周辺の湖・トップ5

**PLEASE NOTE** Entrance to the Tortworth Lake / Estate grounds is ONLY available on the FIRST SUNDAY of each month from February to the end of October!! (I wish I'd known that before this mess of a hike. In January. On a Monday 🙈🤣). Opening times vary depending on the month, but it is only open on the first Sunday of each month. See photo here for the opening times (and a screenshot from the website). If you DO head here on a different day, the woodland nearby IS really stunning, so it is still worth a walk 🥰✨️

Take some time to walk up the hill & around the top. It's an area of heathland called "The Tump"! Lots of opportunities to see wildlife, especially birds. It's usually quiet up here, and really pretty. I've added a screenshot where I've circled the pathway that goes around the summit - You can walk up here and then decend down by the lake, for example. Or, you can walk up, complete the loop & head back down! Either way, I'd say it's worth coming up here

A picturesque fishing lake. A good place to stop for a break.

From Raven's Rock, you get a wonderful view over Wick Quarry pond and beyond. There is a great deal of conservation happening around here, too. Limestone grassland such as that found near Raven's Rock is a nationally important habitat for many different species.

Bitterwell Lake is a man-made lake that once belonged to the Coalpit Heath Colliery Company. The lake was used to soak pit props for the mine until the closure of the mine. In 1930, the lake was aquired by the Westerleigh Parish Council who transformed it into a place to fishing, swimming, and boating. You can find more information, here: https://bitterwelllake.co.uk/

Going down the steep tracks are fun but make sure you know the line to take as you can get wheel caught in foot or rabbit hole.

Hold left through woods to exit 10 o'clock here (right tracks are blocked.)

Start left track then switch to right track