Car parking at the lakes is £2.00 for one hour, £3.00 for three hours or £6.00 for the whole day or free if you are a Friend of South West Lakes Trust.

All income from our car parks contributes to the upkeep and enhancement of the lakes for our visitors and wildlife - from conserving important habitats to maintaining your favourite walks.

The lakes where car parking fees apply are: 

• Roadford Lake 
• Fernworthy Reservoir 
• Trenchford Reservoir
• Avon Dam (Shipley Bridge)
• Siblyback Lake
• Argal Lake 
• Tamar Lakes 
  
• Wimbleball Lake
• Stithians Lake 
• Wistlandpound Reservoir
• Colliford Lake

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology is currently in operation at Argal, Roadford, Siblyback and Tamar.

Car parking is a really important source of fundraising for our charity, accounting for around 6.5% of our income. Most people who use our car parks do pay, but non-payment is a particular problem at some of our lakes. For this reason, ANPR technology has been installed at Argal, Roadford, Siblyback and Tamar. As well as encouraging visitors to pay for parking, we hope that the ANPR technology will help deter fly tipping and other forms of anti-social behaviour. It also helps to free up staff to spend more time caring for the lake. 

The ANPR is operated by Smart Parking on behalf of South West Lakes Trust. Further information on Smart Parking’s personal data privacy policy can be accessed here.

How does the ANPR system work?

• You will need to enter your car registration number and pay upon arrival.
• You can pay by RingGo, cash or card. 
• Parking charges apply at all times when the car park is open, 365 days of the year. 
• If you wish to drop off or pick up, there is a 10 minute grace period in which you won't be charged, as long as you leave the car park within 10 minutes of entry.
• All day is anything longer than two hours.  An all day ticket does not carry over into next day. 

What to do if you get a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) from Smart Parking

If you are a Friend of South West Lakes Trust, an activity member, season ticket holder, day ticket angler or volunteer, it is important that we hold the correct vehicle registration details for you. If you need to update your vehicle registration details with us or think you have received a PCN in error, please contact us on [email protected].
 
If you do not fall into one of the above categories and you believe you have been charged in error you will need to contact Smart Parking.

South West Lakes Trust cannot get involved or assist in disputes where the car parking terms and conditions have been breached. You will need to follow the appeals process set out in the PCN letter you received. 

RingGo

You can use RingGo, the UK’s no.1 parking app to pay for your parking.

By downloading the free RingGo app, you can pay for your parking without having to touch a parking machine or queue up. It’s quick, secure and there’s no need to hunt for loose change.

How does RingGo work?

To download the RingGo app, go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and search for RingGo. Once you’ve downloaded the app, set up your account by registering a few details.  When you want to park, you can pay in seconds.

Once you’re parked, you need to confirm the vehicle you’re using and let the service know exactly where you’re parked. You do this by entering the location number, advertised on local signs.

Don’t forget, if your parking is running out, you can extend your time wherever you are, just by using the RingGo app. Select your current session and the app will ask how long you want to extend.  Choose a time, confirm, and you’re good to go.

There is also the option to pay in advance, which may be helpful if you struggle to get signal at the lakes.

Our rangers know you’re parked with RingGo by checking your vehicle registration on their devices.

What are the benefits of using RingGo to park?

• Touch free parking without visiting a machine.
• No more coins – you’ll never have to worry about carrying change again. Just download the RingGo app.
• Enjoying the beautiful scenery and want to stay a bit longer? Just click the extend button, wherever you are. There’s no need to dash back to the car park or the machine.
• Our handy reminders alert you when your parking is running out and you can top up too.

Tell me more …

There is a small 20p convenience fee applied to every RingGo parking session or extension.

The optional confirmation and alert texts cost 10p per message, but you can opt-out from them at any time.

If you’re not a smartphone user, you can still use RingGo to pay for your parking in South West Lakes by calling 01566 706 756.

You can also register and book parking with RingGo online.

If you need any more information, please visit RingGo.co.uk.

Pay and display parking machines

Our pay and display machines are available to use with cash – just pop the ticket in your windscreen.

Become a Friend

If you are a regular visitor, you might want to consider becoming a Friend of South West Lakes. This will provide you with a car parking pass for the year, for all our car parks across the south west, whilst supporting our important work. Friendships start at just £35 for a single, £50 for a joint or £55 for a family.

Find out more about the benefits of becoming a Friend and how to join here.