Southwater Country Park — Attraction in Horsham

Southwater Country Park: Where Ducks Rule and Humans Just Try to Keep Up

Southwater Country Park isn’t just a day out – it’s a saga. A sprawling expanse of lakes, paths, and grass with just enough chaos to keep you entertained. It’s like a theme park, except the main attractions are wildlife, overexcited children, and the occasional overly confident paddleboarder.

The first thing you’ll notice is the lake – it’s big, beautiful, and absolutely owned by the ducks. These birds have zero chill. They’ll waddle right up to you like tiny gangsters demanding snacks, and honestly, you’ll give them whatever they want because they’ve got that kind of energy. Swans occasionally drift by too, looking regal and mildly judgmental. It’s all very National Geographic until someone’s dog gets too interested, and then it’s pure comedy.

The walks here are idyllic. You’ll amble along, marvelling at the beauty of nature, until you’re overtaken by a determined cyclist who looks like they’re training for the Tour de France. The paths are well-kept and meander through woods, meadows, and alongside the lake, so there’s always something to admire – unless you’re trying to avoid stepping in a suspiciously muddy puddle.

The playground is a sight to behold. If you’ve brought kids, they’ll vanish into this wonderland of swings, slides, and climbing frames like it’s a portal to Narnia. If you haven’t brought kids, you’ll find yourself vaguely jealous of the zip line and wondering if there’s a way to have a go without looking like a lunatic.

And then there’s the café. Oh, the café. It’s the beating heart of the park, dishing out coffee, ice creams, and hot chips like they’re a lifeline. You’ll join the queue thinking, “I’ll just grab a tea,” and leave with three cakes, a baguette, and something for the ducks (as if they need it). The outdoor seating offers prime people-watching opportunities, and there’s always someone chasing a rogue ice cream cone across the lawn.

For the more adventurous, there’s a watersports centre offering paddleboarding and kayaking. Watching people attempt to stay upright on a paddleboard is worth the trip alone. Bonus points if you catch someone being dramatically “rescued” by a bemused instructor.

Southwater Country Park has everything you need for a chaotic, joyful day out: ducks with attitude, kids burning off energy, and a café that knows what’s important in life (chips and cake). Five stars – and an extra one if you don’t get...

Was brilliant for a family day out. Nice weather and lots of space. The play area for the children is PHENOMENAL. My son absolutely loved it and enjoyed everything from the play park to walking around, watching people on the lake, eating his ice cream, having his picnic etc. I don't think I saw an unhappy child there. It really was a brilliant place and worth the 1h20m drive/ride (partner and son went in the car and I took the bike).

So as you can see I think it's a fantastic place, one of the best for children so why 4 stars you ask? Well there are two reasons:

1 - The cafe is a complete and utter rip off, extortionate (£1.80 for a can of drink. You get bottles for less than that. And approx £1.50 for a kids apple juice carton of a smallish size. ). They take advantage of the fact you're not likely to leave to buy elsewhere so they ramp up their prices. Really bad business practice in my opinion. Also for some reason, to park a bike it's 20p more at £3.20 for the day compared to £3.00 for a car but unlike the cafe I think the parking prices are pretty decent.

2 - So many smokers about especially in the children's area. People would literally walk right past you and blowing smoke in your face (unintentional but obviously that's how much there was). I get that people are going to smoke through the grounds but the children's play area as well, really? Even my son pointed out it was smelly. Adults were smoking around the children and didn't even care regardless of whether they were their own or other people's kids. This was most noticeable when having the picnic, almost put my son off his lunch. I wasn't eating but would have put me off too. There definitely should be a smoking ban on the children's play area at least if not the whole grounds (with designated areas).

I do think it's a really good family place though despite the above issues so I don't want to leave it on a negative.

I do highly recommend going here especially if you have children so don't let the negatives stop you as it's still a really enjoyable and...

First time visiting the park. The walk is lovely and well maintained. Dinosaur island play area is well structured and offers lots for younger kids to do. A well worthwhile and relaxing afternoon for parents and kids alike..

The walks are Dog friendly and there are plenty of doggy bins. There are also BBQ safe areas AND places to put hot ashes. This is an excellent addition that I wish more parks offered.

The park is suited to walkers and runners and there are multiple paths if you want to make the walk wider. All areas are wheelchair accessible.

Toilets and water are available outside café.

Quality of food in the café was lacking and did not offer good value.

Cans of drink are £1.80. This is quite high.

I also purchased some Tuna Salad Baguettes at £5.50ea for wife and myself. I have tasted better in train stations. The Baguette bread had no flavour (think part baked that had not been finished properly) and they were not even buttered. I thought initially that perhaps they had forgotten to butter mine but both were the same. This along with lack of mayonnaise left it VERY dry. Salad was no more than a small amount of wilted lettuce with some cucumber slices on top. Overall it was tasteless and stodgy. Sadly it was probably one of the worst Tuna rolls I have ever tasted and at that price it was just double the disappointment. Wife left hers half eaten and put it in one f the many bins available.

Kids boxes are available and can be made to order so customization is possible. Cheese sandwiches have sliced cheese, not grated. No issues either way but if you have a fussy child like mine this may mean all the difference between eating and not.

Hot dogs are not hot dogs. They are sausages in rolls. Not an issue, but not a hotdog.

There was a good selection of cakes and ice creams.

Overall I think the park is lovely but due to poor quality food it's best to bring a...