Kingsbury Water Park is a

country park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised cou ...

in north Warwickshire, England, not far from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

and lying on the River Tame. It is owned and managed by Warwickshire County Council. It has fifteen lakes situated in over of country park. It is renowned for its

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

life, and is popular with

birdwatchers Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...

. It is bordered on the western edge by the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

History

The area which is now Kingsbury Water Park was previously the site of gravel extraction pits that were operated by the Midland Gravel Company. The lakes were created from the craters left behind after the gravel had been taken out. The Water Park was opened on 24 May 1975 with two lakes and 123 acres. It has been expanded over the years and as of 2011 has fifteen lakes in an area covering over 600 acres. The Park welcomed 50,000 visitors in its first year, a number which had expanded to 350,000 in 2007. The Water Park was briefly closed to the public in June 2007 after the area was hit by the worst

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

since the 1930s. At the time it was estimated the floods had caused tens of thousands of pounds' worth of damage. The Park was opened again once the flooding had subsided.

Features

The train departing from (geograph 2756291)

Throughout the park are a number of bridleways, marked cycle routes and footpaths. There are a variety of opportunities available for

water sports Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

, including

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffici ...

, jetskis, power boats,

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' ( sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' ( iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen ...

and

model boat Ship models or model ships are scale models of ships. They can range in size from 1/6000 scale wargaming miniatures to large vessels capable of holding people. Ship modeling is a craft as old as shipbuilding itself, stretching back to ancient t ...

racing. There is also a 7¼" gauge

ridable miniature railway A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petr ...

known as Echills Wood Railway. It is run by enthusiasts, who eventually hope to provide a 2 km loop, running a selection of steam, diesel and electric trains. In November 2011 a new bird hide was erected by Warwickshire County Council allowing

to observe birds in their natural habitat. A previous bird hide had been burnt down in December 2010. Twelve of the lakes provide the opportunity for angling, offering a variety of coarse angling.

Events

Every Saturday at 9am, the park hosts a free 5-kilometre run, organised by

Parkrun Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of events for walkers, runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across six continents. Junior Parkrun (stylised as junior parkrun) ...

. The first Kingsbury Water Parkrun was held on 20 July 2013, with 143 runners. The biggest attendance was 792 runners on 1 January 2019 for the New Year's Day Parkrun.

Children's facilities

Broomey Croft Children's Farm is home to many animals and a play park and is suitable for children of all ages. Situated around the park are a number of play areas,

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

areas and

cafés A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-c ...

. The park is also home to a bicycle hire centre and has a well established visitor centre and shop.

References

{{Commons category, Kingsbury Water Park

External links

County Council page
Tourist attractions in Warwickshire Country parks in Warwickshire Kingsbury, Warwickshire 1975 establishments in England