Shipley Country Park — Attraction in Amber Valley

Great wide open space for all. Safe play ground for children. Picnic tables, cafe, car parking. Long or short walks with pond and reservoirs and benches to sit, relax and enjoy nature. The cafe and Shipley pond areas can be very busy with families and dogs. There are plenty of other more open areas which are quieter. I am a dog lover. There are no bad dogs only bad owners who think that because they are in a park they can let their dogs run free which can be very disruptive. Dog owners need to check the law. Dogs must be on a lead at all times in busy public areas. Dogs can be let off the lead in open spaces for exercise not around other people and other dogs. This seems to be a huge problem in this park in the busy areas. On politely asking one owner to leash their dog i was met with verbal abuse of which i cannot print here. Thank you to all the other responsible owners for having their dogs on leads in busy areas. I suggest the park should have notices to advise dog owners of the rules. Avoid the busy areas of this park if you are not a dog lover or don't want an unleashed dog attacking you or your dog because of an...

I love this part of the park. There is a footpath alongside a horsetrail that leads its way eventually to what was the American Adventure Park. There is also a road that travels in the same direction.

If you go over these to the other side there is a gorgeous lake (fishing available with appropriate license) with a bench under a tree. Further round is a pier that goes a little ways in to the lake. If you go a little further it opens up into a huge grassed area edged with trees and a footpath that will take you around the lake if like.

There is also another footpath/trail that takes you for a walk around more of the park and also passes the visitor centre where you can purchase refreshments, let the kids play and learn more about Shipley Park. There are also various activities that you can try on your way round to the visitor centre.

From here you can walk back along the path to the point that you first started. Fun day out for the family (including your dog(s) if you wish).

Hope this helps if you have never neen...

This is a truly wonderful park that shouldn't be missed, where many hours can be spent wondering around the 20+ miles of paths. I have lived next to this Park all of my life and although very familiar it's great to walk around and there are some fantastic places to take the children. The visitors centre is nice although a little costly. It would also be so nice to see this place reach it's full potential. The open spaces provide a great venue for outdoor events and it would be really nice to see a lot more events held here. It would also be really nice to see this Park offer facilities for family activities such as bike hire, kite hire, segway etc. It used to offer a wide range of services but these have disappeared over time. Perhaps offering craft taster days or courses like glass blowing, jewellery making, bee keeping, metal forging etc. I would love my children to be able to get the enjoyment out of the park that I had. You only have to look at Markeaton to see the possibilities this...