Neigh Bridge Lake

This week we managed to squeeze in a quick outing to Neigh Bridge Lake, a beautiful nearby lake. I wrote a tiny bit about it in my post about the Cotswold Water Park, but I'd only ever taken one photo of it previously, using my old Nokia! Today I had the chance to take some better quality pictures, and they came out pretty well because the weather today was actually quite sunny. Though to be fair, I think the lake looks very nice in all types of weather and every season of the year. I'd like to go back again in the autumn, when the leaves are all different colours.

We used to go to Neigh Bridge all the time when I was younger, but it had been quite a while since the previous time I went there, because a few years ago a £1 parking charge was implemented, so it's now no longer free to visit, which is a bit of a shame.

But it was great to finally go back again and see all the old places I remember from years ago. Not much has been changed in the park, except for the fact that some parts have been fenced off. Another thing that differed from my previous visits was the fact that there were no birds on the lake. That was a little disappointing, as I always loved seeing all the swans, ducks and moorhens there!

However, it was still a very scenic and peaceful place to walk around.

There seemed to be a little treasure hunt going on round the park, as there were several painted pebbles hidden in various places. Pictures on the stones included animals, power rangers and, er, poop emojis!

Next to the lake, you can find another body of water: the River Thames! Its source can be found fairly close to Neigh Bridge, near the village of Kemble. Round here, the river is quite small, and obviously it gets a lot bigger as it travels towards London. In the winter it's very deep, but in the summer it's nearly completely dry. I used to stand in the "river" in the summer when I was younger, but the part I used to stand in has been fenced off now!

I really enjoyed our trip to Neigh Bridge and will definitely go back soon.

Although I have a real love for the ocean, I also really like lakes like this one. I find walking around them very relaxing and great for my mental health. Back when I was living in Nottingham, I used to regularly walk around the lakes at Highfields Park and Wollaton Park, which I think helped me get through my degree to some extent!

This outing was actually kind of a replacement for a couple of "bigger" trips I'd had planned. We were meant to be going to a country garden with rescue animals this Thursday and to London next Thursday, but for various reasons, both of those trips were cancelled. I was slightly disappointed about the London trip, because I absolutely love going there, but the good news is that I'll definitely be going in October.

The other good news is that in a week's time, my parents and I will be going on a proper holiday! We'll be seeing some more lakes, as we're going to be visiting the Lake District in the north of England. I've never been there before and I've heard it's a beautiful part of the world, so it should be an exciting trip!