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So obviously it’s no surprise that it rains in England in late October, and the weather can’t be controlled. COVID has made this more of an issue though with the need to book in advance without a reliable weather forecast. I would not have booked a visit here on a day of continuous rain - it said it would be dry but things changed - but with no refunds or option to change our booking we braved it and drove to Stonor. As soon as we parked - reversing onto muddy grass a true test of our car’s 4x4 abilities, while cars attempting to park opposite skidded and spun up the muddy bank - I could see it wasn’t going to go well. There are just no provisions for wet weather - the first issue being that the parking is all on grass. The cafe isn’t open so you can only get takeaway and there is nowhere dry to eat it. There are two very small covered picnic bench areas which we were chucked out of because they were needed for pumpkin carving. The picnic tables were soaked and there was little shelter which made me glad we didn’t book the pumpkin carving. The Halloween trail around the gardens was fun for my 5 year old but most of it is across grass paths which were already churned up to mud. I slipped three times and our daughter went over. They haven’t made any attempt to put anything down to make the paths less slippery and by the weekend, with more rain on the way, they will be deeply unpleasant and quite dangerous for older people. You can get a pushchair round but only just. The outdoor play area or ‘Wonder Woods’ is large and will please most young children, with various climbing areas, slides and zip line, but again in the rain most of it was unusable and slippery. This basically left us with nothing else to do. It’s not a national trust property - the gardens are nice but you may be disappointed if you expect anything too grand or stately (it’s not a Blenheim or Waddesdon but cheaper to get in!) Positives - the food on offer (they have different ‘street food’ vendors on site each day) was extremely tasty , though not cheap. The lady at the gate was lovely. There’s lots of space to distance though it did get a bit crowded at points on the trail. The trail itself was a good length and the gardens are nice. We would come back in summer. Just a bit of provision for rain and mud is needed if they want to run events in winter. Some covered areas and less muddy walkways …
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Date of experience: October 2020
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Chanced upon Stonor Park as part of our 8 mile circular walk. Beautiful parkland and deer. Stopped for a coffee served by a very helpful lady and was super impressed with the gardens, play area and general warm feeling about the place. Can imagine it’s magical at Xmas.
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Date of experience: October 2020
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We visited Stonor Park in September to see the Medieval Fayre and Jousting Tournament. I was very impressed with the whole day, perfectly organised and well thought out social distancing pods. Nice choice of food and side stalls. My daughter gor stung but a really good on-site medic was there to put a smaile back on her face and relieve the pain so we could enjoy the rest of the day.…
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Date of experience: September 2020
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We attended for the Medieval Jousting, Kestrel displays etc which were excellent. Organisation was very good and circles for a maximum of six people to sit in were drawn on the grass in the Arena viewing area for safe social distancing. Portable toilets/hand sanitiser were provided. The entertainment and stalls were good. Plenty of food available from various vans. Would have been nice to have a bit more entertainment, such as a jester/juggler, band in uniform etc, but the event had been organised quickly and they did well to get together what they did.…
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Date of experience: September 2020
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I'm not sure what jousting was like in medieval times but at Stonor Park, one late-September weekend, it was both entertaining and educational. Stonor Park is the perfect setting. A magic house set in a near-hidden valley of ancient parkland. The jousting and falconry display were set in the bowl of the valley and the slopes provided good views from most locations. Clearly marked spray painted 'bubbles' provided guidance on where groups could sit and watch socially distanced from neighbours. Our party of six (including a two and five year old) enjoyed the displays and contests although - a note to the suppliers of the PA system - you could do with investing in some new kit. (We moved from the rear where it was unintelligible to the front where it was much better.) The children also enjoyed the 'wonder woods' play area (which will be even larger once the new adventure area is completed) and we enjoyed the brief tour of the gardens. Next time, we hope, we might visit the house itself. It's worth mentioning that Stonor Park is still in the same family as it was 800 years ago when presumably there were less health and safety regulations in place!…
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Date of experience: September 2020
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