Testwood Lakes is a nature reserve on the northwest edge of
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
, England. It is managed by the
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is a Wildlife Trust with 27,000 members across the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, England.
The trust describes itself as the leading local wildlife conservation charity in Hampshire and th ...
.
The three lakes, which are owned by
Southern Water
Southern Water is the private utility company responsible for the public wastewater collection and treatment in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, and for the public water supply and distribution in approximately ...
and provide water for Hampshire, are called Little Testwood Lake, Testwood Lake and Meadow Lake. There is a visitor centre at the site.
Scouts
The lake was opened for boating activities managed by Eling
Sea Scouts
Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...
in late summer 2005; the current boating licence runs between 1 March to 31 October. The lake is available for hire to scout troops and other recognised youth groups.
The 4th New Forest North (Eling) Sea Scout group has built a headquarters building at Testwood Lakes which is their base for watersport activities.
Events and activities
The Testwood Lakes Centre is open to the public most week days and weekends in the summer and at various times during the week. Guided walks, events and activities take place throughout the year. The Centre, which has a permanent exhibition featuring themes of water, wildlife and conservation, is open to schools, community groups and individuals, with facilities such as a well-equipped classroom for up to 60 children and two function rooms available for hire.
There is
coarse fishing
In Britain and Ireland, coarse fishing (, ) refers to angling for rough fish, which are fish species traditionally considered undesirable as a food or game fish. Freshwater game fish are all salmonids — most particularly salmon, trout and ch ...
on Little Testwood Lake by permit from the TVAC&SPS Angling club. The lake is 30 feet deep in the middle and contains large bream, tench, pike, perch, roach, chub and eels.
Wildfowl
The Lakes are attracting increasing numbers of wildfowl during the winter, including
mallard,
Eurasian teal
The Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca''), common teal, or Eurasian green-winged teal is a common and widespread duck that breeds in temperate Eurosiberia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian teal is often called simply the teal due to being th ...
,
northern shoveller
The northern shoveler (; ''Spatula clypeata''), known simply in Britain as the shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and across most of North America, wintering in southern Eu ...
,
tufted duck
The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...
,
common pochard
The common pochard (; ''Aythya ferina'') is a medium-sized diving duck. The scientific name is derived from Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird mentioned by authors including Hesychius and Aristotle, and Latin ''ferina'', "wild game", ...
,
gadwall and
Eurasian wigeon
The Eurasian wigeon or European wigeon (''Mareca penelope''), also known as the widgeon or the wigeon, is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus ''Mareca''. It is common and widespread within its Palearctic range.
Taxonomy
Th ...
.
Eurasian oystercatcher
The Eurasian oystercatcher (''Haematopus ostralegus'') also known as the common pied oystercatcher, or palaearctic oystercatcher, or (in Europe) just oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It is the most widesp ...
have already bred and it is hoped that
northern lapwing and
common redshank
The common redshank or simply redshank (''Tringa totanus'') is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.
Taxonomy
The common redshank was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ...
will too.
Flora
The ground flora of Alder Gully is very rich including
lesser spearwort,
bluebell,
yellow pimpernel,
moschatel
''Adoxa moschatellina'', the moschatel, five-faced bishop, hollowroot, muskroot, townhall clock, tuberous crowfoot or Good Friday plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae. This herbaceous perennial has a holarctic distributi ...
,
red campion
''Silene dioica'' ( syn. ''Melandrium rubrum''), known as red campion and red catchfly, is a herbaceous flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native throughout central, western and northern Europe, and locally in southern Europe. It has ...
and
foxglove
''Digitalis'' ( or ) is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and biennials, commonly called foxgloves.
''Digitalis'' is native to Europe, western Asia, and northwestern Africa. The flowers are tubular in shap ...
.
References
{{Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Drinking water reservoirs in England
Reservoirs in Hampshire
Tourist attractions in Hampshire