By Chris Guy posted on 12 Jan 2023 in Rural

The Cotswold Water Park

Summer 2022 and overrunning building work meant finding temporary accommodation at short notice. We settled on a holiday lodge alongside Spring Lake in the Cotswold Water Park, near South Cerney.

The Cotswold Water Park comprises 180 lakes, spread over 42 square miles. The lakes are man made, the pits were originally created by the extraction of gravel and once that was complete they filled naturally with water from rivers and streams. Now the area is managed by the Cotswold Lake Trust and many of the lakes are set up for leisure activities such as sailing, water skiing and fishing. There are hotels, bars and restaurants and plenty of lakeside lodges such as the one we rented. In addition to all the human activities there are extensive nature reserves throughout the park.

Living and working in one of the lakeside lodges during the hot summer of 2022 had a slighty surreal feel to it. The lodges are all similar in look and construction, the area feels very car-centric and our fellow residents were constantly changing. Weekends were busy, some week days the place felt deserted. On top of that there is a lot of signage, mainly telling you which areas were off-limits, where you couldn't park and where you couldn't swim or play.

Lakeside lodges at Spring Lake

Lakeside lodges at Spring Lake

Spring Lake parking

Spring Lake parking

Water skiing on Spring Lake

Learning to water ski on Spring Lake

Private Car Park

Private Car Park at Lake 12

No playing in the woods

No playing in the woods

Danger keep out

Danger keep out

Private. No public right of way

Private. No public right of way

Roadside flowers

Roadside tribute

Churn Pool Fishery

Churn Pool Fishery

Wooden lodge at the Cotswold Water Park
Holiday lodges at Spring Lake

Holiday lodges at Spring Lake

South Cerney

The Cotswold Water Park is not all lakes and nature reserves; it encompasses various towns and villages, including South Cerney (pop. 3,500). This was the closest village to our base of Spring Lake - about a 15 to 20 minute walk away.

South Cerney is a traditional Cotswold village with 16th and 17th century buildings in the centre.

Station Road, South Cerney

Station Road, South Cerney

Station Road, South Cerney

Station Road, South Cerney

Upper Up

Upper Up. Road sign in South Cerney

South Cerney Book Exchange

South Cerney Book Exchange

Land Rover Defender, South Cerney

Land Rover Defender, South Cerney

Free Amplifier

Amplifier, free to collector

Further south is Cerney on the Water, a new development by Pegasus Group and Redrow PLC.

Being someone who is grimly fascinated by the new build aesthetic in the UK, I opted to spend some time wandering around Cerney on the Water.

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Cones

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Garage with basketball hoop

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney
Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

None

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Cerney on the Water, South Cerney

Fence separating footpath from development

Thanks for viewing

Photography copyright © Chris Guy 2022. All of the images were shot on either Ilford PAN-F (B&W) or Kodak Portra 160 (colour) 35mm film, with the exception of two images shot on a Fuji X100F digital camera.


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