Down to the Swannery on foot

The easy walk. From the village car park off Rodden Row, New Barn Road runs south, under a mile of lane, to the Swannery entrance on the edge of the Fleet. It is flat and easy all the way, which is rare round here, and it suits anyone who does not want the hill.

At the bottom the lane ends at the Swannery gate, the Fleet and the reed beds that are still cut for thatch. Time it for the noon or 4pm feed and go in; or turn round, and it is a gentle pull back up to the village. In the second half of May the cygnets are out, and in October the autumn flocks are on the water.

Free to walk. Swannery admission is £15 for adults, £7.50 for children 5 to 15, under 5s free, and it is open from mid-March to the end of October, 10 to 5, last entry 4. No dogs in the Swannery at all, so with a dog this is a there and back walk. The Swannery has its own car park, so this is also the way to drive if you would rather not walk.

From the village car park it is twenty minutes each way at an easy pace. Go down for the noon feed and walk back up for lunch at the Swan or the Ilchester Arms.

Abbotsbury Swannery, prices and opening times