Black Park Family Circular

Start and Finish: (A) Black Park pay & display car park, Black Park Road, Wexham SL3 6DS. Grid ref: TQ 004 832

(S/E) Return to the car park entrance and, before leaving, take the path on the right past the information board. Continue along the woodland path for 500m, ignoring all paths to the left and right, to an information board on the left. This describes the history and the restoration project on this part of the ancient Fulmershe Heath.

(1) Continue along the wide track for a further 400m and follow it round the right-hand bend. Cross over the track junction and continue for another 130m to the next junction.

(2) Fork left along the track, keeping to the right of the ditch. Follow the track round to the right to the next junction.

(3) Keep straight ahead, past the Habitat Trail information board, for 650m to a T-junction. Ahead are the green railings of (B) Pinewood Film Studios.

(4) Turn right and follow these railings for 1.2km to where they finish. Stay straight on over the crossing track, continue ahead for 30m and look for a woodland path bearing half-right.

(5) Bear right along the woodland path for 150m to a four-way path junction. Continue straight ahead through the bracken and bear right at a fork to a T junction. (Notice the characteristic black hue of the pine trees). Turn left along a major track, ignore the first turn to the right and continue ahead for a further 100m and take the next right-hand turn.

(6) Follow this wide track for 330m to the next major junction (ignore the first crossing path after about 100m). Turn left for a few metres to a grassed area on the right with a stone sculpture at the back.

(7) Turn right over the grass, go past the sculpture and stay on the path for a further 400m, through the pine trees, to the next junction.

(8) Turn right past the ‘Folly’ artwork by Richard James and, at the junction, go straight ahead following the signs to the café and toilets. The café is a perfect place for some well-earned refreshments. Take the surfaced path round the left side of the lake, go over the wooden bridge and turn left to return to the car park (S/E).

"We hope you have enjoyed your walk. Please remember to rate the walk and add comments. We are interested in how we could improve the instructions or the route and would like to hear about any issues with paths on the walk."

TERRAIN: A mostly flat, easy walk on good paths, some of which may be closed if filming is taking place. Stile free and no gates.

START & FINISH: Black Park pay & display car park, Black Park Road, Wexham SL3 6DS. Grid ref: TQ 004 832

FOOD & DRINK: Café San Remo by the lake and the Four Seasons Café by the car park

PARKING: Black Park pay and display car park

LOCAL TRANSPORT: No public transport to the start point. The nearest bus route stops in Swallow Street, Iver Heath. Bus 3 runs between Slough and Uxbridge on all week. Please check www.traveline.info for services.

A BLACK PARK was formed 450,000 years ago when melt waters from glaciers scoured what is now the Thames Valley, leaving large deposits of clay and gravel.

Black Park was first mentioned in 1202, as part of the historic Langley Estate, when King John granted Richard Mountfitchet 100 deer from Windsor to stock his park. It seems likely that the estate existed before this time and formed part of the Forests of Wradisbury – hunting grounds of Saxon Kings. The Estate has been in the ownership of Henry VIII, Princess Elizabeth and the 3rd and 4th Dukes of Marlborough.

In the mid-18th century, Charles, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, drained the park and planted coniferous trees including a variety of black pine which can be seen on the walk. Just after WWII it was acquired by Bucks County Council, who later designated it one of the first Country Parks. These days the park is busy and vibrant, attracting well in excess of 500,000 visitors a year to its wide range of activities.

B FILMING: With Pinewood Studios next door the park is constantly in use as a film set. Productions have included Hammer Horror and Carry On films, James Bond, Robin Hood and Harry Potter.

FLORA AND FAUNA: Black Park is an important site for wildlife and parts of the site were declared an SSSI in 1990. It’s notable for bluebells, violets, wood sorrel and heather as well as dwarf gorse, an evergreen shrub that sprouts pretty yellow flowers, recorded as being found on only 12 sites in Buckinghamshire. Insects abound – there are sun-loving tiger beetles, common ground-hoppers and the nationally rare Roesel’s bush cricket. Eighteen types of butterfly have been recorded in the park.