The Mere at Ellesmere is a beautiful lake with gardens, woodland walks and historic parkland on the edge of the medieval market town of Ellesmere. The Mere-side promenade, gardens and Boathouse Visitor Centre have recently been restored to their former glory thanks to funding assistance from Big Lottery and Heritage Lottery Parks for People and the European Regional Development Fund.
Take a look at the link to The Mere Journal Blogspot to follow regular updates on life on and around the Mere at Ellesmere
Facilities at the Mere
- Visitor Information Centre
- Licensed Restaurant
- Gift Shop
- Children's play area
- Toilets / disabled toilets (Please note: Cremorne Gardens toilets currently closed. Please use alternative toilets near The Boathouse).
- Ample car parking at Castlefields and Moors Car Parks on the A495
- All-ability trail
- Dog walking permitted
Restaurant and Visitor Centre : Opening Hours
Summer: Open daily, 10am to 5pm from 1 April to 1 November.
Winter: Closed Wednesdays. Open daily, 10am to 3.30pm from 2 November 2011 to 31 March 2012.
Christmas Day: Closed.
Places to visit at the Mere
Boathouse Visitor Centre and Gift Shop
Tel: 01691 622981.
Come to the Visitor Centre to see live close-up pictures of wildlife on the water through our interactive cameras. Exciting images of the Herons nesting on Heron Island during the spring months.
Visitors of all ages will be fascinated by the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ with unusual objects from days gone by. Learn the difference between a coot and a moorhen, do brass rubbings of wildlife on the Mere and look at natural objects under a huge microscope.
The Gift Shop sells an interesting selection of books, cards, toys, and locally made items including jewellery and pottery.
The Boathouse Restaurant
Tel: 01691 623852
The licensed Boathouse Restaurant is a beautiful timber building in an idyllic setting overlooking The Mere. This restored timber ‘Roadhouse’ building has been serving refreshments continuously since the 1930s.
For booking enquiries, facilities and sample menus and please click on the link under ‘Related Information’ on the bottom of this page
The Promenade and Cremorne Gardens
A great place to watch the wildlife or just watch the world go by!
If, like many of our visitors, you come to feed the birds, please use grain, not bread. Bread causes malnutrition and can lead to a wing deformity called ‘Angel Wing’ which prevents the birds from flying. Grain is much closer to the birds natural diet. Small packs of grain can be purchased inside the Boathouse Visitor Centre, Promenade Kiosk and in the town. Feeding birds over the water rather than on land helps to keep the promenade clean.
Cremorne Gardens on the shore of the Mere is a former Victorian pleasure ground, and a great place for a picnic. Look out for the giant redwood trees, loved by the Victorians because of their impressive size!
Castlefields and the Garden Terraces
Castlefields was once overlooked by a Norman castle. Climb the wildflower meadow banks to the garden terraces, a zig-zag of wooded walkways with wonderful elevated views across the water!
Woodland Walk to The Crimps
Follow this all-ability trail through Cremorne Gardens and round the shore of the Mere through magnificent avenues of chestnut and beech.
Look back at stunning views across the Mere to St Mary’s Church from the tiny beach known as The Crimps. Warning: it maybe muddy in wet conditions!
Activities at the Mere
Friends of The Mere
Friends of the Mere is a local voluntary organisation for people who are passionate about all aspects of The Mere at Ellesmere.
Volunteers get involved with a wide range of activities and events. To find out more follow the link on this page or call the Visitor Information Centre on 01691 622981
Walks Leaflets
There are a series of leaflets with maps showing five walks available for you to download as attachments on this page (be aware that these are large files and may take a while to download). The walks vary in length from one to eight miles and all start from the Boathouse Visitor Information Centre. These downloadable maps are also available for free as a laminated set from the Centre.
Wildlife
The Mere at Ellesmere is the largest of the Shropshire Meres and attracts many different water birds, including winter migrants such as goldeneye and goosander, as well as having its own resident heron Colony on Moscow Island.
Fishing
Fishing is available on the Mere with day tickets purchased from the Boathouse Visitor Information Centre. For more information on fishing follow the link 'Where can I fish in Shropshire'
Exploring the Llangollen Canal and Ellesmere
Explore the medieval streets of Ellesmere and the beautiful Llangollen Canal - all a short walk from The Boathouse Visitor Information Centre, or head off into the rolling Shropshire Countryside. Pick up one of the free illustrated Walk Packs inside the Boathouse Visitor Information Centre.
Cycling
Cyclists can enjoy regional cycle route 31 - Oswestry to Whitchurch, which passes through Ellesmere. Select the link on this page for a downloadable map of the route.
Location
North Shropshire, grid ref - SJ 405347 (for a map showing the location of the site click the link on this page).
Car Parking at The Moors and Castlefields
Car parking prices have been set at a daily rate of £1 which is lower than the average fees for other similar country parks in the region. Blue badge holders, motorcycles and coaches of over 12 seats will be free.
If you are a regular visitor you can buy an annual season ticket for £20. Also, if you hold a BeActive concession card, you can buy a season ticket at the reduced rate of £10.
As a season ticket holder you will also be registered as a 'Friend of the Park' and will receive vouchers for the tea shop and events.
You can download an application form for a season ticket from this page.
If you would like to know more about the management of The Mere at Ellesmere and the basis on which those management decisions are made then you can take a look at the The Mere Management Plan for 2010 - 2020. Two documents are attached to this page, One is a full copy of the Management Plan, be aware that this is a very large document and may take a while to download. The other document omits the maps and charts making it smaller and easier to download.
To discover even more ways to enjoy your free time in Shropshire log on to www.discovershropshire.org.uk