Canoe Lake

Where

The site can be accessed from St. Helen's Parade or Southsea Esplanade, which has a pay and display car park.

Opening Times

This site is open at all times

Area

102,000 square metres   (10.2 Hectares)

What’s There

• A popular park dating from 1886 with some of the mature evergreen oaks planted in 1910. There is an impressive range of floral bedding on display.

• The main attraction to the area is the man made boating lake which has peddle boats available for hire.

• There is a large and very popular children's play area with equipment for all ages and a sand pit.

• Adjacent to the lake are the remaining walls of Lumps Fort which is now a peaceful and restful setting for Southsea Rose Gardens. It is also home to the Model Village where everything is on a miniature scale.

• Canoe Lake is known as a swan's nursery as it is one of the Mute Swans chosen sites in the Solent. At times up to 60 juveniles can congregate here for comfort and security during the winter. Bread can be harmful for the swans as it is difficult to digest. Wheat grain is a much healthier alternative and is usually available at the Canoe Lake cafe that is located nearby.

• Accessed from St. Helen's Parade, you can enjoy free entry to Portsmouth's Natural History Museum at Cumberland House (see 'External Links'). The museum tells the story of the wild things of the riverbank, marshes, woods and urban areas of Portsmouth. It also has an aquarium and butterfly house (only in the summer).

• There are many sports facilities available ranging from bowling greens, putting green, grass and tarmac tennis courts and a basketball court. Further east is St. Helen's Cricket Field and Southsea Mini-Links - a challenging 9 hole golf course.