Jubilee Lake Nature Reserve RWB – Royal Wotton Bassett
3rd June 2023 – update
In the period since Lis wrote the post below about Jubilee Lake, my good friend Marilyn Trew has busied herself painting a map and information boards for a nature quiz trail that takes you all round the lake. You can pick up the trail leaflet at the cafe by the play area. Be sure to have a pen/pencil.
And one of the information boards featuring Marilyn’s most marvellous artwork:
I did this trail with my 6-year old granddaughter and she loved it. In part that was because she’s a task-oriented child. So even if the subject matter of a trail doesn’t interest her too much she’ll still focus on finishing the task. But that wasn’t the case here. So this is a fab, free activity for any time of year.
The cafe at Jubilee Lake – there’s also a great play area.
About the lake
Here’s a smashing guest post from Lis Mcdermot about Jubilee Lake Nature Reserve Royal Wotton Bassett. Until recently I had no idea about this place. And, as you’ll see, it took Lis a while to realise it too!
We had lived in Royal Wootton Bassett for eleven years before we realised there was a lake!
In 1940 the Town Council purchased Wootton Bassett Lake. But it wasn’t until 37 years later, in 1977 that it became Jubilee Lake Park, renamed to mark Queen Elizabeth ll’s Silver Jubilee.
2007 saw the lake area designated as a Local Nature Reserve. It is a beautiful, small area of ancient woodlands and meadows, located north east of the town, a little over a mile from the High Street.
After parking in the lake car park you can choose to either walk though a little copse or walk down the tarmac road. The latter being a much easier option for anyone pushing either pushchairs, or wheelchairs.
Taking the road
The road though has quite a steep incline as you near the lake, which can make it hard work on the way back up to the car park. The copse has a little stream that runs down through the middle. In spring months it’s with blue bells and wild garlic; a wonderful aroma.
f you choose to take the road you’ll pass the large children’s’ play area, and Jubilee Tea Rooms where you can stop for tea and cakes, or ice cream on extra hot days.
The park has plenty of activities for children including quiz leaflets. You can colllect these from either the Lake Tea Rooms, or the Town Council Office on the High Street. There are also public toilets in this area.
Seasons in the sun – or maybe the snow
If you visit the lake often during the year, you can watch the seasons change. During the spring it’s lovely to watch the family of geese swimming with their newly hatched chicks.
n the summer the meadow beside the lake is the perfect spot to sit and read, or simply enjoy the sunshine with the family. Later in the year, the trees look magnificent dressed in the autumnal colours. The area is very quiet, and it’s easy to forget that you are on the edge of a small town.
There is also a thriving Angling Club and you often see fisherman sitting in quite contemplation around the edge of the lake with the rods. NB: You need a license for fishing.
The walk around the lake is not that long. So, if you’re walking there for exercise, a mere one walk around never feels quite enough. It’s a somewhat small lake, as lakes go after all. Yet it’s a beautiful area, and well worth visiting.
At present during the Corona Virus pandemic, there is one-way system in place, to ensure people are able to self-distance more with ease.
For more information about the Angling Club, please contact Terry Strange on 01793 346730.
The Tea Rooms are open Thursday to Sundays 10 am to 4pm. For more information visit their facebook page: https://engb.facebook.com/Teaatthepark/
