Things to do · Cirencester
ROX, South Cerney Outdoor
The Real Outdoor Xperience, formerly South Cerney Outdoor: a 47-acre lake in the Cotswold Lakes with paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing, open-water swimming and high ropes.
Family-friendly
The easiest place in the Cotswold Lakes to try a water sport: book an hour's pay and play from £18 and an instructor gets you started. Children from eight. The Lodge café overlooks the lake.
- Good: Pay and play sessions from £18 with introductory coaching
- Good: Juniors from 8; adults from 16
- Good: Free parking; bus 51 stops at the gates
- Good: Lakeside Lodge café; well-behaved dogs welcome
- Worth knowing: Book ahead; Saturday swims must be pre-booked
- Worth knowing: Arrive 20 minutes early for the high ropes, at the far end of the site
About
ROX, the Real Outdoor Xperience, is the watersports and activity centre that used to trade as South Cerney Outdoor, on a 47-acre lake beside the River Churn in the Cotswold Lakes, 4 miles south of Cirencester. Its senior team bought the business in 2018, and it is licensed by the Adventurous Activities Licensing Service, with instructors in sailing, windsurfing and paddling.
For a first try, book a one-hour pay and play session in a kayak, canoe or on a stand-up paddleboard, from £18 in 2026: you choose your boat or board and an instructor gives you the basics. Two-hour taster sessions start at £30, and private lessons cost £95 for two hours. Juniors aged 8 to 15 and adults can do most activities. On land there is the Sky-Line high ropes course, from £15 for about 45 minutes, with a minimum height of 1.2m; it is at the far end of the site, so arrive at least 20 minutes before your slot. There is also a pirate escape room, Escape the Black Tide.
Open-water swimmers can book Friday evening sessions all year, from £6, and a Saturday morning swim on the last Saturday of the month, which must be booked ahead. The centre opens from 9am, with evening sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from May to September while the light lasts; from November to March it opens on weekdays. Holiday clubs and children’s courses run in the school holidays.
Parking is free, and ROX says the Stagecoach 51 stops at the gates. The Lodge, a café beside the lake, welcomes spectators and well-behaved dogs, and its bar serves Cotswold Lakes beers, cider and Gloucestershire wines from noon. Sunday roasts are served in the Lodge Lounge, from 12.30pm to 4pm and from £14 in autumn 2026. Cleveland Lakes is about 2 miles south-west for quieter swimming.
Opening hours and season
May to Sep: Mon, Wed, Fri 9am to 8.30pm (daylight permitting), Tue, Thu 9 to 5, weekends 9 to 5.30. Apr and Oct: daily 9 to 5. Nov to Mar: weekdays 9 to 5. Friday swims all year.
Facilities
- The LodgeLakeside café; Sunday roasts in the Lodge Lounge
- ParkingFree, on site
- ActivitiesKayak, canoe, SUP, sailing, windsurfing, high ropes, escape room
The details
- Time to allow
- Two to three hours for a session and lunch
- Features
- Café · Parking · By the water · Play area
- History
- South Cerney Outdoor; bought by its senior team in 2018
- Parking
- Free parking on site, off the Spine Road (B4696) 4 miles south of Cirencester.
- Without a car
- Stagecoach 51 (Swindon, Cirencester, Cheltenham), about hourly Monday to Saturday and two-hourly on Sundays, stops outside the gates, ROX says. Kemble station is just over 7 miles away by road.
Photos
The lodge 
Windsurfing 
The high ropes 
The Lodge from the lake
Location
Places to stay nearby
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De Vere Cotswold Water Park
Hotel · The Cotswold Water Park
A large modern lakeside hotel on Lake 6 near South Cerney, three miles from Cirencester, with bedrooms, self-catering apartments, two restaurants, a pool and spa, and rooms for dogs.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · EV charging
Verified Nov 2026
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Hoburne Cotswold
Self-catering · South Cerney
A family holiday park of caravans and lodges round four lakes on Broadway Lane, South Cerney, with indoor and outdoor pools, fishing, pedalos and a restaurant, run by the Hoburne group.
Family-friendly · Dog-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Lower Mill Estate
Self-catering · The Cotswold Water Park
A family-run private estate of lakes and woodland at Somerford Keynes in the Cotswold Lakes, with architect-designed self-catering homes sleeping two to 12, pools, a restaurant and kayaks, paddleboards and bikes to hire.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Hot tubs
Verified Oct 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- De Vere Cotswold Water Park 0.3 km away
- Hoburne Cotswold 2.1 km away
- Poulton Hill Estate 3.2 km away
- Cleveland Lakes, Cotswold Lakes Trust 3.3 km away