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College Lake is a 65 hectare nature reserve in a former chalk quarry in 
There is access from the Upper Icknield Way.
The site takes its name from College farm that existed here before quarrying started in the twentieth century. The farm buildings were located on the rising ground on the north side of the present lake. The farm in turn took its name from Trinity College Cambridge which owned the land.Information provided in Visitor Centre March 2023.
College Lake Environmental Education Centre, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife TrustCollege Lake Walks, Buckinghamshire County Council
{{Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust Pitstone
College Lake is a 65 hectare nature reserve in a former chalk quarry in Pitstone
Pitstone (formerly Pightelsthorn, with possible variation Pychelesthorn in 1399) is a village and civil parish in east Buckinghamshire, England. It is at the foot of the central range of the Chiltern Hills, centred east of Aylesbury and south o ...
in the Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale (or Vale of Aylesbury) is a geographical region in Buckinghamshire, England, which is bounded by the City of Milton Keynes and West Northamptonshire to the north, Central Bedfordshire and the Borough of Dacorum (Hertfordshir ...
district of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
. It is one of the flagship reserves of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust
The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) is a Wildlife Trust covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire in England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part ...
, and it has an information centre, education facilities, a café, toilets and a shop. It is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...
. The area east of the lake is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
called Pitstone Quarry
Pitstone Quarry is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Pitstone, Buckinghamshire. It is the area between the lake and the railway line in College Lake nature reserve.
The site exposes deposits of the Middle and Late Pleistocene, ...
.
The site has more than a thousand species of wildlife on the lake, marshland and grassland. Rare species include Lapwings
Lapwings (subfamily Vanellinae) are any of various ground-nesting birds (Family (biology), family Charadriidae) akin to plovers and dotterels. They range from in length, and are noted for their slow, irregular wingbeats in flight and a shrill, ...
, which nest on islands in the lake, and redwing. The marshes are an important habitat for breeding waders. The grassland has a variety of flowers, which support a variety of insects, birds and mammals.
The visitor centre opened to the public in 2010.
During the late 20th century College Lake was a working quarry and the chalk was excavated and made into cement for use in building construction. Many fossils, including ammonites and sea urchins, were uncovered during the excavations and fossils from the site are on display in the visitor centre .
There is access from the Upper Icknield Way.
The site takes its name from College farm that existed here before quarrying started in the twentieth century. The farm buildings were located on the rising ground on the north side of the present lake. The farm in turn took its name from Trinity College Cambridge which owned the land.Information provided in Visitor Centre March 2023.
References
External links
College Lake Environmental Education Centre, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust
{{Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust Pitstone