Upton Country Park
Upton Country Park sits 7 miles south of Pontefract and 12 miles southeast of Wakefield. It is made up of wetland areas, fishing ponds, woodland, scrub, and grassland. The park sits on a belt of magnesian limestone that runs from South Shields in the north to Nottingham in the south.
At nearby South Elmsall Quarry you will find one of the UK's best visible examples of Permian stromatolite reefs.
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Location:
Upton
Pontefract
WF9 1FEOpen every day.
Facilities and services
- Free parking at Library
- Café at Library
- Toilets at Library
- Surfaced paths through the park for walking and cycling
- Adventure playground for older children
- Fishing lake with 32 pegs run by Upton Fishing Club
Nature conservation
The park was made a local nature reserve in 2008 and is located on limestone soil. The soil's richness allows for the growth of many colourful wildflowers and orchids.
You can see several species of butterflies such as Speckled Woods, Common Blues, and Brimstones.
The rare Lesser Marsh Grasshopper can also be found here. Keep an eye out for Kestrels hovering in the sky and for singing Skylarks.
Volunteers
The friends group meet regularly at the village hall and help the Countryside Officers (rangers) to manage and maintain the site.
If you are interested in local volunteering opportunities on this and other sites, please get in touch
Contact Us
Waterton Countryside Discovery Centre Anglers Country Park Haw Park Lane Wintersett Wakefield WF4 2EB