Chasewater Country Park - Staffordshire County Council Reviews Summary

Recreational Activities

Pros:

• "Went for a lesson in stand up paddleboarding at pier 52 and was not disappointed, brilliant instructor, great value for money."
• "Just an amazingly beautiful walk around the lake."
• "Great park, lots of space and a park for kids to play and about 5k walk, I think, around the lake."
• "Lovely big open space. Went on a Sunday so was very busy. There are places for nice long walks, a large expanse of water with lots of water sports going on."
• "A great 3 mile walk around the lake. Cafe, visitors centre, kids park (swings, slides climbing frame etc), water skiing, speed boat rides, water inflatables rides, wake boarding (both boat towed and cable), open water swimming and a steam railway."
• "Fabulous country park with reservoir and lots of walks. Loads of swans geese ducks etc."
• "It's a lovely to walk sometimes you can see deer's, children friendly, dog, bikes, friendly."

Cons:

• "Also very confusing when following the various suggested routes around and you can't tell how long they are, not good for those with disabilities."
• "The Canadian geese are there so poo everywhere."
• "Not many bins en-route. Great walk though not wheelchair friendly."
• "Part of path round is closed due to broken bridge with no clear signs of which route to take."
• "Several paths are extremely difficult to pass when muddy from the rain, cycles churn it up, making surfaces very uneven."
• "Cycling is extremely limited around the water itself and a lot of ways are just dead ends or impassable on a push bike!"
• "Canadian geese poo all over the pavements."

Parking & Accessibility

Pros:

• "Parking was cheap only £3.00 all day."
• "Parking £1 for 2 hours."
• "Plenty of parking, £1 for 2 hours or £3 all day (cash only payment) Blue badges free."
• "Car park almost empty at 7pm, and free parking after 6pm."
• "You will never be disappointed about not having enough parking space."
• "Parking prices were good too."
• "Parking is very reasonable at £1 for up to 2 hours and £3 for all day."

Cons:

• "A very busy park. Bit put out that you have to pay to park."
• "Can’t really review the park as parking was all cash affair (no cash family) but the shop on site was all card so was unable to park up and enjoy the park."
• "Only down side is cash only parking machines."
• "CAR PARKING COINS ONLY in 21st century?"
• "Car park pay & display meters barely work.. took several attempts to purchase a ticket."
• "Car park is pay and display but meters are naff and don't take card or app payment so change needed."
• "Parking was £3 for the day but half the machines were not working so took us a while to find where to pay."

Cafes & Food Options

Pros:

• "The cafe in the train station is worth a visit."
• "Couple of cafes to choose from, with public toilets and outdoor seating."
• "The cafe serves lovely snacks and cakes and is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the view."
• "Cafe was nice and clean with friendly staff."
• "Cafe staff are fabulous, friendly and willing to have a laugh with you."
• "Cafe was lovely so we will definitely come back again."
• "We went into the cafe where there was a nice selection of food."

Cons:

• "Been meaning to visit here for a long time unfortunately it was the wrong time of year early spring but hey ho never mind it was just on a whim but stear clear of the coffee shop in the main building ordered a latte and a hot chocolate which l think they must have pulled out of lake both was disgusting!!"
• "Chasewater cafe was lacking in food so not the best experience."
• "Ice cream parlour - we've had better elsewhere for less money."
• "Cafe although lovely didn't cope with large orders and was pretty slow."
• "The only cafe (at the railway) to serve your cakes without tongs or gloves also handling cash as they picked scones and rocky road with their hands to put on a plate or in a bag."
• "Wish they had a selection of food available not just cake and sausage rolls."
• "The cafe, when we last visited wasn't very clean. Lots of dead bugs all over the windowsills."

Facilities & Maintenance

Pros:

• "Nice fairly well maintained outdoor space with large open water, kids playgrounds, mini golf and water sports."
• "Lovely little cafe & shop & loads of stuff to have a look at."
• "The car park is plentiful and charges are fair. The money from the car park goes back into Chasewater Country Park."
• "Visit centre serves refreshments and there is couple more cafes around the park."
• "£3.00 all day parking which is a cash only parking meter or you can pay by card in the visitors centre."
• "Good facilities at the south end with a cafe and a drinks hut to choose from."
• "Good facilities in a lovely setting."

Cons:

• "The park has been completely stripped. Was disappointed that the children wasn't able to play or no signs to let you know this beforehand."
• "The children's play area has been dismantled with no date for it to be replaced."
• "Unfortunately the lake is not safe for use."
• "The playground for children is small and not exciting."
• "Childrens areas are non existent with old climbing frames left abandoned."
• "The playground was in a shocking state. One piece of equipment now just 10 foot stumps in the ground and the slide blocked as broken."
• "No play park as it was being refurbished, no train as there were track issues."