Escot Park

For all lovers of nature and the great outdoors, Escot is a unique experience and offers a great day out. Set in 220 acres of stunning private parkland in the heart of East Devon, Escot is a refreshingly uncommercial, award-winning visitor attraction that you will want to return to again and again.

Home to the Kennaway family for over 200 years the Escot of today is setting new standards in recreation with its exciting open access red squirrel encounter where visitors can get up close to these adorable creatures, world-class maze, birds of prey displays, otters and wild boar, unique (and scary!) woodland drop slide, Saxon village, indoor playbarn and woodland play areas. There's an intriguing letterboxing trail to try and delicious home-cooked food in our Coach House Restaurant.  Known as the natural place for good reason, wherever you go at Escot you will see peacocks and guinea fowl roaming free and maybe the odd chicken or few! will cross your path too. The magnificent champion trees and woodland paths through daffodils, bluebells and rhododendrons are truly beautiful in springtime but whatever the season there is always some aspect of nature to catch your eye and make you stop and wonder for a while. Open all year, we hope you will enjoy the views, the beauty of the park, its quirky playfulness and will leave delighted, inspired and wanting to return again. 

Education

A key reason why Escot is an award winning attraction is our understanding of what it takes to achieve a successful group visit.  We appreciate that organisers need a good price, good food, a ‘contented driver' deal, and, above all, confidence that the day will be an enjoyable experience for their particular group.

We offer a range of Escot experiences for you to choose from including:

The Fall and Rise of a Country Estate. Enjoy a delicious meal or Devon Cream tea in our Coach House restaurant followed by an entertaining and fascinating talk giving a personal insight into the Fall and Rise of the Escot country estate and visit to Escot House (not open to the public) by John-Michael Kennaway, owner of Escot Estate.

Escot Park. Come and meet our rare Red Squirrels in our new walk-through encounter, say hello to our family of cheeky otters at feeding times, be amazed at the falconry displays featuring owls and magnificent birds of prey, find your way through our Beech Hedge world-class maze and wander through the woodland paths and gardens.

We also offer some more unusual activities incuding:

Forest School. Gain an insight into survival in the wild. Try fire making, shelter building, campfire cooking, whittling, care and use of tools and a swamp walk (optional). All under the expert eye of our on-site education team.

If you do fancy trying the swamp walk it  is a 100-metre meander in bare feet through the mire. It is cold, smelly, seriously manky and about 2 feet deep in places finishing with a wash in a pond. It is quite a serious challenge for some and is universally remembered as the best part of the day.

Living History. Delve into the past in our Saxon Village and enjoy activities focused around the time of the Anglo Saxons. Activities may include: wattle and daub,lighting fires, making pennies, bread making, spoon making, forging, milling,pole lathing, splitting logs and dressing up (optional but encouraged).

Our food is all home-cooked and served in our beautiful Coach House Restaurant. Open all day for delicious breakfasts, lunches, Devon cream teas and snacks.

Just call Jan on 01404 822 188 or email [email protected] to discuss how we can help make your vist truly memorable.