Reviews of Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve. (Other) in Southampton (Hampshire).

Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve

358 Reviews

197 Comments

Other

Nature preserve

Sopwith Way, Swanwick Lane,, Swanwick SO31 7AY, United Kingdom

Description

Information of Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve, Other in Southampton (Hampshire)

On this page you’ll find the address, open hours, more popular times, the contact, photos and real reviews of this business.

This business has received very good reviews from their customers, so probably it’s a place you should try if you are looking for this kind of services.

Map

Open hours of Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve

Popular times

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Reviews of Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve

R. C. (. P.

It’s a great place for a walk and to watch the local wildlife. Staff are always welcoming and ready to answer any questions you may have. There is a main lake by the log cabin which is a study centre this can only be booked and used by schools etc. There are other lakes to walk around with plenty of wildlife on and above them. They do ask you not to feed the duck and other wildlife. It’s free which is great and the heads up there are no toilets or refreshments available on site. Worth a visit if you are in the area keep an eye out for the king fishers and local heron.

D. D.

I’m reluctant about writing a review on Swanwick Lakes as it’s my local ‘quiet and special place’ for walking the dog 🐶. The lake’s themselves were ‘created’ when the clay was extracted for the local brickworks. This is now a museum, close by, with a cafe. Limited parking but no toilets or cafe. Please keep it a secret.

C.

Parking was full so had to park on main road away from the nature reserve. Easy walking unless you go down to the fishing platforms. Some of the steps are worn away in places. But a nice place to walk round with 3 coloured routes to follow. Lots of fungi to be spotted. The one like Fried eggs was one I had not spotted before. The golden hornet crab apple tree near one of the fishing platform steps was unusual. One cow spotted in the grazing enclosure. Nice walk was had by our adult party.

T. H.

Lovely little nature reserve, not huge but a nice place for a walk. We'll be taking the dog next time.

D. P.

Lovely and tranquil. However, useful feedback... 1. The coloured routes shown on the leaflet were not well signed. We got lost, but then that was quite enjoyable! 2. The toilets - indicated on the website - were closed. My wife went to go through the door and a member of staff who saw her coming presumably, locked the door. 3. Appreciate that dogs on leads are allowed and, also, plenty of benches around the site

N. I.

Lovely little Gem, we were staying in the solent hotel & Spa and realised this was only a 10min drive from the hotel. The weather was great! There are several routes both long and short which allows you to make the most of the reserve without getting lost. Plenty of birds and wildlife. I believe the reservse trust are working on organising events in the reserve, which would be amazing. On the day we went the toilets were out of order, not sure if this is related to covid!

A. J.

Lovely walk. Car park is very small, maybe only 15 cars or so and there is no on street parking nearby. Walks are lovely and peaceful and is a dog friendly site. During wetter and busier months the walks can get muddy.

j. g.

Lovely area very peaceful. There were maps to follow but the walks were not clearly marked and we only found 1 lake and went round in a big circle. If you take your dogs we couldn't find a bin anywhere not even for rubbish! But there was a tap and water bowl.

K. S.

Lovely place, very calming and beautiful.

S. R.

Nice trails to walk around, alone or with family/dogs. Not necessarily for those who look for manicured grass slopes or picture perfect lakes. It's more on the lines of 'untamed' foliage (as would any Natural Reserve) surrounding water bodies. Good for spotting birds, wild berries and 'in being one with nature'. Educative and helpful visitor centre too with information leaflets on upcoming programmes and how to engage kids.

A. S.

This is a fantastic place to take a walk, relax in a nice quiet environment or learn something new. The lakes are beautiful and full of natures little treats. I have only seen it in the winter so can wait for the summer sun and summer nature to come alive. Car parking is free and it's a must see in the local area

P. B.

Set in 36 hectares with over 2 miles of paths through woods and around lakes this nature reserve is a great place to visit. There is easy access and facilities for all who come but please note that it can get a bit muddy when wet.

L. H.

Beautiful place to go for a walk or have a picnic. Very peaceful and well looked after.

H. W.

A lovely little walked, it was more than I was expecting. Well maintained and clean area, a brilliant place to bring your family for a few hours.

f. j.

Lots had changed since our last visit but still an enjoyable place to walk with so many paths it's easy to get away from it all.

L. D.

Lots of paths to explore, the children had a lovely time. Informative signs too

J.

Great place to go for a walk and explore nature. We arrived Sunday morning at 7:30 and the car park was empty but I can imagine it does fill up quick on nice days as there are only about 12ish spaces. There are a couple of different routes to take but all take you the a lovely view of New/ Toms Lake. Wear wellies in the winter months as some areas can be very muddy. Dog friendly. Toilets and study centre were closed due to covid. Definitely recommend!

j. r.

Always a pleasant walk, usually go when I have my son and have a thorough explore or walking the dog. Lovely view points looking over the lakes. Sometimes dogs are asked to be kept on the lead due to school trips etc and you might run into a cow or two.

H. G.

I come here as often I can just to be in nature. Its so beautiful and peaceful. It's nice just sitting on a Jetty and forgetting the world for a while!

g. p.

Lovely area for a walk. Dogs must be kept on leads, saw a couple being approached by a warden who said if they didn't put the dog on a lead immediately they would face a fixed penalty fine.

J. Z.

Small car park but very chilled and uncrowded this morning. Lots of ducklings and huge fish on view. Some steep walking but lovely woods.

d. s.

Lovely quiet place to stroll and have a picnic or use the cafe .Map and routes through the woodland a bit confusing

O. R.

Amazing grounds and wildlife. The centre were very helpful :)

M. C.

Great place to explore especially when the sun is shining

S. M. (.

A small car park with great walks around the lakes. But very muddy in the winter!

M. B.

A beautiful walk ,quiet, peaceful and out of the way. The old Bursledon Brickwork's Quarries returned to nature.

S. L.

Hampshire Wildlife Trust area, with lovely, natural setting and wildlife spotting opportunities. One bench by main lake next to small car park. Walks to fishing lakes and steep climbs to both open and wooded areas. NO TOILETS OR OTHER FACILITIES, but two pubs fairly nearby: The Ship Inn and Navigator (soon changing ownership).

H. G.

Fantastic staff! Lovely and well maintained reserve. Highly recommended!

R. R.

Lovely walk with the baby in a sling and dogs off lead. Currently no fishing so we had our dog off lead for the whole walk. He was able to jump in and out of the lakes. Beautiful walk, lots of wildlife

D. E.

I've lived in Southampton all my life and have never been here. Its beautiful and calming. Dogs are allowed off lead and parking is free. Very small car park so you take pogba luck

M. L.

Probably not the best time to visit with the information centre closed, but still a very enjoyable couple of hours walking around the pretty lakes. As has been stated elsewhere the car park is very small and only has room for about 10 to 12 cars, and therefore perhaps not surprisingly it was full today so had to park on the road outside with a few others. Not a problem if there aren't too many visitors but might be otherwise. Would definitely recommend a visit but might be worth bearing in mind that it is primarily just a Nature Reserve and therefore is not trying to cater for anything more than that.

T. K.

Perfect forest for wild exploring. Love the ponds with 🐟 and many kinds of 🐦Especially trip by bike. Place were to park your 🚲 . My 2,5 year old has many opportunities to observe nature. And cycling here is through very nice, calm traffic location.

L. R.

Lovely for walks and watcher the fishers. Huge area of woodland away from the town

G. G.

Great little walk. Some small hills and a couple of steps. Mind your step as it's a bit tricky. The main lake is nice with the ducks 🦆 but full of mosquitoes. Not a big walk but really pleasing to the eye.

K. F.

Went here for the first time in years and it is a really nice place. We were surprised at how quiet it was for an autumn afternoon and only encountered about two other groups of people. There are some new accssaible well maintained footpaths. A lovely view of new lake which took us by surprise. We walked around all the lakes. Even the path around new lake was good although much narrower than the others and probably very muddy in winter. Nice also to see information signs at various stages including one on trees and another on fungi.

K. W.

this is a relatively new nature reserve constructed on worked out brick pits (I think) that have been flooded and landscaped. There are walkways and paths laid out, some muddier than others. I visited with the intention of some wildlife photography, but think everything is a little camera shy! Great staff on site. It will improve as it develops

H. I.

Beautiful nature reserve and peace and tranquillity

M. O.

Peaceful and tranquil. Very muddy if it has been raining, dress prepared. Signs of direction and way could be more frequent, otherwise great place to go, for all.

m. r.

4 small lakes to wander round. Lovely place for a spring walk.

L. E.

Attended a bad walk here and it was fabulous!

R. C.

This place contains Ben's Lake which I've reviewed before. Wheelchair accessible if you're partners strong. Mobility scooter friendly but take a Radar key for gates and follow any of the coloured route's. No loo's or eatery's so take a picnic. Minimum 2 hour's to get round the place, and the able bodied in your party would have had a very good work out! Realistically allow 3 hour's. There's several lakes and lots of bird life and wild flowers.

T. P.

So peaceful. This place is perfect for a short walk and immerse yourself in nature. Enjoy the bird song, accompanied by grasshoppers. Make sure you have your boots in the winter.

M. K.

Very nice place to visit and wander round - great for fishing if you like a bit of seclusion and nature!

O. B.

A lovely nature reserve. We went after a heavy downpour so it was very muddy but that made it even more fun. Car park is small but free. Too bad the education centre wasn't open.

M. J.

Love visiting the Swanwick lakes. So peaceful and some good dog walking tracks too.

E. R.

Really lovely walks

B. F.

Beautiful Lakes, well kept and wonderful Wildlife.

L. G.

Fabulous site with a variety of guided walks. Something for everyone with hills, flats, woodland and lakes. Will certainly visit again

t. p.

Lovely walks, dog friendly but limited parking. Toilets are only available when activity centre is in use, so check before going if this might be an issue

A. C.

Lovely place to bring the children's for a quiet walk . I wish some dog owner can be more responsible and respectful and pick up their dog poo. That's why I give only a 4 🌟 .

T. W.

A really nice day at Swanwick Lakes today.

L. O.

Beautiful. A bit muddy in places. And alittle bit steep depending what route you take. But can lead to very long or just short routes.

H. C. M.

It is a brilliant place to walk around and enjoy the wild life. Very enjoyable. Dogs must be on a lead at all times. The office/information office is open 10am.

L. W.

Great little place for a gentle walk. Felt calm and peaceful. Probably not so good if wet, felt the ground could be a little unsafe in wey conditions

L. G.

Some lovely lakes all different sizes. There's loads of information in the form of leaflets and on boards next to each lake. Downside being the information centre is not open and therefore no toilets available.!

A. P.

Three colour coded walks around the lakes depending on how far you want to go ,although none of them are too long.Great place to walk the kids.Not a lot of parking though.

J. R.

OK for a visit walk the whole site in 25 mins need good footware as extremely muddy and slippery

J. L.

Great place to take dog for walk lots of different wildlife can get muddy off of the main paths also nice to walk down to the river Hamble and cool off over these recent hot days

K. M.

Very interesting site, for walking, watching the birds, and relaxing. Car park on site, paths labelled and easy to follow best idea is to take a guide to the place.

D. P.

Really relaxing walk with great views of the lakes. Only problem was that the paths were still very muddy after all the rain so take a change of footwear!

D. W.

Lovely walks through the reserve and further into the copses. Dogs on leads through the reserve but they can come off in the wooded area leading to the copse

A. P.

Very quiet when we went today, lovely exploring the woodlands and lakes, I hope it stays a secret from most as actually one of the nicest walks around

F. H.

A lovely, quite & Idyllic place for an easy going nature walk, wildlife & wildflowers everywhere you look & never to busy.

S. J.

Really beautiful place though poorly sign posted trails and I appreciate it is a nature reaerve but I do find it strange that no dogs are allowed in the water.

L. B. (.

It was beautiful, peacefull and wonderful fun. I went with my family and it was a great place to spend the afternoon on a hot day. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

D. H.

Great for walks and getting muddy with the kids if its been raining as paths in the woods are very muddy

P. J. P.

Very nice & relaxing. Bit muddy only expected after all the rain .will visit again in the summer

S. P.

Beautiful place in the winter. How pretty it will be when spring comes ? Watch your step after rainy days, it gets really muddy.

M. J. (. W.

Very peaceful place with great paths to walk on.

A. R.

Perfect. Quiet, full of butterflies, birds and wildflowers... And not a coffee shop / gift shop in sight! Just right for nature lovers.

C. W.

Found by accident but a really nice walk

a. H.

This is beautiful the only place I've been where bats fly during the day

J. G. p. a. v.

Lovely quiet, tranquil place though easy to get a bit lost.

J. A.

This is quite lovely space.

R. H.

Absolutely lovely place! Kids love to explore the many areas around there!!!

J. F.

This is a special place if you love birds, butterflies, wild flowers and a beautiful reserve to walk through. Go there you will want to go back again and again!

I. V.

Well maintained and beautiful surroundings. Walked here for three hours in the rain and still had a great time.

P. W.

I injoy seeing the kingfishers on bens pond again this year baby's have done well winter on its way I hope it is a mild one so kingfishers have parts of pond that won't ice over

A. K.

Nice walk. Very small carpark, various areas. Lakes, meadows, woods.

R. P.

This place is a good place to take the children thay can injoy them self's watching the ducks and playing in the woods

J. E.

There are nicer wood walks to be had. Bere forest much more fun. Found it a bit too much bramble and bit unkempt.

J. H.

Lovely and quiet, not too many dog walkers and paths suitable for a pram.

M. B.

Lovely place but very muddy!

G.

Peaceful and beautiful. Great walk with grandparents and children.

A. M.

Lovely place to walk around, wouldn't even know it was there really.

S. Q.

Pretty area with some nice walks. Not very busy, especially around the angling lakes.

A. S.

Really lovely place and considering the proximity to the M27 it was nice and quiet

R. (.

Good place local to Bursledon for a walk with kids, can be very muddy when weather is wet.

D. F.

Great place to walk plenty of parking and good different walks for the dogs

S. H.

Beautiful scenery and moderately challenging walk.

D. U.

So peaceful, you wouldn't know it was there if you didn't know the area! Definitely worth a visit!

A. H.

Beautiful and quiet place to go for a walk with friend or for time to yourself!

R. D.

What a beautiful place for an explore. lovely trails and cute cows.

S. S. (.

Lovely location, gentle slopes, clear paths, good views

P. H.

Beautiful countryside walks with an abundance of wildlife. Friendly wardens often to hand to answer questions.

G. K.

Love this place, nice bit of history and a good gentle walk.

N. H.

Lovely walks, if you like nature 🙂🙂

T. D.

A lovely variety of walks with a good range of different pathways for different accessibility needs.

S. D.

Beautiful peaceful walk in nature seeing the ducks and geese.

P. D.

So beautiful and a great place to go on family walks

M. E.

Beautiful place to visit to go for a walk with the family.

s. d.

A beautiful place to go for a walk and enjoy nature in a lakeside setting

D. U.

So peaceful! A beautiful place to spend a day.

f.

Great place for walking dogs. Lakes are very pretty in the summer

H. R.

Lovely muddy walk around severs quiet lakes

T. R.

It was a lovely walk and staff there are open to any questions you may have

m. P.

It's been a lovely day out with the kids.better be seen early in the morning when no one there yet

I. C.

Great little nature reserve. Good walk with the dog.

s. k.

Lovely nature reserve. Wish people would stop littering and respect these areas more!

g. s.

Lots to see birds flowers and nice walks

C. B.

Very beautiful lakes and woods. A must visit😊😊😊

L. D.

Lovely walk around the lakes with the autumn colours

J. D.

Astonishing variety of wildlife. Great place for tranquility, peace & quiet.

W. S.

Nice little walk

D. W.

Lovely to see a litter free spot nice area 😊

C. B.

Great little hidden gem for the family

C. H.

A beautiful hidden reserve. Bit muddy, but that's just what a weekend walk needs!

M. R.

Beautiful site that has incredible staff who are passionate about nature.

D. M.

Fantastic Wildlife Trust reserve

D. P.

Peaceful

L. D.

Lovely walk with lot's of wildlife

J. G.

Lovely place for a chilled out walk

D. S.

Great walk, dragon flies and cool in the woods.

C. P.

Beautiful

C. G.

Great place for a woodland walk and for bird watching.

J. W.

Nice lakes with some ducks, fish and other pond related stuff

D. P.

Lovely for dog walks and walks with family.

J. B.

Well mapped walks, well maintained, lovely vistas

J. Š.

Beautiful place to relax. We are here often.:)

V. W.

Lovely place. Fab pre School activities

D. C.

Nice place for woodland and lakeside walks.

E. C.

Beautiful place and amazing forest school leader training.

G. J.

Great place to go for a quiet walk

J. Y.

Beautiful little lake ducks are very friendly

E. H.

Just beautiful and very relaxing after a stressful week at work

J. C.

It is a nature reserve. No refreshements available so take your own.

A. M.

Excellent. A beautiful place to visit

K. T.

Walk my dog here on his lead Can get very busy at weekends

G. M.

Great place to go for a stroll around the lakes

D. B.

Great walk cone rain or shine

P. H.

Beautiful place for a walk or run

R. N.

Been fishing the lake's since 1963lovely place

D. P.

Beautiful place visited by responsible people.

C. P.

Loved it. Will definitely go again.

J. O.

Lovely quiet walks

D. S.

Lovely place for a wander.

N. S.

Great place for a walk with the family

P. C.

Lovely place🤠

J. G.

Really nice peaceful place

S. M.

Nice walk

K. W.

Lovely place needed facilities.

P. P.

Lovely quiet place.

a. o.

Ideal for family's and dog walking

M. B.

Wonderful place to visit

J. H.

Beautiful place for a walk

R. Y.

Nice secluded nature reserve!

A. L.

Very pleasant experience!

T. “. A.

Very intrested place

p. d.

Very quiet, good walks

D. D.

Excellent place for a walk

T. M.

Friday tots, absolutely brilliant.

D. M.

Lovely dog walks

I. A.

Nice walk with the dogs

E. F.

Great for a doggy walk

G. A. G. A. d. M.

Not an amazing place, just okay.

S. B.

Beautiful place to walk

A. H.

Very nice walk

D. G.

Love walking round the lakes

E. M.

Nice walk

M. B.

Lovely walk!

D. S.

Very nice

P. J.

Lovely natural place

T. N.

So peaceful!

m. h.

Very very muddy

C. B.

Lovely!

L. K.

Beautiful and quiet.

J. P.

Friendly, welcoming, inspiring

b.

Nice walk.

k. c.

Nice quiet place

M. P.

Lovely place to go

M. P.

Lovely outside

M. A.

Little gem of a nature reserve.

d. h.

Love it

A. H.

Good for dogs

D. B.

Peaceful and calm.

D. L.

Lovely

J. M.

Lovely

E. N.

Gorgeous place

A. W.

BEAUTIFUL

S. D.

Beautiful

G. B.

Brilliant thanks

M. H.

Beautiful!!

G. B.

Walks and lakes

L. C.

(Translated) Enjoy the great environment of nature and small animals and have free parking. (Original) 觀賞大自然與小動物的絕佳環境，有免費停車場。

S. P.

A. B.

J. G.

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