5 Things to do at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park

Burton Dassett Hills Country Park  is famous in our family as we’d go there every Easter Monday when I was a child. In the wider world it is best known as a location used in the classic (yes, I said classic) film Three Men and a Little Lady.

We’d meet up with my grandparents, several aunts, uncles and numerous cousins in a nearby pub and drive to the park in convoy. My dear late Grandad would then take off cross country in his Landrover in order to avoid paying the entrance fee and we’d all roll our eyes at him. (Today it’s a very reasonable £2 pay & display to park all day). I distinctly remember trying in vain to shelter from the biting wind, eating sandwiches and left over chocolate and playing French cricket.

I also remember the great views so I thought it would be an ideal place to revisit 20 years later with my own family.

So last Sunday we headed out on a warm, sunny day for an eagerly anticipated step back in time. The views are every bit as fantastic as I remember, however it wasn’t as windy and the hills seemed much smaller (or maybe I’m just taller?). As ever Luke took some great photos of our trip.

So here’s my top 5 things you must do at Burton Dassett

1. Admire the view from Magpie Hill

The view across Warwickshire

There is a plaque at the top so you know what you are looking at. On a clear day it’s possible to see the Malvern Hills 40 miles away.

2. Visit the Giant’s Pepper Pot

The 15th century beacon

Ok, it’s not actually a giant’s pepper pot, that’s just what I called it as a child. No-one knows for certain what it is, the most likely explanation is that it was a beacon, built in the late 15th century to carry signals across the country.

3. Visit All Saints Church

I could write a whole post about the fascinating church nestled inside the park in the tiny hamlet of Burton Dassett.

The rather grand All Saints Church, known locally as the ‘Cathedral on the Hills’

It is largely unchanged since the 14th century and has many interesting features, including medieval wall paintings uncovered and restored in the 1960’s and a memorial to John Temple (of Stowe House, Buckinghamshire) adorned with the coats of arms of his children.

The interior showing the medieval wall paintings

4. Let’s go Fly a Kite

Channel your inner Mary Poppins and put the hills and the wind to good use; it’s the perfect kite flying location.

5. Go for a long walk

The Centenary Way runs right through the park so why not head out on a longer walk. The route snakes through the beautiful county of Warwickshire, from Kingsbury Water Park passing through Coombe Abbey, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Shipston on Stour and Ilmington Downs before ending in Upper Quinton.

I’d love to hear about the places that you and your family go back to year after year.

If you fancy a visit to Burton Dassett Hills Country Park, grab the map here (affliliate link):

Looking for more Warwickshire walks?

Upper Tysoe

Charlecote Park

Kenilworth Castle

Ten Family Days out in the Midlands