LOCATION – COATE WATER

Coate Water is a popular country park on the southern fringes of Swindon. Easy to access from junction 15 , M4 motorway and Swindon town centre there is ample car parking , note it’s a pay and display car park . As the name suggests the park is centred around a large man made lake, originally built to serve the needs of the local canal network.

It can be busy at times , especially at the weekend but there are spots to escape the crowds . The parks facilities include a seasonal cafe , toilets , splash park , mini railway , crazy golf and a play area. And most importantly for this blog a wildlife reserve that includes two bird watching hides .

The lake has a famous feature , a now fully restored 10m high art deco diving platform . No longer in use it still makes for a stunning photo opportunity.

The nature reserve forms the south eastern section of the lake , with two bird hides which let you view across the water. With a heronry in the reserve, there is a large colony on view nesting in the trees and it is very common to see heron at the waters edge. You are also likely to see many swans, including a resident black swan, geese, ducks, grebes and egret. In the surrounding fields it is not uncommon to see deer, pheasants and foxes.

Access to the bird hides requires registration and there is a fee to use them. Currently this is around £4 per day. The wardens can be contacted on 07824 550 463 and it’s best to make contact in advance to check availability, make payment and arrange to collect a key. A season ticket which runs from April to April is also available and is great value at £20

At the south western end of the park there is a woodland section where a large number of songbirds reside. Being used to humans they are very comfortable to fly down to bird feeding tables, letting you see them up close.

Coate Water , Marlborough road , Swindon , SN3 6AA

Paid parking , Dog friendly , open all year