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Paid parking available right on site (see gallery for prices and times). 2 hrs Free parking a short walk away in the Village centre off Fairbank Road.
Very easy walk. slightly hilly around the back of the lake but all the way round is tarmacced pathways which are well maintained, and even the gravel Downs link pathway is very flat.
Lake with beach on one side, and couple of lower access areas on the opposite side.
Many general waste and poo bins dotted around the lake, and along the Downs Link pathway up to the Village Surgery
Lots of facilities here including beach with BBQ's, cafe with public toilets, water sports, kids dinosaur adventure playground and wildfowl spotting, and sometimes an ice cream van. Village centre with shops and pub a very short walk away.
Not so much a hidden gem this one, as the park is a very popular place to go for locals so be prepared for lots of people with children, dogs, and cyclists especially in nice weather. It's a great social walk though and whilst just going around the lake is a short walk, you can extend it further with the downs link path going right past the main car park. It's definitely one to take the kids to as they have a dinosaur adventure park (no dogs allowed in the actual playground area) and cafe with toilets too and plenty of seating areas and benches to stop for a break or picnic.
I went whilst the beach was still closed due to the Covid lockdown, but in the summer this gets really busy, there is a couple of lower banks on the opposite side of the lake too but the water is deeper than you expect as Hank found out chasing a bird a few weeks back and completely submerged himself just a few feet into the water! Beware of swans too - also note the beach will be closed when swans are nesting.
The car park is often busy, and if you want to make the walk that little bit longer like I did (honestly, not because I'm a cheapskate!) then there is up to 2 hours free parking in the main shopping parade off Fairbank Road. Just cross the road towards the Village surgery and turn left down the Downs Link pathway and it's only 5 or 10 minutes until the park.
