Deer at Woburn Park

[MeadsMan]

Hi,can anyone give advice on photographing the Deer at Woburn Deer Park ? Are you gauranteed good photos or is it a bit hit and miss ? Are you restricted to how close you can get ect ? Also it seems they have public footpaths running through it,so is it worth paying to get in if you only wish to see the Deer,if not then where do you park to access the footpaths ? I would be greatfull for as much info as poss,before making a journey.

Many thanks.

[Badger Watching Man]

Hi there - I live next to the Woburn deer park, so I'm happy to help if I can.

Firstly, there are plenty of paths across the park, so you should be able to get good views free of charge. You can also use the paths when the Abbey is closed, so if you fancy going in the evening or early morning then you can have the whole park almost to yourself. Please do stick to the paths though.

Have a look at a decent OS map for the footpaths, as there are a few options. The easiest place to park is in Woburn village itself - there's a large car park opposite the church, and there's a footpath that follows the road into the deer park. You can find limited parking in the outlying villages (for instance the path from Milton Bryan into the deer park, past Paris House, is very nice) but the parking in these villages tends to be where you can fit your car onto a verge, or in a pub car park.

One thing to remember is that you aren't guaranteed close views, or at least, you may need to work for them. The park is a big area and the deer move around a lot, and there's often no way of knowing where they'll be on a given day. They'll be there somewhere, but you may need to walk a bit to get close.

Lastly, although they're park deer, they aren't as tame as some (such as those in Richmond Park). You should be prepared to keep a respectful distance.

I hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy your trip to our neck of the woods!

[MeadsMan]

Thanks for the replies,I don`t mind lots of walking,I am familular with Fallow Deer,and can read them fairly well,but have no experience with the other breeds there,You say I may have to work for closer views,is this possable still without leaving the paths.Is it possable to explore / cover most of the Deer park,in a few hours ?

Many thanks.

[Badger Watching Man]

I should think you could cover most of the park then, yes.

The road between Woburn and Eversholt goes through the park so you can always do some reconnaissance on the drive in. It's a regular occurrence to be held up on the road as a herd of deer decides to cross from one side to the other - this is the Bedfordshire equivalent of a traffic jam!

There are quite a few footpaths so you should manage to get quite close, but of course it depends on the deer. Over the last few days the deer have obviously been feeling the heat, as they've been concentrated at the West side of the park, sheltering under the shade of the trees and wading into the ponds to cool off. But as I say, they are pretty mobile, so they could be anywhere.

It's a great place for a walk, and very good of the Duke to allow the public access, so I dare say that a day spent in the park would not be wasted. If you're a real cheapskate (like I am), go for a walk north of the road, next the safari park. You can often see the wolves and bears and sometimes lions on the other side of the fence.

[Badger Watching Man]

Just to whet your appetite, here's a pic of a Red Deer stag bellowing during last October's rut at Woburn.

If you get a chance to see the rut, do so. It's well worth it.



I know I'm sounding like an advert for the place, but I have no connection other than being a neighbour who has enjoyed it there many times.

[Ann2]

I think Badger Watching Man has pretty well summed it up.

I usually pay the couple of quid to gain access to the grounds (and to gain access to the toilets next to the car park). Even by paying though, you are still limited to various paths through the grounds so success with photography is reliant on some deer being near those paths.

Ann

[MeadsMan]

Thank you for taking time to reply,I did not think it would be that cheap to park,but does your car get locked in if you do not leave by a certain time,or what if you want to get there at first light ? I guess the best way is to go see for myself,great photo,certainly does wet the apetite.Am I quite likely to see the other breeds there aswell as the Red and Fallow Deer ?

Cheers.

[Badger Watching Man]

The Red and Fallow deer are the most obvious, but there's also the Pere David's deer. These will be coming into rut soon - they have a fascinating habit of collecting vegetation on their antlers as part of their display behaviour. You can recognise them by their backward pointing antlers.

There is usually a smattering of Chinese Water Deer across the park, and Muntjac too, although in my experience you're more likely to see Muntjac in the surrounding countryside.