The Look Out Discovery Centre statement about coronavirus

Updated 3 July 2020

The Look Out’s facilities, including the Discovery Centre, coffee shop, toilets, play areas and the other businesses based on the site, remain closed in accordance with government instructions.

Play area closed

The play area remains closed at this time.

In order to follow government guidance this play area requires additional measures to be in place. This is to be able to control the number of users at any one time and to make sure social distancing is maintained.

We are working hard on these arrangements. Once we are ready to re-open the play area we will update this page.

Car park re-opened with restricted capacity

The Look Out car park has re-opened on a strictly trial basis with restricted capacity. It is accepting only 50% of its normal capacity.

Additional measures have been put in place to direct the flow of people and cyclists on the site. All visitors are asked to respect the signage and follow all directions given by staff to make sure of the safe movement of people around the site.

When the car park reaches capacity, the entrance will be closed, so it is essential that visitors are prepared to return home or travel onward to an alternative destination if the car park is full on arrival. There is no opportunity for vehicles to queue on site or on the access roads. Traffic wardens will be in attendance to address illegal parking.

The car park remains chargeable as normal. Parking machines will accept contactless card payments only.

The car park opens at:

• 9am Monday to Friday
• 8am Saturday and Sunday

Last admission to the car park is at 5pm and all cars must leave the car park by 6pm, when gates are closed and locked.

Visiting Swinley Forest

Swinley Forest is a rare and valuable wildlife habitat, which is very sensitive to disturbance, particularly the wildlife that lives there. The use of barbecues or campfires on site is strictly forbidden to prevent destructive forest fires.

Please take all your litter home with you, particularly if the bins are full, as leaving litter can be unsightly and cause harm to wildlife. Broken glass bottles pose a threat to visitors and their dogs; they trap wildlife and magnify the sun, which can cause forest fires.

Swinley Forest has special protections in law because it is valuable for ground nesting birds which are currently within their breeding season. Therefore, please stick to the paths and keep dogs on a lead to minimise disturbance to wildlife.

Cyclists should always ride within their limits and recognise that the area will be busier than normal with walking activities and family visits. Any accidents will put pressure on the NHS and the emergency services, taking resources away from the COVID-19 response.

We continue to prioritise the ongoing safety of our staff, visitors and the wider community and reflect on the latest government and public health advice.

If you do decide to visit us at this time, we ask all visitors to abide by the latest advice from the NHS.