Adventures around Stevenagewith PlusBus
Just twenty minutes from London on the train, Stevenage is easy to reach and packed with surprises. There are acres of ancient woodland, miles of waterside walks, a rich and varied history. Add PlusBus when you buy a train ticket and you can access the parks, villages and countryside around Stevenage too. Here are just three of the adventures you could have.
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1. Knebworth House, Gardens and Park
The ornate gothic walls and Tudor heart of this stately home just outside Stevenage make a great contrast with the twentieth-century town centre. Knebworth House has 28 acres of rose-scented formal gardens, including a maze and dinosaur trail. Public footpaths run through the undulating deer park with its wooded hills and Hertfordshire views so you can visit the area even when the house is not open. It’s a lovely half-mile walk from the bus stop in Old Knebworth.
- You can get to Knebworth house on a PlusBus ticket, which gives you unlimited travel all around Stevenage. There are frequent trains to Stevenage, but just four buses a day to Knebworth so it might make sense to catch a train that gets to Stevenage shortly before the bus leaves.
- How do I get to Knebworth by bus? Cross over Lytton Way on the bridge from Stevenage railway station. Walk down the steps on the far side of the main road and turn right to the bus station. Bus 44 for Knebworth leaves from Stop J. There are refreshments at the bus station.
- Get off the bus after about ten minutes at the stop called Old Knebworth Playing Field. The next stop is slightly closer to Knebworth House, but this one is linked by footpaths so you don’t need to walk along the road.
- Walk a few steps further in the direction the bus was going. Immediately after the last house in this row, turn right along a path by a hedge. Keep on past a wood. At the end of the wood, turn left and keep straight to cross Old Knebworth Lane. Left of the lodge house opposite, go through a tall metal gate and follow the fenced path to the church. There is a map here.
- Go through the churchyard to enter Knebworth Park. From here, there are public paths across the wooded grounds (you could even walk back to Stevenage!) and a chance to visit the house, gardens and tea rooms when they are open.
- Knebworth is famous for huge rock concerts that were first held here in 1974, drawing audiences of more than 100,000 people. The musical icons who have played here include The Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Queen and Oasis.
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2. Fairlands Valley Park
Back in Stevenage, there are some more surprisingly green and beautiful areas just a short bus ride from the town centre. Fairlands Valley Park is 120 acres of lakes and woods with a sailing centre, climbing wall, play areas, jogging trail and waterside café. It’s another great area for a peaceful walk and perfect for spotting wildlife, from swans on the lake to fungi in the woods.
- How do I get to Fairlands Valley Park by bus? From Stevenage bus station catch bus SB7 from Stop C or bus SB6 from Stop F to the stop called Colestrete. Walk on along Bedwell Crescent, right into Shephall View and first left to reach the park.
- Walk right along the lake and over Six Hills Way to reach an even larger, wilder area with grassy expanses and trees. Whomerley Wood on the right is an area of ancient coppiced hornbeams with primroses in spring among the mossy trunks.
- You can walk back along the other side of the lake, past a cafe with tea and toasted sandwiches. Just beyond the cafe, you will reach another smaller pond, perfect for spotting waterbirds.
- If you catch bus SB7 back again, you can stop off to see another Stevenage gem: the town’s interesting little museum.
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3. Stevenage Museum
Stevenage Museum is well worth a visit with films, photos, exhibitions and a reconstructed vintage kitchen. This maze of displays about the history of Stevenage stretches all the way from the first Stone Age settlers to the founding of modern Stevenage as a post-war new town in the 1940s and 1950s.
- The museum is free to visit and has a coffee shop. It’s in the basement of St. Andrew & St. George Church. This dramatic church is also an interesting place to visit; it’s open when the Porch Pantry is running. Built in the 1950s by John Seely and Paul Paget, an important architectural partnership, it’s now a listed building. Classic features like arches, flying buttresses and stained glass are reinterpreted in a striking modern setting.
- How do I get to Stevenage Museum by bus? Catching bus SB7 from Colestrete near Fairlands valley park (see 2 above), get off after three stops at Friends Meeting House. You will see the spire of St Andrew and St George church at the end of the road. Head towards this and walk round the far end of the church, nearest the spire, to find the museum entrance.
- The church is next to the Town Centre Gardens and across the road from the Town Square with its 1950s clocktower. It’s a short walk from here to Stevenage railway station for trains to London Kings Cross, Cambridge and beyond.
- Or you might like to explore Stevenage old town first. It’s just five minutes away from the railway station on bus 55, bus SB8 and other frequent buses.
- For more adventures in the area, check out our guides to Luton, St Albans, Hatfield and Hertford.
