Residents can explore the nocturnal wildlife of Hartland Country Park during a guided bat walk organised by Hart District Council on Friday 24 July 2026. The two-hour session, led by the council’s countryside rangers, runs from 8:45 PM to 10:45 PM and forms part of a wider summer and autumn nature programme.
Each bookable event has space for up to 20 people, and participants can apply for up to five adults and five children. The walk uses bat detectors to pick up the creatures’ calls as dusk settles over the park, which sits at Bramshot Lane and is signposted from the Pyestock Roundabout on the A327.
Hartland Country Park, a Green Flag Award holder, opened in recent years as a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace serving the Hartland Village development. Its features include woodland, ponds, surfaced paths, a 2.5km circular walk, a play area, a children’s cycle track, and free parking with a 2.2m height restriction. The car park operates from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The countryside rangers have built a loyal following through popular events such as Halloween pumpkin carving, and the bat walks regularly draw strong interest from the community.
Further activities in the programme include Tales of the Heath and additional bat walks at Fleet Pond Nature Reserve, which has held a Green Flag Award for 13 consecutive years. Fleet Pond, reached from Hartland Country Park by footpath, benefits from a Site of Special Scientific Interest designation and received over £100,000 from the Rural Payments Agency in partnership with Natural England for habitat improvements.
Booking is required and can be completed through the council’s website.
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