Cob House Countryside Park – Visiting Summer 2021

Long standing members of the Geopark Forum, Cob House Countryside Park, have new owners, Guy & Luan, but it’s just as much a great day out as before.

Cob House, including the fully refurbished The Mayfly eatery with a licensed bar, an onsite shop as well as a thriving fishery, not forgetting the animals too (including new residents who have joined the alpacas, goats, reindeer and chickens) is a great place to take the family or meet up with family and friends.

Entry to the park grounds is free, where you can meet and feed the animals, and use the playgrounds. You can then get a drink or bite to eat in the Mayfly cafe.

As restrictions ease they have a range of special events at Cob House too.

Cob House Fisheries

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Description

The Cob House nestles right in the heart of rural Worcestershire. The idyllic surroundings offer visitors time to relax, to sit and enjoy the countryside from the spectacular Mayfly Café overlooking beautiful lakes and parkland whilst participating in many wonderful activities on site.  Visitors can also explore the extensive site by taking a stroll along the many footpaths, wildflower meadow and the parkland which contains the timber trail play area, wildlife pool, Reindeer, Alpacas, Pigs, Goats, Chickens and Ducks.

Cob House offers a wide appeal with something for everyone to enjoy and makes an ideal family day particularly for those who love the tranquility of the countryside.  Most activities at Cob House are free (excludes fishing & archery) so why not pop and see us for a fun packed visit.

The Mayfly Café offers superb buffet breakfasts, carvery lunches or just great coffee and cake seven days a week, everyone is welcome! The panoramic views from the seating area encompass lakes, parkland, wildlife pools and the timber trail play area, you can even partake in a little bird watching from the comfort of your seat!

Cob House is also the home of Silver Medal Paralympian Archer, Mel Clarke and Mel can be seen training and runs regular courses here – please see our what’s on pages for up to date details about this.

Cob House Fishery, a coarse fishery that offers peaceful fishing in beautiful surroundings and caters for both the visiting pleasure angler and match angler alike.  Anglers can currently enjoy eight coarse fishing pools on a day ticket, with four of the pools also available for match bookings. Regular open matches are held.

Cob House Fisheries, pride themselves on producing quality coarse fish for restocking. They specialise in English bred Common and Mirror Carp, Tench, Chub, Bream and True Crucian Carp for commercial angling, however they can obtain other species for stocking into your ponds.

Geology and landscape

The Cob House Fisheries sits within a landscape feature known as the Worcester Basin. This is an ancient rift valley which formed back in the latter stages of the Permian Period ((299-251 million years ago).

During the Permian and Triassic periods vast quantities of sedimentary rocks, including breccias, conglomerates, sandstones, siltstones, mudstones and evaporates where deposited in to this basin. This deposited material was transported by wind (aeolian) and by vast rivers and streams. Some material travelled far, carried by the mighty Budleighensis River, other material simply weathered from the sides of the rift valley forming alluvial fans along its edges.

It was during the latter stages of the Triassic Period when the rocks on which the Cob House Fisheries were laid down. The unit of rock is called the Sidmouth Mudstone Formation (part of the Mercia Mudstone Group of rock units) and formed part of the final infill of the Worcester Basin.

The rock consists predominantly of red mudstones which can either be blocky with no structure or be made up of very fine layers (laminations). These two different structures in the mudstone are key indicators to the environment in which they formed; laminated mudstones infers that the mud particles were deposited in shallow temporary lakes that formed in the Worcester Basin; the blocky mudstones imply that they were formed from wind-blown dust deposits.

Some of the mudstones in the area have a high clay content. This clay has been used in the past for brick making and no doubt has lined a fair few ponds.

Explore the Geology and Landscape in and around Bewdley Museum

  • Geology and landscape trails in the immediate area are:
    • The Geopark Way long distance walking trail passes close by in the parish of Martley – available from Cob House Fisheries
    • Martley Geology trails 12 and 3 are close by in the Parish of Martley – available as free downloads (follow links) and from the infomation point in village centre, at the Old Weighbridge opposite shops and pub.

Explore the bedrock and superficial geology of the Cob House Fisheries area on the British Geological Surveys ‘Geology of Britain Viewerclick here to be directed to their webpage

Facilities and attractions

  • Idyllic Location
  • Animals – Reindeer, Alpacas, Pigs, Goats, Chickens and Ducks
  • Parkland
  • Wildlife Meadows
  • Timber Trail play area
  • Grassland play area
  • Wildlife pools
  • Free Parking
  • Disability Access
  • Dogs Allowed on Leads
  • Reindeer & Alpaca hire
  • Bird Watching
  • Coarse and Game Fishing
  • Archery
  • Events held throughout the year
  • Kids Run Free – the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month
  • Car boots – 1st and 3rd Saturday in the month
  • Crafting sessions on Mondays (term time only)
  • Cob House Circular Walks – a selection of 8 walks available for free in reception

The Mayfly Cafe

  • Speciality Food Days
  • Coffee & Cake
  • Children’s Birthday Parties
  • Carvery Lunches
  • Buffet Breakfasts

Fishing

Cob House Education

  • Cob House and Berrow Farm set in 385 acres offers bespoke packages that meet the individual needs of a wide range of schools accommodating children of all ages and abilities.
  • Packages can be built around the following topics:

Woodland Management and furniture Making

River and Watercourse Management

Game Keeping

Worm Farming and Composting

Angling and the Environment

Animal Husbandry

Pond Dipping

Fish Farming

Horticulture

Archery

  • Work experience placements
  • Life skills for 6th form students
  • Various construction opportunities and tree planting for children and young people who may be considering careers in woodland management or arboriculture

Opening times

Mayfly Café Opening Times

  • Monday to Friday: 8.00am – 5.00pm
  • Saturday and Sunday: 7.30am – 5.00pm

Cob House photo gallery

Contact information