Starting from: The Coate Water Country Park car park, SN3 6AA
If you are starting the walk from the Coate Water disabled car park, then please follow the directions from waypoint 2 below.
1) In the centre of the car park there is a notice board with a map of the park and to the right of this is the Rangers Centre. Make your way to the front of the Rangers Centre and, facing the entrance, turn left and follow the path up to the shop and Coate Water Paddling Pool. You are now at the side of Coate Water Lake (caution, this is open water and there is a sharp drop from the path). To the rear of the shop there are toilets and the disabled parking bays.
(A) Coate Water Lake covers an area of 56 acres and was built in 1822 by diverting the River Cole. Its prime purpose was to provide water for the Wilts and Berks Canal. In 1914 with the canal abandoned Coate became a Pleasure Park, the 10 metre concrete diving board was added in 1935 but is now ,sadly, disused due to safety considerations. Most of the site has now been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
(2) From the shop, looking toward the Lake you will have a perfect view of the old diving board. From here follow the footpath to the right along the edge of the ‘Lake until you reach the Pitch ’n Putt and Crazy Golf area. This will be on you right and on your left is a picnic site and a small harbour facility, this is used by local schools to launch boats for sail training. After passing the small harbour you will find yourself following a path under a canopy of Lime trees, this is known, appropriately, as Lime Avenue. Follow this path until you reach a path junction clearly marked by a large wooden barrier.
(3) Turn right at the barrier and follow the narrow enclosed path that takes you past the Broome Manor Golf Course, the path bears round to the right near the end bringing you to a large open playing field. Follow the path around the right hand edge of the field to the opposite corner. Exiting the field, take a right turn and follow the path until you reach the junction with the access road where you turn left.
(B) Broome Manor Golf Course offers a championship standard, par 71, 18 hole course set in beautiful parklands and is open to all comers.
(4) As you follow this road, on your right you will pass a barbeque and picnic site and almost immediately afterwards on your left can be seen a small bridge that leads you to the Coate Water Tree Collection. Remain on the access road and follow it around until you reach the gate, you are now back at the main and disabled car parks. From the gate turn left and follow the path down the hill.
(C) Coate Water Tree Collection features a beautiful collection of trees from around the world. A leisurely stroll of approximately 1.5 miles around this hidden treasure is worthy of another visit. (Caution. There is an open stream and the paths will be slippery after rain.)
(5) Moving down the slope you will pass a small hill on your right with a large Sarsen Stone at the summit; on the stone there is a memorial plaque to Mrs Frances J. Gay who was a long term supporter of the Richard Jefferies Museum. The path levels out now as you pass over a little stream leading to a small lake over to your left, at the end of the path you will come to the original iron entrance gate to the park. Follow the path that bends around to the right and on to Marlborough Road, passing over the subway footpath.
(6) The footpath will now take you past the entrance road to Coate Water car park (caution: fast moving traffic, cross this road with care) and on to the Sun Inn public house. Immediately after the Sun Inn you will pass a 19th century red brick farmhouse on your right, this was the birthplace and home of local writer Richard Jefferies and is now home to the Richard Jefferies Museum. Continue on the path a short way until you reach a road junction, this is Day House Lane, turn right here (caution: it is a narrow road and there is no pavement here so keep to the right).
(D) Richard Jefferies Museum.Richard Jefferies (1848 – 1887) was a Victorian writer with a passion for the countryside. The museum has an extensive collection of items relating to Jefferies including many first editions of his writing. Formerly known as The Old House, Jefferies was born and grew up here and based much of his writing on Coate Water Park.
(7) Follow Day House Lane passing the horse paddocks on your left until you reach a broad track on your right just before a small farm house. Turn right along this track, with the farm house on your left, back in to the Country Park. Situated in the woods on your right is a large scale model railway, if you are doing this walk on a Sunday listen out for the steam trains! Walk past the service entrance for the model railway and on through a gate to the footpath junction at the corner of the fence. From here go right past the front entrance to the Coate Water Miniature Railway and, where another footpath cuts across, turn left and walk the short distance to join the path that runs along the edge of the Lake. From here turn right and you will see the diving board and shop, make your way along the path, through the large shelter and retrace your steps back to the shop where you started. (Caution. There is a long drop from this path down to the lake edge.)
(E) Coate Water Miniature Railway. The original rail track for this facinating attraction was laid in the mid 1960s and is now approximately a kilometer in length and runs through beautiful natural woodland. Operated by volunteers from the North Wilts Model Engineering Society, the Coate Water Miniature Railway is open for rides on Sundays throughout the year.