Hulne Park — Attraction in Great Britain

I thought I would go for a walk in this so called park. The signs at the entrance said open from 11 until 4, no dogs allowed, keep off the grass, no cars, cctv in operation. I was expecting it to be like someone's ver large back garden, at 3000 acres (approximately 3000 football pitches or approximately 3 times the size of alnwick Town) it is anything but. It is farmland, very large forested areas and large open unfarmed hillside areas.

Reading numerous signs dotted around I was informed that the footpath (road) was permissive by the land owner (Duke of Northumberland) and permission to walk along this narrow road around this so called park could be removed without notice. Having read this I googled public footpaths In the area, there are loads but none running through this so called park. All farmland, hill land and forestry is privately owned, how did this land owner get away with having no public footpaths running through this very large piece of land, especially as there are a number of old buildings and monuments of national interest, it is not a back garden. He owns 100000 acres of land.

Then there is the no dogs policy, that's half the population of the country excluded from entering the park. Then there is the opening times, 11am until 4pm, most people are at work or in school at these times, that leaves retired and maybe disabled people who are unable to work, no vehicle access and no parking anywhere near the entrance, let's not forget the numerous signs that say "keep off the grass" this includes grass at the side of the roads. Some vehicles are allowed, I saw a few normal cars, no doubt friends of the land owner

Walking through this humongous so called park for 4 hours I didn't see or hear a single bird of prey, there were numerous song birds and even more pheasants. On one occasion I saw some crows, but moments before I had heard numerous loud bangs from shotguns, they were so rapid at times it must have been a pump action shotgun, the crows seemed to be fleeing in the opposite direction. I hope that the lack of predatory bird life is not because the gamekeepers and farmers are shooting the birds of prey in order to protect the pheasants. I have noticed this lack of birds of prey all over Northumberland, especially areas where organised shooting happens, the cheviot hills as well. I come from a small town on the edge of a big city, it would be unusual if I didn't see atleast half a dozen bird of prey if I went for a two mile walk around the town, including buzzards, red kites, sparrow hawks and kestrels, but none today, none on two walks across the cheviot hills. This place and the cheviot hills have one thing in common, they rear game birds for the rich to pay hundreds of pounds a day to shoot them, that's potentially a big insensitive for rich land owners to slaughter or have slaughtered all the birds of prey, that is if that is what is happening. An independent survey should be carried out to find the extent of any damage done. Then(depending on the findings)gamekeepers and the farmers should collectively face severe fines, the landowner should be locked up, as the gamekeepers are acting on his behalf.

I do believe the land owner lives at alnwick Castle, the place you will have to pay £20 a person to visit, he also owns the gardens in alnwick, the cost is similar to enter. He has a rich family history, it was a real eye opener for me.

I do it is a lovely place to visit, so nice that a famous DJ had is wedding there, and I heard that national heroes like Alan Shearer like to visit.

I would like to add photos of the signs but Google...

A really nice place to go and admire peace and tranquility of nature. I wrote a review of this place a couple of years back but the pin point location got deleted. When writing my review I had rated it at 4 stars. This was because of a very rude, nosey and obnoxious individual who used to reside at the gate house, and would give people grief over the most silly and pathetic things. (Also since writing that review, he has done much worse such as verbally abusing and swearing at visitors, as well as being extremely unpleasant to the residents at the park.) This person has now since moved out and a much more pleasant gate keeper now lives there.

There are lots of different routes and trails to choose from, all with very nice views and landscapes; a treasure trove for hikers and photographers! Additionally, there are no entry fees to worry about, so it is a great place to go if you're on a tight budget and don't want to pay for the overpriced tickets at...

No cycling. No dogs.

Lovely walks, colour coded to show the route. Suggested times/number of miles.

Not too far from Alnwick Castle & Gardens.

Pheasants are common in the grounds. We saw a heron & deer. We walked the RED ROUTE, which is almost 5 miles, taking in the hilltop priory ruins. There are pretty bridges, including stone, timber, steel suspension, and an iron bridge dating back to 1812. There are numerous gravel paths that make this venue unsuitable for wheelchair users. Take your own food & drink. Staff work around the estate on quad bikes & ranger style vehicles. We started our walk at 11am & completed the route just after 4pm, which is when the park closes to the public. (late...