Bracknell Forest residents pay £11.35 at Coral Reef, the Look Out is £9.71 to 1 September, and Buckler's Forest, Lily Hill Park and Ambarrow Court cost nothing.

Bracknell’s reputation is a town centre. Its actual attractions are in the trees on the southern edge, where the Look Out, Coral Reef, Go Ape and 3,000 acres of Crown Estate pine forest sit within a mile of each other on Nine Mile Ride.

Every price and opening arrangement below was checked against the venue’s own site or booking system in August 2026. Where a venue does not publish a price, we say so rather than guess.

The big three on Nine Mile Ride

The Look Out Discovery Centre

More than 90 hands-on science exhibits in a purpose-built centre run by Bracknell Forest Council, at Nine Mile Ride, Crowthorne RG12 7QW. Visits are booked as three-hour sessions starting at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 and 12:30, with an extra 1:30 session at weekends and in the school holidays.

  • Standard admission: adult £11.10, child aged 3 to 16 £8.20, student £8.20, over 65 £8.20, visitor with a disability £8.20, under 3s free, saver ticket £30.40.
  • Summer offer, 22 July to 1 September: adult £9.71, child, student, over 65 or visitor with a disability £7.17, saver ticket £26.60.
  • Parking: £4.00 for four hours, £7.90 all day.

Coral Reef Waterworld

Five slides, from the family-friendly Aqua Splash up to Cannon, Storm Chaser and Maelstrom, plus a leisure pool with a pirate ship, rapids and a bubble pool, and an adults-only spa. Nine Mile Ride, Bracknell RG12 7JQ, run by Everyone Active for the council. Sessions are capped at 90 minutes in the water.

  • Adult (16 to 63): £20.55. Junior 5 to 15: £14.55. Junior 0 to 4: £1.95. Concession 64+: £14.55. Family, two adults and two juniors: £69.95. Spectator, restaurant area only: £1.50.
  • Bracknell Forest resident ticket: £11.35 for one adult or one junior. Valid only for GU15, GU47, RG12, RG42, RG45, SL4 and SL5 addresses with proof on entry, on Saturdays and Sundays from 4pm and on Mondays and Fridays in term time from 3:30pm. It is close to half the standard adult price and the single best-value ticket in the borough.
  • Online booking only. Nothing is sold at reception, and a £2.50 transaction fee is added per order.
  • Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays except during holiday periods.
  • Give your registration at reception for five hours of free parking. Pay and display instead and there is no refund.

Go Ape Bracknell

High ropes in Swinley Forest, using the Look Out car park.

  • Treetop Challenge from £36.95, age 10 and over.
  • Treetop Adventure Plus from £25.95, age 6 and over.
  • Treetop Adventure from £21.95, ages 4 to 10.
  • Forest Segway from £38.95, age 10 and over.
  • Axe Throwing from £18.95, age 12 and over.
What one adult pays at Bracknell's attractions Bar chart of adult admission prices in Bracknell Forest. Go Ape Forest Segway is highest at £38.95, then Go Ape Treetop Challenge at £36.95, Go Ape Treetop Adventure at £21.95, Coral Reef Waterworld at £20.55, Go Ape axe throwing at £18.95, the Coral Reef resident ticket at £11.35, the Look Out standard adult at £11.10 and the Look Out summer offer at £9.71. Buckler's Forest, Lily Hill Park, Ambarrow Court and Englemere Pond are free. What one adult actually pays, and where the resident discount lands Adult admission, checked against each venue's own booking system in August 2026. Go Ape prices are "from" prices. Go Ape Forest Segway£38.95 Go Ape Treetop Challenge£36.95 Go Ape Treetop Adventure£21.95 Coral Reef, adult£20.55 Go Ape axe throwing£18.95 Coral Reef, resident ticket£11.35 The Look Out, standard£11.10 The Look Out, to 1 Sept£9.71 Buckler's Forest, Lily Hill Park,Free Ambarrow Court, Englemere Pond The Bracknell Forest resident ticket at Coral Reef is £9.20 cheaper than the standard adult, but only at set times. Coral Reef adds a £2.50 transaction fee per order. Go Ape adds a booking fee online. Parking is extra at the Look Out (£4 for four hours) and Swinley Forest (£3.60), and free at Buckler's Forest and Ambarrow Court.
Three of the four cheapest things on this chart are free, and all four of those are woodland.

Swinley Forest

The Crown Estate manages 1,214 hectares, about 3,000 acres, of mainly Scots pine on Bracknell’s southern edge, as working timber, wildlife habitat and open access land at the same time. It is the largest single thing to do in the borough and it costs nothing to walk in.

The mountain bike network is stacked by difficulty:

  • Green trail, 0.9km. Beginners and families.
  • Blue trail, 7.3km, in 13 sections, for competent riders.
  • Red trail, 12.3km, split into two loops making a figure of eight.

Swinley Bike Hub hires bikes on site. The Swinley Forest car park charges £3.60 for four hours and £7.20 all day, and is open 7am to 7:30pm.

Free parkland and nature reserves

The council looks after more than 150 parks and countryside sites. Five worth a specific trip:

  • Buckler’s Forest, Crowthorne (Woodcote Green, Buckler’s Park RG45 6HZ). 42 hectares, 103 acres, of former Transport Research Laboratory land turned over to wildlife habitat and community growing gardens, managed by the council for the Land Trust. On 29 July 2026 it was named the Land Trust’s Site of the Year for 2026. Free car park, 32 spaces.
  • Lily Hill Park (Lily Hill Road, Bracknell RG12 2RX). 23 hectares, 56 acres, of restored heritage parkland: an original yew walk, a traditional orchard, an Edwardian water garden, a giant Wellingtonia at Forester’s Hill, an animal tracks trail, and England’s longest picnic bench, carved from a single piece of wood. Car park on the north side with four 22kW electric vehicle chargers.
  • Englemere Pond (Swinley Road, Chavey Down SL5 8BA). 27.6 hectares of nature reserve on the Ascot side of the borough.
  • Ambarrow Court, Sandhurst (Wokingham Road GU47 8JD). An 8.7-hectare Local Nature Reserve with a free 15-space car park.
  • Caesar’s Camp (Lower Wall, Crowthorne RG12 7WR). The remains of an Iron Age hillfort inside the forest. For a second prehistoric site, Bill Hill on Rectory Lane RG12 7BH has a Bronze Age round barrow at its summit.

Arts, sport and shopping

South Hill Park, Ringmead RG12 7PA, is the borough’s arts centre and a registered charity. It runs the Wilde Theatre, an independent cinema, galleries, rehearsal and recording studios and the Atrium Bar and Restaurant, in a Georgian mansion with its own grounds. Coming up: The Secret Garden from 21 August, 80s HiFi on 5 September and SHOUT! The MOD Musical from 23 September.

Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bagshot Road RG12 9SE, run by Everyone Active for the council, has three pools, a gym, three fitness studios, a soft play area, a sports hall, squash courts, an outdoor pitch, athletics facilities and a spa. Open 6am to 10pm on weekdays and 7am to 8pm at weekends.

Downshire Golf Complex is owned by Bracknell Forest Council and run on a pay and play basis, so you do not need a club membership to get a tee time.

The Lexicon, The Avenue RG12 1AP, is the town centre: more than 100 shops, a 12-screen cinema with 4DX, and the restaurant quarter around it.

Sandhurst and the water

Horseshoe Lake Activity Centre, Sandhurst, runs sailing and RYA youth courses, kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding and open water swimming on marked loops from 200m to 800m. Craft hire and launch run 10am to 5pm and the café 8:30am to 4pm. Everything is pre-booking only, with a waiver to complete before you arrive. 01252 871808.

Trilakes, Yateley Road, Sandhurst GU47 8JQ, has an indoor playbarn, outdoor play areas and a mini farm. It does not publish prices on its own website; booking goes through its online system. 01252 871007.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Bracknell for free?

The woodland and parkland. Buckler’s Forest in Crowthorne, Lily Hill Park, Ambarrow Court in Sandhurst, Englemere Pond and Caesar’s Camp are all free to enter, and Buckler’s Forest and Ambarrow Court have free car parks. Walking in Swinley Forest is free; only the car park charges.

How much is Coral Reef Waterworld?

£20.55 for an adult, £14.55 for a junior aged 5 to 15, £1.95 for under 5s and £69.95 for a family of two adults and two juniors, plus a £2.50 transaction fee per order. Bracknell Forest residents can pay £11.35 at set times with proof of address. Booking is online only.

How much is the Look Out Discovery Centre?

£11.10 for an adult and £8.20 for a child normally. Until 1 September 2026 a summer offer cuts that to £9.71 and £7.17, with a saver ticket at £26.60. Under 3s are free. Parking is £4.00 for four hours.

What is there to do in Bracknell with kids on a rainy day?

The Look Out Discovery Centre (90-plus indoor science exhibits), Coral Reef Waterworld, the cinema at The Lexicon, the soft play at Bracknell Leisure Centre and the indoor playbarn at Trilakes in Sandhurst.

Can you mountain bike at Swinley Forest?

Yes. There are three waymarked trails: a 0.9km green, a 7.3km blue in 13 sections and a 12.3km red laid out as a figure of eight. Swinley Bike Hub hires bikes on site, and the car park is £3.60 for four hours or £7.20 all day.

Related

Sources

Prices and opening arrangements change, especially between term time and the holidays. Check the venue before you set off.