One of the pools and one of the car parks at Ryton PoolsPhoto of one of the pools from the top of a high bank on one side of the poolA shale path in the park
Ryton Pools Country Park is a
Ryton on Dunsmore in Warwickshire, England. The park occupies an area of about 100 acres (0.40 km2) and contains four pools, the largest of which covers approximately 10 acres (40,000 m2). Professional park rangers are employed to look after the varied flora and fauna
of the park as well as the general maintenance of pathways and buildings.
The park is run by
Warwick District boundary. The area of the park containing the pools is reasonably flat and suitable for wheelchair
access.
History
Heidelberg Man (Homo heidelbergensis), lived here about half a million years. At the same time the area would have been dominated by the huge Bytham River, which was, at the time, the second largest river in what is now England. The Bytham was destroyed by advancing ice sheets around 450,000 years ago.[1]
Much more recently the park was a set of fields until 1965 when the land was purchased and used as a
shrubs
being planted. In the late 1990s the remainder of the landfill site was filled in and new pools were created, as well as the provision of several portable metal cabins to act as information centres. These were superseded by better and more permanent wooden ones in 2002, although the metal ones are still in use.
Facilities
The grounds have official opening times which vary according to the seasons; however, visitors can enter the park on-foot outside these hours if they wish. There are two car parks in the park, and there is currently a flat rate charge of £3.50 for any vehicle to enter the park. Public transport to the park is extremely limited.
Facilities at the park include a visitor centre/cafe and gift shop, two children's play areas for different ages of children, a
miniature railway
run by the Coventry Model Engineering Society. The railway is around 610 metres (2000ft or so) long and operates for the public every Sunday afternoon (1pm-4pm) from Easter until the end of September. Train rides are £1 per person per ride with the journey lasting around 6 minutes or so. Trains are hauled by either a steam or diesel locomotive. (All trains run weather permitting).
The park also organises events for children such as parties,
birds of prey spotting, "creepy crawly club", nest box building, and "prams in the park" (walking for parents with babies). There is a bird hide
located by one of the pools where visitors can observe the wildlife in relative quiet.
Energy from methane
A
secondary schools
or roughly 2,000 houses. Information about the project, which is intended primarily for school children, is available within the generator building where there is also an opportunity to see the generators themselves.
