Bodenham Lake

Grid Ref: SO529513

Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve is 44.5 hectares (110 acres) of varied habitat including riverside meadows, veteran orchard, newly planted orchard, a 'gravel' area and wet woodland and the lake itself is the largest area of open water in the county.

It is a very relaxing, tranquil place to visit with breath-taking views across the great expanse of water, a perfect place to come on a lazy afternoon to have a picnic!

It is a very important winter-feeding area for wildfowl with approximately half of the site managed as a nature reserve, with no public access, but you can stroll through the beautiful orchards and meadows and on to the bird hide where you can sit and watch the birds on the lake.

The site has a car park with spaces for 15 cars and there are picnic tables and benches at various spots around the site. (There are no public toilet facilities at the site). Please note that the car park will be closed and locked between Dusk and Dawn to stop anti-social behaviour and vandalism occurring on the site.

The site also has a Sailing Centre, which is managed by the Youth Service. If you are a youth group interested in using the lake for sailing or canoeing please contact the County Youth Service Tel: 01432 383372

Warning

1st October 2011

The unseasonably warm weather has ensured that the bloom of Blue-green algae in the lake is continuing. This is a natural phenomenon and occurs due to temperature changes in the water. The algae as they decompose release a toxin in to the water - this may cause a range of symptoms and illness (and possibly death given sufficient exposure/ingestion) in both animals and humans. It is advised that dogs (and any other pets) are kept on a lead and out of the water and that no swimming, bathing or fishing takes place (all of these are against the site's Byelaws anyway!). Please obey onsite signage. It is unknown how long this bloom will continue to last and there is nothing that can be done to hasten its departure - please bookmark this page and check for updates - or check onsite signs.

During the period of the bloom no activities managed by Youth Services will be taking place at this site - please contact Youth Services directly for more details.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Fishing

Please note that NO FISHING is permitted at Bodenham Lake.

Dogs

Please keep dogs under control, especially when the pasture and orchards are being grazed by livestock. Please clean up after your dog.

Litter

Please remember that this site is a nature reserve and take all litter home.

History of the Site

In the past the land was part of a farm (Lady Close Farm), but from the 1920's the site was used for gravel extraction. When gravel extraction came to an end, the pits were linked together resulting in the lake and Leominster District Council purchased the land in 1994 to safeguard the site for informal recreation and conservation.

The ownership passed to Herefordshire Council at Local Government re-organisation in 1998 and it is currently managed and maintained by the Parks, Countryside & Leisure Development Service under a Countryside Stewardship Agreement with Defra and a Woodland Grant Scheme with the Forestry Commission.