Watermead Country Park
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Leicester
What it’s like
Free country park with a Jurassic play trail, a lake full of birds and meadows thick with dragonflies.
The Jurassic Play Trail round King Lear's Lake is the bit kids will drag you back to, and it costs nothing to get in. Beyond the trail it's mostly about looking rather than climbing: the site reckons over 200 bird species turn up here, kingfisher and great crested grebe included, and the meadows and reedbeds are stuffed with butterflies, moths, dragonflies and damselflies in the warmer months. If your kids are the sort who'll happily spend twenty minutes staring at a pond for a heron, this is their kind of afternoon.
Parking isn't free even though entry is, and it stings a bit for a longer visit: £2.50 for up to an hour, rising to £5.50 if you're there more than three. It's contactless only, so don't turn up expecting to feed coins into the machine. There's a picnic area if you want to make a real morning of it, and dogs are welcome, which matters if the walk's a family-and-dog job rather than just the kids.
One thing to know before you set off: Watermead Bridge over the River Soar is shut at the moment, so you're diverted onto grass paths that aren't marked out properly. That's fine in trainers on a dry day, less fine with a buggy after rain. There's an accessible toilet and blue badge parking, and the paths are generally wheelchair friendly, but that bridge closure is worth factoring in if you're relying on a smooth loop round the lake.
Opening hours shift with the seasons, tied to when the car park opens and shuts, so a summer evening visit gets you until 8pm while a January one shuts the gate at 4pm.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Good for kids who like wildlife spotting and a proper trail to follow
- Parking
- Contactless only payment. Up to 1 hour £2.50, up to 2 hours £4.00, up to 3 hours £5.00, over 3 hours £5.50
- Picnics
- Picnic area available in the park
- Dogs
- Welcome
- Parking is contactless only, no cash option mentioned
- Watermead Bridge is shut, so the loop round the lake currently means unmarked grass diversions
- Car park hours change month to month, check what time it shuts before you park up for the day
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
Getting into the park is free. Parking is not: £2.50 for up to an hour, up to £5.50 if you're staying more than three hours, contactless only.
Do we need to book?
No booking mentioned anywhere, just turn up and pay for parking when you arrive.
What is there for kids to actually do?
The Jurassic Play Trail around King Lear's Lake is the main event, plus a lot of wildlife spotting: birds, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies in the meadows and reedbeds.
Is it OK for buggies and wheelchairs?
There's an accessible toilet and blue badge parking, and the site is generally wheelchair accessible. The bridge over the River Soar is currently closed though, so diversions run over unmarked grass paths.
Can we bring the dog?
Dogs are welcome around the park.
Can we bring a picnic?
There's a picnic area in the park, so pack your own if you fancy making a day of it.
What time does it open and close?
It follows the car park hours, which change through the year: as early as 4pm closing in December and January, up to 8pm in the summer months.
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