr old canal that used to feed the mill. You can follow the old train route for a mile or 2 and there are additional country walks. Parking is just £2 all day and there is a nice cafe in the old train station. Plus the town is just a few nins away and the period houses make for a stunning main street. Feed the ducks, take the kids to the fenced in playground or take a picnic in the large field. So much space and so many possibilities for a nice day out. See plenty of cyclists using it as a mid point for coffee and cake!

What a beautiful find!! We could clearly see the potential for a lovely afternoon walk, unfortunately we got rained off!!
Even so, I got to the top of the castle mound & appreciated the beautiful view from the top. The river promises a relaxing walk as well.
One thing we very much enjoyed was the art exhibition, some amazing, talented pieces on display.

Been coming here for years, its peaceful, beautiful and historic.
Large grassy areas for picnics, benches along the river. Wonderful views of Clare and surrounding countryside from the summit of the keep.
Large children's play area.
The old railway station is now a restaurant. The antique centre offers an alternative/additional interest, with confectionery and refreshments. Good parking.
It's a fantastic day out😊

Clare Castle Country park is what a good park should be. Interesting in terms of it's history both ancient and modern, peaceful space for children and adults to enjoy and facilities for all the community and visitors too. Run by a Trust of local volunteers it is an example of how to do things right! Well done the people of Clare.

Clare castle and country park is very well maintained and has plenty to offer when you walk in you pay for your carpark space then you can see there are toilets at the old goods shed and behind is where the train suet run from .
then you will see a train for the kids to play on and after that there is an old station without the old lines
next to that they have a cafe and gift shop there
there are a few different walks you can take or first you can walk up to the ruins of the old castle
awhen you start the walk you will need wellies as there are a few flooded areas on your walk
the next walk we noticed was very pleasant and you get to see the waters edge with swans was very nice
you can spend hours here and once finished you could just walk another 10 minutes and visit the church in the market town which offers plenty more shops to look in
the visit was well worth it and worth a second visit in the summer months next year

It's free apart from £2 to park your car for the whole day. History comes to life as you walk along a path into the countryside which was part of the railway than came from Cambridge..you can buy coffees,, tea light snacks at the old railway station building. A variety of butterflies along the walk from tortoise shell to some Red Admiral which landed on a bridge just in front of me. There's a small castle wall on a hill. Great place for fresh air and the kids can run around.

A nice place for families but also good for people with disabilities. Well maintained, with a coffee shop. It can be a good starting point for longer walks, eg to Cavendish. The carpark can be busy so arrive early.

Always lovely for its walks and history. Kid friendly. A good couple of hours of fun to be had. Playground, Castle climb, railway walk, nature walk, river views. Ample parking. Parking by the co-op in town is free for two hours if you find a space.

Beautiful place to visit, whether it's a family wander or a stroll with the dog. Preserved history from the sadly culled Long Melford line, with the existing station building and platforms still in situ. The views from the castle are amazing looking over Clare and beyond.