Testwood Lakes
Testwood Lakes is a 150 acre site owned by Southern Water and managed by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. The reserve is an assortment of grassland, wet woodland, hedgerow and lake environments.
Click here for more on wildlife and landscape features.
Testwood Lakes Centre and bird hides
The Testwood Lakes Centre is open from Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm and on Sundays from 12pm–3pm. During term time there are often school groups using the centre so please be aware it may not always be possible to come and look around. Inside the centre are activity sheets and leaflets, interactive wildlife displays and accessible toilets. There are two bird hides, approximately half a mile from the centre, open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm. If you are planning to visit the centre and/or bird hides, please feel free to use the car park right outside the centre. To find out more about education visits have a look at our education page
Accessibility
Testwood Lakes is very flat nature reserve with just two short slopes at each end of the main lake, and there are surfaced paths all the
way round which. For visitors using a wheelchair or mobility scooter to visit the reserve, there are radar locks on all the gates to allow wheelchair access. If you do not have a radar key, we have one at the Testwood Lakes Centre that you can use during your visit. Available to hire is an all-terrain wheelchair which is free to borrow from the centre from Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm and on Sundays from 12pm–3pm. As the centre is not always staffed, it is essential to book the wheelchair on 02380 667929 in advance so that someone is available to meet you.
Dog walking
Dogs are permitted on site, but are restricted to a specific area as some of the reserve is zoned off specifically for wildlife. Please download our dog walking flyer for more information.
Seasonal update
As summer gives way to autumn, changes in the animals and plants are apparent around the nature reserve. The bright pink knapweed flowers have been replaced by the brown seed heads, providing a valuable food source for goldfinches. Spider webs are more obvious as the morning dew forms on the webs like small diamonds and the colour in the leaves on the trees are staring to change to warm oranges, reds and yellows, helped by the warm weather in September.
Jays can be seen feverishly hording acorns ready to sustain them during the winter months. Many of our bird species are also changing as they chase the warmer weather south. The sand martins which bred so successfully during the summer have migrated back to Africa where they will overwinter. The various reed, sedge and Cetti’s warbler which entertained us with their chattering and high pitched song have also moved south to Africa only to start returning next spring. In their place, various species from Russia, Scandinavia and Iceland are returning including many of our common finches, thrushes and ducks to overwinter in the UK.
Redwing and fieldfare will soon be on the nature reserve in significant number to gorge on the berries, rosehips and haws which the site has in abundance. Ducks such as gadwall, pochard and wigeon will also start appearing on the Lakes as the colder weather takes hold. If you are lucky you may see kingfisher on your visit to the Lakes as the winter weather pushes them close to the coast where lakes and waterways remain clear of ice
How to get there
Testwood Lakes is situated 1½ miles from the centre of Totton. It forms part of the Test Valley - An area of international importance for wildlife. Download a map.
By car: From the M27 junction 2, take the A326 Fawley/Totton road and take the first exit, signposted Totton (A36). At the first roundabout, turn left into Brunel Road. Testwood lakes is situated 300m down on the left hand side.
Download the reserves leaflet and the Testwood Lakes annual report for 2010/11.
Getting around
Pedestrian access: available from Hill Street, Brunel Road and the public footpath running from Salisbury Road (A36) to Mill Lane. After periods of heavy rain, some pathways may become flooded.
Rail: Totton station is 1½ miles from the reserve, with trains running there every hour from Southampton.
Bus: Bluestar No. 12 runs every half hour, Monday to Saturday and every hour on Sundays from Southampton calling at Testwood Crescent which is ½ mile from the reserve. Wilts & Dorset X7 runs hourly Monday to Saturday from Southampton to Testwood Crescent.
Parking: the car parks are open every day from 8am to 6pm in the summer and from 8am to 4pm during the winter.
Contact Information
For Centre staff, call on 02380 667929.
For all reserve issues, contact the reserve officer on 02380 424206.
Find your way there by SatNav
Our reserve descriptions include maps and information on how to get there. To make things even easier, we have set up POIs (Points of Interest) for some of our larger reserves, which you can download into a satnav.
Download to your computer, the files which contain the POI definitions for Garmin and TomTom satnavs and the small logo which will show where the reserve is. To download these files, right click on the links above and choose Save Target As ... (or similar).
You will need to consult the satnav manual to find out how to load the POIs (HIWWT_reserves.ov2 for TomToms or HIWWT_reserves.csv for Garmins) and the logo (HIWWT_reserves.bmp) onto the satnav device.
Upcoming events
13/02/12 Testwood Lakes Nature Trail - Testwood Lakes Centre
Drop into Testwood Lakes this half term and enjoy finding out more about the wonderful wildlife that lives on the reserve on a nature trail around the lake
14/02/12 Testwood Toddlers – “No Place Like Home” - Testwood Lakes Centre
Join us for exciting games, crafts, a story and a walk to learn more about animal homes and see if you can make one that’s just right for your favourite creature
15/02/12 Wicked Willow - Testwood Lakes Centre
Drop in anytime during the session to have a go at working with a fantastic sustainable material grown at Testwood Lakes
16/02/12 Survival Secrets - Testwood Lakes Centre
Join us in the woods where we will build ourselves a shelter and learn some essential skills for surviving in the wild
19/02/12 Testwood Nature Walk - Testwood Lakes Centre
Join us for a walk where we will explore the nature reserve with some sensory activities along the way
13/03/12 Testwood Toddlers – “When Will It Be Spring?” - Testwood Lakes Centre
Join us in looking for signs of spring the woods and play exciting games, crafts and a listen to a spring time story
25/03/12 Signs of Spring Family Walk - Testwood Lakes Centre
Join us for a walk where we will look for signs of spring, and do some springtime activities on the way
02/04/12 Mouse Hotels - Testwood Lakes Centre
Join us for this exciting two part event to discover which mammals are living in the hedgerows at Testwood Lakes
03/04/12 Mouse Hotels - Testwood Lakes Centre
Join us for this exciting two part event to discover which mammals are living in the hedgerows at Testwood Lakes
10/04/12 Testwood Toddlers – “The Teeny Tiny Tadpole” - Testwood Lakes Centre
Join us to look for all things wriggly and slimy in the wildlife pond and play exciting games, crafts and a listen to the teeny tiny tadpole story
11/04/12 Nature Quest at Testwood Lakes - Testwood Lakes Centre
Sign up to Nature Quest at the Testwood Lakes Centre then find all the clues around the reserve, returning victorious when you have all the answers
12/04/12 Wonderful Wiggly Worms - Testwood Lakes Centre
Discover what lurks in your compost heap and how creepy crawly critters can help save the planet
