Wistow Maze & Wistow Rural Centre

Since 2004, something has been puzzling visitors to Wistow. It’s a living entity, growing up to eight feet tall, and much to everyone’s delight returns every summer, from July to September. This is no strange beast, but the marvellous Wistow Maze, and covering more than 20 times the area of the world-famous Hampton Court Maze, are you ready to take it on?

Each year the pathways for the maze are marked out using GPS, with a new and topical design cutting its way through towering walls of maize and sunflowers. Past visitors have pitted their wits against space rockets, dinosaurs, and even Sherlock Holmes, with 2021’s design a resplendent phoenix symbolising hope and new beginnings.

After conquering the maze, which features high-level bridges and towers and a fun quiz trail hidden amongst three miles of pathways, cross the road to Wistow Rural Centre. Many of the shops here sell locally sourced items, from food, art and made-to-measure furniture to gin and award-winning afternoon teas.

Exploring the Ken Bailey Garden Centre not only leads to plants, flowers and outdoor ornaments but a charming Model Village nestled within a listed walled garden. The garden is part of privately owned Wistow Hall, an elegant 17th century building, where Charles I stayed before journeying to defeat at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

North of the house, the Grand Union Canal follows a route ideal for walkers, who can also take the path around St Wistan’s churchyard. Legend says that on the June 1st anniversary of the saint’s murder, human hairs sprout from the grass here.

Wistow is yours to explore year-round, but in autumn the maze is no more. The crop is harvested and used as winter cattle feed, before the whole thing is planted again the following summer offering visitors a new and exciting challenge. But the Rural Centre and café are here all year round for our your shopping and snacking needs.

Visit www.wistow.com for more information, including directions, prices, how the maze was made, picture gallery (with all the previous maze designs) and info on all the shops at the Wistow Rural Centre.

Wistow Maze has received a number of tourism accolades including Leicestershire's Best Visitor Attraction Award (Leicester Mercury), the Muddy Stilettos Awards Best Family Attraction, Leicestershire Tourism Awards Small Visitor Attraction of the Year, Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence and Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice.