Country Leisure Pursuits at Parkhall Country Cottages

Staying at Park Hall Country House & Cottages enables you to make the most of some of the fastest growing and most popular country leisure pursuits in the country. There is an abundance of water sports available and Park Farm is a paradise for bird watching and fishing; there are a wide variety of fishing lakes, wildlife habitats and nature reserves close by. Guidebooks and binoculars are available to help identify the many visiting birds to our farm and gardens.

Both Park Hall Country House & Cottages also provide an excellent centre for touring, cycling or exploring our many heritage villages. A full range of modern bicycles are also available for hire.
Outdoor activities can easily be arranged including golf on a nearby course with a driving range to help improve your game. For the whole family there is crazy golf for everyone to enjoy. Two well-stocked private fishing lakes, only a short walking distance from the cottages, are very popular with both the experienced angler and those who want to have fun learning. Clay pigeon shooting is available on a wide range of layouts with two of the most experienced coaches available for private tuition.
Staying at Park Hall Country House & Cottages entitles you to free membership to the fishing lakes, shooting club and the swimming pools at nearby Bentley Park.
If you are looking for something more relaxing you can always recharge your batteries; both the cottages and Park Hall Country House have their own private gardens and patios – a wonderful place to relax and enjoy your special break with croquet on the lawn, a leisurely game of bowls or a quiet stroll along one of the many East coast beaches – all only a few minutes away.

Combine luxury holiday accommodation with excellent coarse fishing with free club membership for all guests staying at Park Hall Country House & Cottages. Park Hall provides an excellent location being situated in open countryside with two private well-stocked fishing lakes only a short distance walk from the cottages. Specimen fish include 25lb plus Carp, 7lb plus Tench, good size Roach, Perch and Bream. Both the lakes are exclusive to members only and all guests must have a valid fishing rod licence and their own tackle with barbless hooks, landing nets and unhooking mats. Recent catches include a 21 lb common carp and a 17.5 lb mirror carp which is photographed below.

17.5 lb Mirror Carp

Park Hall Fishing Lake in Winter

This area is a paradise for birdwatchers where a wide variety of garden, farm, marsh, and sea birds can be seen. Being located near to the coast but also being in the middle of the countryside has great advantages when bird watching.
In the gardens of the cottages can be seen many species including Greenfinch, Dunnock, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting, Green Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Turtle Dove as well as the old time favourites such as Robin, Wagtail, Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Wren, Blackbird, Thrushes and the lovely Mistle Thrush. Peacocks can also be seen wandering through, sometimes with their young in tow. The Cuckoo can be heard and seen every spring and under the eves of Park Hall are the nesting sites of the many House Martins that return here every year along with the Swallows that take up residence in the farm outbuildings.
Out walking the fields you might spot Fieldfare, Skylark, Lapwing, Partridge and Pheasant to name but a few and of course the many rooks, starlings and seagulls that follow behind the tractors. By the two lakes can be spotted the Grey Heron, the occasional visiting Swan, Ducks, Grebe, Plovers, Coot, Moorhen, Woodcock and many more.
A number of different species of birds of prey may be spotted here including Buzzards, Sparrowhawks, Merlins, Harriers, Hobbys and Kestrels.

Buzzard. Feb 2003
Buzzard seen on Park Farm February 2003

Buzzard in flight September 2003

Owls are frequent visitors to the farm and many stay to rear their young here including Barn Owls, Tawny Owls, Short Eared Owls and Little Owls.

Two Young Tawny Owls May 2004	Young Barn Owl photographed June 2003
Ringing Owlet in September 2003	Measuring Owlet in September 2002

The Hawk & Owl Trust is invited to check and ring the young owls so that we can trace their progress in life. Over the years we have placed a number of owl nest boxes in the farm buildings and trees on the farm, which are normally occupied every year. This year we have erected another two.

Box in tree
‘A’ frame box placed on edge of field

Box in Oak Tree.
Owl box situated in ancient Oak

During the 2003 breeding season Barn Owls successfully reared 14 young on the farm, Little Owls in the farmyard reared 2 separate broods and Tawny Owls reared 3 young by the lake. By April 2004 two separate Little Owl broods successfully fledged, two Barn Owl nesting sites were occupied with young being fed by the adult Barn Owls and one Tawny Owl box had young ready to fledge.
A Walk in the Countryside pack is available that includes information on British wildlife with picture guides to help identify wild birds, trees, flowers, mammals, fungi and insects. Also included in the pack are binoculars, maps and walking sticks. Please ask us for the pack.

Explore the countryside on super bicycles. Available for hire during your stay, a full range of modern bicycles for all ages are available including adult bicycles with baby carriers and children’s bicycles with stabilisers.
The whole family can enjoy a gentle cycle along the country lanes or for the more active, a day’s cycling on the Wivenhoe Riverside Path or National Cycle Route 1 should not be missed. Maps are available please just ask.
To ensure bicycles are available for you and your family during your stay please ask at the time of making your reservation.

Full range of modern bicycles

Park Farm chase

Clay pigeon shooting on a wide range of layouts including English Skeet, Compact Sporting and Olympic Skeet are available for all our guests to enjoy. Staying at Park Hall Country House & Cottages entitles you to free membership to the club where even if you have never tried the sport before or are to novice/intermediate standard you can have fun with tuition available from experienced qualified coaches. For juniors over 12 years of age specialist help can be provided and for the more experienced you can also benefit from the practice ranges and from the experience of our coaches including members of The English Squad.

A break at your pace…

Riding at both the nearby Saddlebrook Chase Riding School and Brook Farm Riding School can be arranged. Dressage lessons, jumping practice or long hacks through the countryside are all available on experienced horses and ponies to suit all ages.

We can arrange day tickets for Millers Barn Golf Club in Jaywick Lane only 5 minutes away from Park Hall and the cottages.
This parkland par 31 course is ten years old and has 9 holes over 2530 yards. It has some very long par 3s over water, 4th par 3, 247yds. 5th par 3, 249yds. 7th par 3, 245yds. Rough is thick and punishing.

It is open 7 days a week and also has a driving range for practice sessions. There is a proshop on site where trolleys can be hired and lessons are available from their club professional Phil Berry. There is also a clubhouse with a bar that serves lunches.

If walking is your form of exercise, then we have walks to appeal to all levels of enjoyment, from an all day excursion to a wander around the farm. Why not take one of our deluxe picnic hampers with you for a family day out in the countryside?

All guests also receive automatic free membership to Bentley Country Park during their stay at Park Hall Country House & Cottages. Situated only five minutes away from Park Hall and the cottages, Bentley Park offers a heated indoor swimming pool for all the family, a gymnasium, a stand-up sunbed and much, much more. So, if you fancy a day away from the beach why not relax and unwind in the large Swedish sauna or try the superb invigorating spa.

St. Osyth is also the perfect location for keen sailors and beach enthusiasts to enjoy the abundance of water sports. Sailing, surfing, water-skiing, scuba diving are just some of the many water sports available. Please ask and we can arrange this for you.

Children love to go out and about on the farm and have rides on the tractors and combine harvester. Even the Mum’s and Dad’s can enjoy helping bringing in the harvest.