LNR type: Still Open Water/Meadow Grassland

County: Wiltshire

EN Local Team: Wiltshire Team

Year of Declaration:  1976

Declaring Authority: Swindon Borough Council

Area: 40 acres/ 16.31 ha

How to Find Coate Water Country Park

Map showing Location

Coate Water Country Park is situated on the south-east side of Swindon.

By Car

From the M4 Junction 15, turn left at the first large roundabout onto the A4257 (follow the signposts to Swindon town centre). Follow the Coate Water's entrance is situated and clearly signposted on the next major roundabout, very shortly after the Sun Inn.

By Bus

From Swindon town centre, there are several services that stop directly outside the entrance to the park. These include:

• Numbers 10, 12, 13, 14 and 21 - Monday to Saturday, daytime
• Numbers 12, 13, 14 - Monday to Saturday, evenings

Please click on the link below to download a pdf of Coate Water

Coate Water map

The area that is now the Local Nature Reserve (LNR) started life as a flood storage lagoon for Coate Water.  It was eventually included in the SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) status that the rest of Coate Water enjoyed and was designated as Wiltshire’s first Local Nature Reserve in 1976.

Coate Water is one of the largest still water bodies in Wiltshire and due to its varied water habitats has a diverse waterfowl population including the great crested grebe, kingfisher, heron and water rail.  Within the nature Reserve the extensive reed beds are one of the most important breeding sites in Wiltshire for the reed and sedge warbler.  

The site is also home to over 15 species of damsel and dragonfly. One of the places you can observe these insects is from the viewing platform on the reserve.

The reserve boosts 4 meadows that are traditionally grazed periodically over the winter months and mown in the summer after the wild flowers have flowered and seeded. The mown hay is then taken off site to ensure that the soil is not enriched.  This is very important as the wide diversity of flowers and grasses thrive better on poor soil, enriched soil encourages the more aggressive species resulting in less diversity on the site.

The reserve also has two fantastic hides that can be hired out for a couple of hours and offers visitors the chance to get up close to the fantastic resident and migrant birds on the reserve lake

For further information on the different ways you can hire out the hides please click onto the link below, which will take you to the main Coate Water County Park hide page

Hide hire

If you would like to become involved in helping to preserve this site and other habitats within Swindon please click onto the following link.

Volunteer Rangers

For information on 'Nature for All' events organised by the Rangers either click on the following link or contact us at the address below

Rangers Events

Further Information/Contact

For further information please contact us:

Ranger Team
Coate Water County Park
Marlborough Road
Swindon
SN3 6AA

Ranger Office Tel: 01793 490150

Swindon Borough Ranger Team, caring for your parks and open spaces