Coate Water Country Park
🏟 Playground & park · Coate, Swindon
Coate Water Country Park
Swindon's flagship free country park: a children's play area, free splash park, big lake, miniature railway and nature reserve on the edge of town.
🕑 Opening & entry
🌱 Park open all year, 24 hours a day; toilets open daily except Christmas Day from 9:00am to 4:00pm · Free · No booking needed
About Coate Water Country Park
Coate Water Country Park is Swindon Borough Council's flagship country park, sitting on Marlborough Road at Coate on the south-eastern edge of the town near junction 15 of the M4. Entry to the park is free and it is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, built around a 70-acre reservoir lake created in 1822. For families the main draws are the children's play area and the free splash park, a safe, accessible outdoor water-play area with a paddling pool, water features and seating that is popular on warm days. Beyond the play facilities there is a pitch and putt course, an 18-hole crazy golf course, a miniature railway run by the North Wilts Model Engineering Society and the park's distinctive Grade II listed Art Deco diving platform, a relic of its lido days (swimming in the lake has been banned since 1958). The wider park is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and nature reserve, rich in breeding birds and wildlife, with paths around the water. On-site there is a ranger centre, a cafe, a pay and display car park and toilets including an accessible Changing Places facility. Dogs are welcome but restricted in some areas.
⭐ What makes this place special
- Children's play area
- Splash park
- Pitch and putt course
- 18-hole crazy golf
- Ranger centre
- 70-acre lake / reservoir
🏞 Facilities
- Free entry
- Parking: Pay and display car park on site; season tickets available
- Toilets on site
- Café / refreshments
- Accessibility: Accessible Changing Places toilet with Radar key, height-adjustable wash basin and changing bench and a ceiling track hoist (slings not provided)
- Dogs: Dogs are welcome but restricted in some areas of the park
🧒 Ages & play
- Children's play area
- Splash park (free outdoor water play with paddling pool and water features)
📍 Nearby places to play
- Lydiard Park · approx 5.0 miles · Lydiard Tregoze
- Mouldon Hill Country Park · approx 5.2 miles · Haydon Wick
- Hinksey Park · approx 24.8 miles · South Oxford
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❓ Frequently asked questions
Is Coate Water Country Park free to visit?
Yes. Entry to the park is free and it is open all year, 24 hours a day. There is a pay and display car park if you drive.
Does it have a children's playground?
Yes. There is a children's play area, and a separate free splash park with a paddling pool and water features for warmer days.
Are there toilets and a cafe?
Yes. There is a cafe and toilets on site, including male, female and disabled toilets plus an accessible Changing Places facility.
Is there parking?
Yes. There is a pay and display car park on site at Marlborough Road, with season tickets available.
Are dogs allowed?
Dogs are welcome but are restricted in some areas of the park, so check on-site signage.