The Wild Days guide
The Otterhead Lakes sit within the Otterhead Estate south of Taunton in the South West of the UK. The area is a nature reserve with permissive paths around the lakes.
It’s a lovely area combining wildlife & history in a beautiful landscape. x2 lakes and some woodland make up the area which is where our recommended walk takes you. The river that creates the lakes is of course the River Otter, which starts on the Blackdown Hills and end up flowing into the English Channel on the Jurassic Coast.
The estate originated in 1817, it privately owned back then unlike today where it’s now owned by the Water Authority.
Otterhead House was demolished in 1951-1952 after previously being used for storage. The garden walls are currently being restored. You’ll be able to find more information on the various notices dotted around the lakes. It’s hard to see the footings of the mansion now, however you can see some of the garden walls down by the river between the lakes and there are some concrete chambers from the remains of the estate near the upper lake.
Recommended Walk
Our recommended walk takes you down from the car park and around the lakes, incorporating a wooded walk on the side of the valley. The route is fairly flat and takes from anywhere between 30 minutes to a couple of hours depending on your stops. A great walk for the younger ones, the local forest school that operates there usually has some pre-built dens in the woods that are great for a game of hide and seek.