Englemere Pond
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Englemere Pond Nature Reserve covers an area of 27.6 Ha (68.2 acres) and consists of a shallow acidic lake offering a wide range of habitats that are important for wildlife. Located between Bracknell and Ascot, and in the parish of Winkfield the site can be accessed via Englemere car park, Swinley road, Winkfield, SL5 8BA. Grid reference SU905685.
Facilities and key features
- The site is extremely popular with dog-walkers, ramblers and nature lovers.
- The site is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) for its important range of habitats and associated species.
- Open water and marshes are surrounded by commercial forest and heathland areas, each of which provide their own variety of plant species and a home for many birds, insects and animals.
- The reed bed and shallow lake is important for many specialised birds and insects. Grass snakes live in the reed bed and round-leaved sundew, a plant listed in the Borough’s Biodiversity Action Plan, can be found in the boggy areas.
- The Scots Pine woodland is managed as a timber crop by The Crown Estate. Oak, mountain ash, willow and silver birch are to be found here and alder trees are a favourite haunt of wintering migrant birds, such as siskins and redpolls who feed on the seeds.
History
Englemere has a rich and varied history with ancient historians having described the site as being a “wasteland and the home of wild beasts lying in the wildest part of Swinleie Forest”.
The land became asscoaited with the Crown as early as 942 when the Saxon King Edmund bestowed the whole of Swinley Forest to the Abbey of Abingdon where it marked the most easterly boundary of their lands.
For much of its recorded history the site has been part of a great Royal Hunting Forest that surrounded Windsor Castle and today it still is part of the Crown Estate.
Under a license agreement the site is managed by Bracknell Forest Council.
How to get there
View a map of the location
Pedestrian access can be gained from Swinley Road, along the London road by the traffic lights at the junction with Fernbank Road and further along the London Road towards Ascot via a narrow gap beside a locked metal field gate. All entrances are kept as open as possible in order to enhance amenity use.
From the car park, a circular marked trail runs around the site, passing through an interesting variety of habitats and providing the visitor with pleasant views of the pond.
Sleeper bridges and boardwalks have been installed and surfacing has been provided in particularly wet areas of the trail. When paths become particularly muddy it is policy to divert the trail through the heathland, not only to the advantage of the visitor but also to encourage the growth of heather across the over-used path.
Due to problems of waterlogging pushchair, wheelchair and cycle access is restricted to certain routes.
The site is also part of the Rambler’s Route, a 26 mile/41.8km walking trail through Bracknell’s countryside, cuts through the nature reserve at Englemere Pond.
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