Hampton Court Maze (and other amazing mazes)

Intrigued by puzzles? Keen to discover what’s round the next bend? If so, then exploring a maze is an activity that will baffle and delight in equal measure. The UK is home to a number of mazes, including the world famous Hampton Court Maze as well as a host of other… amazing mazes. Discover some fantastic mazes below that will have heads and bodies spinning you put your navigational skills to the test.

Hampton Court Maze

The Hampton Court Maze situated at Hampton Court Palace is the oldest surviving hedge maze in the UK and dates from about 1700. This maze is a puzzle maze that incorporates a number of dead ends and twists, making it a challenge to successfully navigate.

Longleat Safari Park Maze

Longleat is famous for its animals but they aren’t the only attraction to entice visitors. The Longleat Safari Park Maze includes six wooden bridges which may help you in your quest to reach the central observation tower. Navigating the maze can take between 20 minutes and 90 minutes depending on how skilled (or lucky!) you are at making your way through it.

York Maze

Hedge mazes aren’t the only kind of maze to be found in the UK. York Maze which has the honour of being the biggest maze in the UK is a prime example of a maze made out of maize plants. The design is changed each year as the plants are harvested for animal feed and new plants are grown. Past designs have varied from the likes of Harry Potter and Star Trek themes to James Bond and a Viking longship. There is a lot to entertain youngsters here, including an obstacle course, quad bikes and farm animals, making York Maze a fun day out for all the family.

There are many maize mazes to discover and the Maize Maze Association is a good place to start for curious explorers wanting to find out more about these mazes and where they are located.

Traquair Maze

Situated on the grounds of Traquair House in Innerleithen in Peeblesshire is one of the biggest hedge mazes in Scotland. Traquair Maze covers more than half an acre and has no dead ends. There are four sub-centres to find before getting to the centre of the maze. An Easter egg hunt takes place here each year involving over 6000 eggs being hidden within the maze.

Hever Castle Water Maze

The water maze at Hever Castle is for explorers who don’t mind getting a bit of a soaking while trying to reach the grotto in the centre. There are a number of stepping stones that tilt at intervals when people stand on them and concealed water jets try to catch unsuspecting visitors by surprise. The objective is to reach the central grotto without getting wet at all but it’s exciting entertainment whether this objective is achieved or not.

Snake Maze

Mazes are all about fun and games but some excel particularly at this. The snake maze created at Gore Farm in Upchurch, Kent stretches over six acres and was designed as a very large but playable version of the Snakes and Ladders game.

A multitude of marvellous mazes

With such a diverse variety of mazes there is a maze to suit everyone, whether they are looking for designs that provide a real brain workout or something simple with a few hidden surprises. From participating in the time-honoured tradition of attempting the tricky but terrific oldest hedge maze in the UK to mixing things up with a maize maze and associated attractions, visiting a maze is a fantastic day out for adults as well as children. Plus, no matter how old or young visitors are, there’s nothing quite like the buzz of accomplishment on successfully navigating these often perplexing puzzles.