Longham Lakes and Christchurch Harbour

Home
United Kingdom
Ferndown
Longham Lakes and Christchurch Harbour

Directions Website Contact the organisation

Walking - Wildlife
Coarse and Trout Fishing
- come and explore

02/11/2026

Longham opening hours update 🕥

Throughout November the gate will open at 7am and close at 5.30pm.

27/10/2026

At Longham Lakes we are surrounded by an amazing community of volunteers, regular visitors and staff who help maintain this fantastic place.

We thought we would feature some posts showing off a few of these amazing people. Starting with the lovely Sheelagh, one of our volunteers at longham. 💚

As well as attending our regular Wednesday volunteering group, sheelagh also puts in lots of hard work during the evenings and weekends. She attends to multiple flower beds that she plants and cares for. As you can see from the photo the hard work pays off creating a beautiful first impression as you enter longham lakes!

Many thanks Sheelagh for all your hard work.👏🌻

23/10/2026

This month’s featured 2025 Photography Competition highlight is an image of a male Bearded Reedling or Bearded Tit, taken by David Green at Longham Lakes. 🐦

If you are lucky you can spot some of these birds in autumn as they flock together, flying out from reedbeds. Listen out for their short, sharp 'chew' calls.

Thank you David for this fantastic submission, what a catch! 📷

16/10/2026

Make this month a time to embrace the special changes that October and autumn bring. You can do this anywhere but we (of course) especially recommend an autumnal visit to your favourite lake!

Here are our favourite ways to make the best of the season:
🍂 Enjoy the annual display of stunning autumnal reds and golds on a lake walk.
🍏 Forage for crab apples or sloe berries to make an autumnal cordial.
🌠 The longer nights make for a great time stargazing whilst not being too chilly.
🍄 Spot some spectacular fungi formations - it's the best time of the year for them.

Read our new blog for inspiration: https://www.swlakestrust.org.uk/blog/season-of-mists-and-mellow-fruitfulness

01/10/2026

Longham opening hours update 🕥

Throughout October the gate will open at 7am and close at 6.30pm.

Photo by Kieran Borer 🌅

30/09/2026

This stunning image from our 2025 South West Lakes Trust’s Love Your Lakes photo competition was submitted by Mark Hillman.

Mark entered our 'Celebrating 25 Years' category with this beautiful shot of Fernworthy Reservoir from 2012. 📷

16/09/2026

Last month some of you might have spotted an unusual species when visiting Crowdy Reservoir. 🪶

We were lucky enough to be visited by a White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), a returning breeding species to the country after a 600-year absence, successfully reintroduced via the White Stork Project in southern England.

These birds have a striking white plumage with pitch-black wing feathers, long red legs and a large pointed red bill, standing 100–125 cm tall with an impressive wingspan of 155–215 cm!

The first wild chicks fledged in 2020 at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex, since then the birds have been spotted across the South. As Storks are known for their loud bill-clattering used to communicate during the breeding season, you may actually hear one before you see one. 👀

Fun fact: The famous myth that storks deliver babies comes from northern Europe, where the birds would return from migration exactly nine months after the summer solstice, a traditional time for weddings! 👰‍♀️👨‍🍼

If you see a Stork or any other unusual species when visiting our lakes, please report it to us. We collate all wildlife records and use them to inform our management of our South West Lakes Trust grounds.

Send in your sightings to: [email protected]

11/09/2026

Nature's favorite pest controllers are out in full force! 🕷

As autumn approaches, spider sightings spike big time. You'll catch them everywhere right now, even making surprise appearances in your home as many venture out to find a partner.

It's a busy, fascinating time of year for these tiny architects. 🕸

This fantastic image by Linda Martin shows a Labyrinth Spider. These spiders build massive, sheet-like webs that lead into a central silk funnel, a true design masterpiece! See if you can spot one on your next outing.

09/09/2026

This month’s featured 2025 Photography Competition highlight comes from Will Hoar, with a photo of Siblyback Lake campsite. 🏕

Will's photo won first place in our Awesome Adventures category! 🏆

04/09/2026

You might have spotted a few new survey boxes around our grounds lately. 📮 We want to hear all about your visit!

These surveys are only available on site, so if you spot one on your next walk, consider scanning the QR code or fill out a paper version to help us make your visits even better. Plus, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a £100 South West Lakes Trust voucher! 🎟️

How it works:

1. Complete the quick survey 📋

2. If you'd like to enter our prize draw, simply provide your email address at the end of the survey. 📧

3. Enjoy your visit 🏖️

Please note that your survey responses are anonymous. If you choose to enter the prize draw, your email address will only be used to administer the draw.

Address

Longham Lakes
Ferndown
BH229AB

Website

https://www.swlakestrust.org.uk/longham-lakes

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Longham Lakes and Christchurch Harbour posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.