Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Walk on the wold side
Picture the peaceful scene: the sun high in the summer sky, birdsong filling the air and mayflies dancing across the surface of the lake. Somewhere in the shimmering water, our guidebook told us, lurked otters, water voles and even – perhaps – a family of beavers. Our 14 year old was first to spot the impending calamity as we scanned the depths for signs of life.
“Look out” she cried as our KataKanu drifted towards the bank. Within moments we were stuck in a wilderness of triffid-sized reeds.
Georgina and her brother Guy, 11, descended into fits of embarrassed laughter as my wife and I – who were supposed to be paddling – struggled to find a way out.
Finally, after disentangling ourselves, we headed back to shore to continue our boating adventure another day.
This was our first attempt at navigating the beautiful Cotswold Water Park on the Gloucestershire-Wiltshire border, where landlubbers can enjoy a wide range of sports without fear of getting their feet wet.
The four of us were kitted out with lifejackets while our rented KataKanu – basically two large canoes joined together like a catamaran and seating four to six people – turned out to be extremely stable, if a little awkward to manoeuvre.
Described as Britain’s largest area of inland water, the Cotswold Water Park is made up of more than 140 lakes formed by 50 years of limestone quarrying.
We were spending a week’s break at the park’s Lower Mill estate, a 550-acre private development of waterside holiday homes, some of which are rented out by their owners.
Built around eight large lakes, the complex is named after a semi derelict Victorian water mill – which visitors can look round – and boasts its own spa, sauna, outdoor pool, tennis courts and “village” shop and cafe.
The lakes are now a haven for water birds such as mallards and moorhens while the surrounding woodland and hedgerows are home for songbirds including nightingales, goldfinches and willow warblers.
Our holiday bolthole, a modern stonebuilt cottage called Badger’s Lodge and rented through Sykes Cottages, was just a stone’s throw from the Lower Mill “activity hub”. This is where you can rent tennis rackets, fishing rods and bicycles as well as KataKanus, canoes and kayaks.
Lower Mill is only one part of the sprawling Cotswold Water Park. The River Thames weaves its way through the centre and 10 of the lakes are designated as sites of special scientific interest. Surrounded by meadows filled with wild flowers, the area is crisscrossed
This Cotswold Water Park specialises in wildlife encounters and gentle adventures Ten of the park lakes are sites of special scientific interest
by bridleways and footpaths suitable for jogging and bike riding.
We hired two sturdy bikes and took the opportunity to teach Georgina to ride.
Undaunted by our first experience of the water, the next day we hired out a rowing boat on a different lake. This time the only wildlife we got to see was a family of swans who watched suspiciously from the shore. My wife convinced
us it was time to seek out the park’s beaver colony on dry land.
Six Eurasian beavers were released into the wild here in 2005. The dam-building animals – the first in the UK since they were hunted to extinction for their pelts 500 years ago – are now thriving in their natural habitat.
Beavers are nocturnal, so the best time to see them is before dawn or after dusk. So as the sun went down at nearby Swillbrook Lake we set off to lie in wait for the elusive creatures, suitably equipped with wellies, torches and binoculars.
Piles of logs apparently cut down by the beavers to use as dams lay scattered around the shore. However, try as we might, we just weren’t quick enough to spot them frolicking in the water or running on the bank.
They’re not called Britain’s rarest rodents for nothing. But as we headed back the way we’d come our disappointment turned to delight. Between late April and early June the lake is also a great place for nightingales, which serenaded us with a twilight chorus.
And we came across a newly-built tree house which our children quickly adopted.
While there’s plenty to do on site, the lure of the Cotswolds with its unspoilt villages and cosy country pubs is hard to resist.
Our nearest watering hole was the 17th century Bakers Arms in Somerford Keynes, a child-friendly village inn popular with visitors and locals. Another evening we tried out the Wild Duck, a gastropub in the nearby village of Ewen, where the interesting menu of locallysourced produce included roast kid.
By the end of our week we were feeling relaxed and recharged. The beaver colony may have given us the slip but the Cotswold Water Park is full of things to see and do. From water sports to walking and bird watching to biking, there’s something for everyone.