Ruislip Lido — Attraction in London

Ruislip Lido, with a 60-acre lake, artificial sandy beaches and a narrow gauge railway around it. It is a nice place to relax and unwind with family and friends. It falls within the London Borough of Hillingdon. The lake is home to ducks, geese and swans. A huge sandy beach spans the whole of its southern end. Boating and swimming are not allowed in the lake; there are no lifeguards on site and anyone that enters the water is doing so at their own risk. Other attractions include - a children's splash pad with water jets, masses of playground equipment and toilets with changing rooms. Though the access to the Lido is free, parking is not free!

Another attractive feature for the families is Ruislip Lido Railway - a 12” gauge miniature railway (Diesel or Steam) around the Lido. The reasonably priced pleasant train journey takes you around the lake at Ruislip Lido, with the line weaving its way through the ancient Ruislip Woods with two main stations on the line where passengers can start and finish their journey. Woody Bay station is beside the beach and children’s splash pad, and it is the oldest terminus on the line. The other station is Willow Lawn station, located next to the car park and nearby the ‘Waters Edge’ pub & carvery. At Willow Lawn station, passengers can observe the locomotive being turned on the turntable, before the train heads back to Woody Bay.

All trains are wheelchair, pushchair and buggy friendly - a thoughtful feature. The train service is however subject to change or cancellation at short notice due to bad weather or other causes.

How to get there by public transport H13 and the 331 bus routes stop close by the Lido and the woods. Two roads, Ducks Hill Road (A4180) and Breakspear Road North, cross Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve (NNR). The site can also be accessed on foot through the Ruislip Woods NNR.

Overall it is a nice fair weather attraction for the whole family to...

Ruislip Lido is a reservoir and artificial beach in Ruislip, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, situated between Ruislip Common, Ruislip Woods (a Site of Special Scientific Interest), and Poors Field.Originally opened as a feeder reservoir for the Grand Junction Canal in 1811, the reservoir was reopened in 1933 as a lido, with facilities for swimming and boating. A narrow gauge railway, the Ruislip Lido Railway was opened in 1945, and now runs about two thirds of the distance around the reservoir.Having fallen into a state of disrepair during the 1970s and 1980s, the lido has since undergone renewal works, and was the subject of an enhancement project unveiled by the London Borough of Hillingdon in January 2010. The project involved the return of boating and swimming in the reservoir, which had previously not been possible due to pollution and an artificially low water level.HistoryConstructionThe Grand Junction Canal Company purchased of Park Wood from Kings College, Cambridge, of land from the commissioners and of the cottages and gardens of the hamlet of Park Hearne. The valley that the land covered was then dammed and flooded.The reservoir was opened on 5 December 1811 as one of the feeder reservoirs for the Grand Junction Canal by engineer John Rennie and constructor Hugh Mackintosh. The link to the canal did not fulfil its intended purpose, since the water became polluted by the land and was eventually stopped as a...

Parking Fiasco! A complete humiliation trying to figure out how to pay for parking as a visitor (and determined not to pay a fine)! There are two parking lots of which one is split into two parts. The pay machines have removed the capability to pay as a visitor even though the instructions give two methods (1-"members", 2-"visitors" which doesn't work). There are no signs indicating it is parking only for members. After moving the car twice and ending up in the "guests" parking (how are we supposed to know what "guests" refers to!?) eventually found this sign directing us to the pub (and of course warning of a fine!). Then received a cocky attitude from staff at the pub saying the parking is not their responsibility until finally we asked if we can buy a coffee and after asking again how to pay for parking, then being directed to a small touch screen at the side of the pub where you can register your vehicle to park. This is the only way to park as a guest and avoid a fine!! All this took about half an hour of boxing day time and was a complete humiliation! To the staff lady at the pub - your attitude sucks and you know exactly what you are doing making visitors essentially unwelcome!! Between the council parking machines giving errors for visitors and the pub experience it was a...