Free parking introduced for Belvoir Castle visitors

The castle’s owners say they are responding to feedback from local people in introducing the scheme – there have been many negative comments on social media about the cost of parking there in recent years.

To access free parking, visitors will need to pay an initial parking fee of £2 which can be claimed back against their castle entry, at the Belvoir Bistro or any other food and beverage facilities at the castle during their visit.

The new parking offer will be trialled for the foreseeable future and comes ahead of the return of the stately home’s popular May Day Garden Party, which takes place from 10am to 5pm from Saturday to Bank Holiday Monday.

Emma Manners, The Duchess of Rutland, said: “Having listened to recent feedback from the local community around our parking charges, we’ve made the decision to trial free car parking.

"The local community has always been really important to us, and we wanted to show that we’ve listened to their concerns and made a change.

“We’re really passionate about making Belvoir Castle as enjoyable and accessible to as many as possible.

"The new parking initiative is one of many ways we’re helping to do that, as it essentially makes parking free of charge for all our visitors.

"However, we’ve also made the decision to offer local residents living within seven miles of the castle the opportunity to join us in celebrating the May Bank Holiday for free, during our annual weekend of family fun.”

There will be a host of family activities at Belvoir Castle’s May Bank Holiday event, including Morris dancing, live music, market stalls filled with treats from local businesses and a range of food and drink.

Children will be able to unleash their inner creativity in the crafts tent and take part in games.

For older visitors there will be gardening talks hosted by seasoned gardener Jonathan Moseley.

Locals living within a seven-mile radius of the castle will get free entry to the May bank holiday event.

Click HERE to buy tickets for Belvoir Castle’s May Day Garden Party.