Cuckoos Nest is set within the Lower Mill Estate, which has been developed to provide peace and tranquility from the hustle and bustle of a hectic life. When you walk out of your door you find yourself in the middle of a 450 acre nature reserve with lots to explore and enjoy.
Your 450 Acre Garden
The 450 acre nature reserve offers one of the most unspoilt and abundant areas of wildlife, flora and fauna in the country, with two Sites of Special Scientific Interest. There are seven lakes, three rivers (including the Thames) and hundreds of acres of meadow and woodland, criss-crossed with nature trails. Enjoy exploring the 450 acre Lower Mill Estate on foot or by bike and seeing the abundance of nature it contains including deer, otters, badgers, nightingales and owls.
Different times of day reveal the estate’s extraordinary population. Dawn is a great time to catch grazing deer, shy otters and beavers, part of a set that was re-introduced on the estate – the first in the UK for 500 years. As the day progresses, settle into one of the three luxury bird hides for a peek at rare little plovers, herons, nightingales, tawny owls, egrets, grebes, teals, sand martins and kingfishers. After nightfall, enjoy the antics of otters, bats, foxes and badgers recorded by infra-red cameras along the banks of the river. For such a peaceful place, there’s never a dull moment!
The Cotswold Waterpark
The Cotswold Waterpark is made up of almost 150 lakes and covers an area of 40 square miles. Nearly all of the lakes are man-made through the extraction of gravel and have either been left to nature upon completion, which has resulted in some magnificent wildlife habitats or managed for a rapid recovery and the provision of a variety of leisure activities. Whether the lakes have been left to their own devices or serve a specific function, they all blend effortlessly into the landscape.
Here are some ideas abouth the sorts of activities available within the immediate vicinity of Cuckoos Nest, or just a few miles away:
- Water Sports: Wind Surfing, Sailing, Cable Ski, Canoeing, Swimming, Water Skiing, Wake Boarding, Scuba-diving
- Fishing: Coarse, Carp, Fly Angling
- Land Sports & activities: Walks, Mountain biking, Horse riding, Golf, Climbing, Paintball, Polo
- Nature Reserve Attractions: Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, Cotswold market towns, Westonbirt Arboretum
- Keynes Country Park: Beach and swimming lake, BBQ & picnic areas, Water sports, Children’s play areas
To book water sports and lessons in advance check out Waterland Outdoor Pursuits.