Cosmeston Lakes

Cosmeston lakes country park had its origins with the advent of limestone quarrying in the early 1890s. The quarrying ceased in 1970 and this saw one of the quarry sites being used for landfill. Underground springs flooded parts of the quarried area creating lakes. The quarry spoil areas were landscaped and together with the lakes form the main features of the park which we can see today giving access to over of 100 hectares of woodland, calcareous grassland and wetlands.

The country park has a variety of habitats covering over 100 hectares of land and water, some 46ha being designated a S.S.S.I (Site of Special Scientific Interest) protecting the rare and diverse plant and animal species.

Cosmeston offers a fine introduction into the countryside and is open all year round. The park has been designed to enable people of all abilities to discover and enjoy the countryside found within the Vale of Glamorgan.

The Park is also home to Cosmeston Medieval Village which is a Heritage Project that is unique in Britain. The reconstructed 14th Century village is on it’s original site and consists of medieval buildings, gardens, rare breeds and a small museum. Tours of the village are by costumed villagers. Special events take place throughout the year such as jousting, medieval combat, archery, crafts, Halloween events and Summer Festivals.

Cosmeston Lakes Country Park Pond Creation

The Dragonfly pond, an established pond on site at Cosmeston – in 2002 Great Crested Newts were discovered there for the first time. In 2003/4 Cosmeston Lakes Country Park re-established three ponds on the Cosmeston site with the help of a grant from FROGLIFE. The new ponds were constructed to create more breeding habitat for the Great Crested Newts on site.

This year we were thrilled to discover Great Crested Newts in one of the new ponds for the first time.