Stanlake Park Wine Estate is one of the easiest vineyard stays to reach from London. The Elizabeth line runs direct to Twyford station, the stop before Reading, and the estate is a fifteen-minute walk from there. This makes Stanlake one of the easiest vineyard stays to reach from London without a car.
I went for a night with my best friend. We wanted a vineyard we could easily get to from Brighton and London, with a lodge to ourselves and an evening to catch up over a bottle of wine from the estate. Here’s our experience of our stay at Stanlake Park Wine Estate.
Getting to Stanlake Park from London
Take the Elizabeth line to Twyford station, the stop before Reading. You can get there from central London without a car in around 1 hour from Farringdon.
I came up from Brighton, which meant a train to Farringdon, a change there, and then the Elizabeth line out to Twyford.
The estate sits on the B3018 Waltham Road, heading out of Twyford towards Wokingham.
- On foot: around 15 minutes on pavement, according to Stanlake’s current directions.
- By car: we had one with us and it took under five minutes from the station.
Coffee and Supplies in Twyford
I met my friend at Ola Coffee Co in Twyford before we headed over. I had a breakfast burrito and a flat white, and it was a really lovely spot — airy, bright, light and fresh, in a small building. If you’re arriving by train and meeting someone, it’s a good place to start. They also do yoga classes.
We stopped at the Waitrose in Twyford for breakfast and dinner supplies before heading to the vineyard.
We also walked around a nature reserve near Twyford while we were in the area but honestly, I would skip it. It runs close to the railway line, and you can hear the trains. We preferred a light walk around the estate instead.
Staying at North Lodge
North Lodge is the smallest of Stanlake’s three lodges: one bedroom, two guests, listed from £200 a night. Expect a plush lodge with zany wallpaper, a super king bed, freestanding bath and shower, a fairly well equipped kitchen, a lounge, a separate dining room and vineyard views.
It’s very spacious for two people. The décor is quirky rather than smart-hotel and it’s a nice bolt-hole option if you want somewhere you can reach direct from London. In good weather, you can sit outside. In rainy weather, it’s quite a nice board games and inside wine vibe.
The one downside was the road noise. North Lodge sits next to a road, and you can hear the traffic. It was quiet at night, but we stayed on a Monday when the wine bar is closed, so our whole evening was spent at the lodge. We were sitting outside with a glass of wine and chatting, so the traffic noise was in the background. If you’re there on an evening where the estate’s wine bar is open and plan to eat/drink there, you’ll notice it a lot less!
The wine bar is only a two minute walk on the estate. If you’re driving, you can park right outside the lodge.
Walking Around the Vineyard
We had a wander around the vines, the gardens and the bar area, and it’s lovely. It’s a short, light wander around the grounds rather than a hike. There aren’t marked routes or trails through the vineyard, so it’s more of a pre-dinner stroll. You’re really coming here for the wine!
Stanlake’s Wine Bar
Stanlake’s wine bar is open Tuesday to Sunday (Tuesday and Wednesday until 6pm, Thursday until 8pm, Friday and Saturday until 9pm, Sunday until 8pm). It is closed on Mondays, except bank holidays. If the wine bar is the reason you’re going — and for a lot of people it will be — don’t book a Monday night.
What We Did Instead
We bought a hamper with our stay and had our wine in the lodge. There wasn’t an option to buy wine on its own as part of that arrangement, so we took the cheese and wine hamper, which was £45 when we stayed.
The wines themselves were nice and reasonably priced. Bottles start at around £14, and there’s a complimentary bottle of Stanlake Park wine with every lodge booking. We didn’t know that, so happily ended up with two bottles! We particularly liked Stanlake’s white bacchus.
Coffee the Next Morning
We went into the wine bar for coffee the following morning and really enjoyed it. It made me wish we’d had an evening in there! There’s a walled garden as well as the indoor room. It rained while we were there, so we sat inside, but on a good day the garden is clearly where you’d want to be with a glass.
When to Visit Stanlake
Stanlake is a good option for two people who want a night out of London on a vineyard, and its biggest selling point is how easy it is to reach. Of the vineyard stays near London, it’s one of very few you can get to on public transport and then walk to.
It’s ideal for couples or friends after a one-night countryside escape, anyone specifically looking for a vineyard stay near London, and people who want wine and a place to sleep so there’s no designated driver required!
We visited on a September weekend, and had a mix of warm weather and rain. The North Lodge is a little bolthole that works perfectly for anyone wanting to hunker down in autumnal wedding for a wine and board games, and in spring/summer there are lovely gardens to sit outside in
Other Vineyards near London
There are a handful of other vineyards near London on the train network: Denbies near Dorking in Surrey, The Mount near Sevenoaks in Kent, and Forty Hall in Enfield, which sits inside the M25 and is about as close to a London vineyard as you’ll get. Most of them need a taxi at the far end, though. Stanlake is unusual in that you can just walk.
If it’s an overnight you want rather than a tasting, most of the other vineyard stays near London are in Sussex and Surrey. If you don’t mind travelling further from London, we love Rathfinny and Tillingham.
For other overnight stays around Stanlake, check out the map:
Keep Exploring
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- Vineyards Near Brighton: 12 Sussex Wine Estates Worth Visiting
- Sussex Vineyards With Restaurants: Where To Eat Among the Vines
- Seven Sisters Cliffs From London: How To Do It In A Day
Stanlake Park FAQ
Reservations at Stanlake Park’s wine bar aren’t essential, but they recommend booking at weekends. There are no timed slots, so you can stay as long as you like once you’re in.
Stanlake Park’s wine bar is open to day visitors as well as lodge guests, so you can go for a tasting, a coffee or a bottle of wine without booking a lodge.
North Lodge includes free parking, which is listed on Stanlake Park’s booking page along with the lodge’s other facilities.
Taxis are usually available at Twyford station, but Stanlake Park’s site warns that some local firms can take up to 30 minutes to reach the estate and that Uber is rarely available in this area, so it’s worth allowing time.
The wine bar at Stanlake Park serves cheese and charcuterie boards, picnic packs, nibbles and homemade cream teas, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.