Today's walk is around Coate Water, a country park on the edge of Swindon, and beyond. It's a nice place for a stroll, but there is also an arc deco diving platform (although swimming has been banned since 1958), fishing swims, a cafe and areas of grass for play. Although it looks like a lake, Coate Water is a 56-acre reservoir built in the 1820s as a headwater tank for the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal. The canal was abandoned in 1915. In the 1970s a smaller lake was created as a flood storage lagoon, which later became Wiltshire's first Local Nature Reserve.
We walked clockwise around the lake passing the Reserve and then following a wide track, shared with cyclists, which led down to the M4 moroway. There was a remarkable spiral bridge, larger on the north side than the south side, which enabled the cyclists to not have to dismount.
We continued along field paths and some woodland to walk along a pleasant valley and then along the edge of a large field to emerge on a road. This led down to a bridge over the M4.
We crossed the bridge and walked along two sides of a large field - all very noisy - to find in the corner a fine pair of sarsen stones.
In the corner of the next field we passed through an absolute quagmire of cold muddy water which went over our boots as we went towards the only gate. Soon after this we re-entered the Country Park and had a lovely view of the bottom end of the reservoir.
Soon after this, there was a lovely avenue of (beech?) trees.
We then followed the line of the lake on our right to return to the start.
Conditions: bright and sunny.
Distance: 4 miles.
From: 100 walks in Wiltshire.
Map: Explorer 169 (Cirencester & Swindon).
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