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Winston Churchill's father called the view of Blenheim Palace, its lake and the Grand Bridge the finest in England. It certainly all looks grand from the edge of this beautiful, man-made lake. When Blenheim Palace was first built, the lake was not much more than a marshy stream. It was 'Capability' Brown who imagined a grand lake as part of his great vision for Blenheim Park. In 1764, he dammed the River Glyme, creating the lake and its series of beautiful cascades. Today, Blenheim Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due, in part, to the lake's importance for breeding and wintering birds.

Nestled on the River Glyme in the beautiful Cotswolds AONB, Old Chalford is a charming hamlet to the east of Chipping Norton. The river is dammed here, forming a number of ponds. The nearby Glyme Valley Nature Reserve boasts myriad habitats: river, ponds, fen, marshy grassland, limestone grassland, scrub and wet woodland. It is home to several badger setts.

This is a delightful local nature reserve managed by the Adderbury Parish Council. Once a part of the ornamental garden for Adderbury House, the lakes were neglected until local efforts to restore them in the 1980s. Today, they are a haven for wildlife. Signs on the trails around the lakes inform you of what you might be able to see and when.

Free to visit