Southwater Country Park
In this section
Book a paddling beach session
Summer sessions start from Saturday 22 July 2023
Bookings for the 2023 summer season will run from Saturday 22 July - Sunday 3 September.
Booking your free place for the paddling beach at Southwater Country Park is quick, easy and free.
Each session is 1 hour 30 minutes, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the water.
Session times
There are four daily time-slots for the paddling beach.
- 10.00am – 11.30am
- 11.45am – 1.15pm
- 1.30pm – 3.00pm
- 3.15pm – 4.45pm
How to book
To book your session, complete the following steps:
- Click the button below to access our online booking system
- Choose a date and time-slot. Please only book one time-slot per day, to give everyone a chance to enjoy the area
- Book a space for every child and adult who will be entering the fenced area. Please note, dogs are not permitted on the paddling beach.
If you arrive at the park and the session is not fully booked, you are welcome to book a slot on the day.
When you arrive for your session
When you arrive at Southwater Country Park for your session:
- Have your booking confirmation email to hand. This can be on your phone
- Your booking confirmation will be checked at the gate by a member of staff
- Enjoy the beach area, and follow our safety advice for paddlers
- At the end of your session please take your litter with you and dispose of it properly
- No dogs or BBQ’s are permitted within the fenced area
Safety advice for paddlers
To help keep you and your family safe, please follow our safety tips when you visit:
- The beach is for paddling, not swimming
- Children must be supervised at all times. Lifeguards are not present in the area
- Paddle within the marked out area only
- Only enter the water up to waist height
- Inflatables, floats or bodyboards are not allowed in the water
Water quality
The water quality is variable. Please consider our advice before you paddle:
- Stay out of the water if you have cuts or abrasions
- Consider wearing footwear to paddle for extra protection
- If you feel unwell after entering the water, please contact your doctor.
The team will be on-site until the end of the last session at 4.45pm. After this time the gates will be left open for the evening.
Booked paddling sessions will start again from 10.00am the following day.
Yes. If you arrive at the park and the paddling beach session is not fully booked, you can book to join the session on your phone.
We can not guarantee that space will be available though, so it is always best to book in advance.
There will be 120 people allowed on the paddling beach per session. This will be counted based on the number of people booked, not restrictions on numbers per family.
The play area is very busy, but doesn’t suffer the issues of litter and anti-social behaviour in the same way as affects the beach area.
No. There is no intention to charge for the paddling beach or Dinosaur Island.
Sessions for the paddling beach are free, and the booking system aims to create a safe, welcoming environment that everyone has a chance to enjoy.
If a session is not fully booked, you would be able to join on the day. You can either book on arrival at the park or our gate staff will be able to help.
You will be able to join a session part-way through if there is space for the remainder of the session (for example, if you arrive at 11am, you can join for the last half hour of the 10-11.30 session) or book for one later in the day if there is availability.