The Rye and Holywell Mead (High Wycombe)

Address

The Rye
Bassetsbury Lane
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP11 1QX

Restricted items

There are some items you cannot use in Buckinghamshire Council open spaces in the Wycombe area. This includes:

BBQs
drones
metal-detecting equipment
remote-controlled vehicles

About the park and facilities

The Rye is located in the town centre of High Wycombe, a short walk from the High Street. The park covers an area of more than 22 hectares (53 acres) and is the second largest park in the district.

Facilities include:

2 children's playgrounds, including:
- a separate toddler play area
- a large 'Ropes on the Rye' play area with a large inclusive play unit
football pitches (laid out on the grass during the season)
3 tennis courts (managed by Fusion)
public toilets, located at the car park (approached from Bassetsbury Lane, a turning off of the A40 London Road which borders the park)
changing rooms (for hire)
catering outlets around the park
pleasure craft (for hire)
fishing and boating on the Dyke

Inclusive play items include:

within the large 'Ropes on the Rye' play area:
- a large multi-play unit
- large climbing net
- wheelchair accessible roundabout
- small outdoor calisthenics fitness area

It's also a Green Flag Award-winning park (the quality benchmark which recognises well managed parks and green spaces).

A park bench overlooking fields on The Rye

A map of The Rye

View a map of The Rye park (PDF, 1.64 MB)

Fishing

Permit-fishing is allowed on part of the lake through the Rye Dyke Angling Association.

In order to fish, you must:

get a fishing permit from High Wycombe library
purchase a rod fishing licence online (GOV.UK) or from the Post Office

You can only fish in the areas shown on the permit. Other conditions may apply depending on the permit you've purchased.

Wycombe Rye Lido

The Wycombe Rye Lido with an open air pool, gym and tennis courts is located by the Holywell Mead car park.

The leisure facility including the car park is managed by Fusion.

Events

There are many events that are hosted on The Rye throughout the year.

History of park and more information

The park includes the grassland area formerly known as Rye Mead. Historically the townspeople of High Wycombe had the right to pasture their cattle, and additional areas (which were formerly part of the Wycombe Abbey Estate). These were previously owned by the Carrington family.

The park also includes the area of Holywell Mead, the site of a Roman villa and former watercress beds.

The Dyke on the Rye is large stretch of open water which is fed by water from the Abbey School grounds. The water spills over a waterfall and into a stream that flows out of the park toward the east.

There are formal flowerbeds at the Manor and Pann Mill, on the London Road. The mill is opened occasionally through the summer and still grinds its own flour. It also has a nature garden with some interesting wild flowers.

Please use the red bins to clean-up after dogs. We appreciate your cooperation as it helps to keep our parks clean and safe for all users.

The River Wye

Protecting and improving the River Wye

The 'Revive The Wye' project aims to:

protect and improve the natural environment of the River Wye
make it a special place that people can enjoy
make it a place where wildlife can flourish

It was formed in 2008 by The Chiltern Society, The High Wycombe Society and the Wycombe Wildlife Group as a Wycombe Strategic Partnership project.

It builds on earlier work by the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project, the Environment Agency and ourselves.

The Wye flows from the north-west of West Wycombe, through High Wycombe, Wycombe Marsh, Loudwater, Wooburn and Bourne End, before joining the River Thames.

It has a network of back-streams and tributaries, including the Hughenden Stream, which will also be included in the project.

The River Wye is one of a number of important chalk streams in the Chilterns. Chalk streams are an internationally rare habitat and support a wide variety of wildlife, including some of the UK's most endangered species.

The Revive the Wye project is run by a steering group that includes representatives from the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project, the Environment Agency and ourselves, as well as the three initiating organisations. Local businesses such as TNS have also become involved through their corporate social responsibility programme.

The specific project objectives are to:

protect and enhance the natural environment and setting of the river Wye, its tributaries and back streams
encourage the creation of access corridors along the river
engage with landowners and tenants of properties bordering the river with a view to seeking their assistance to enhance the setting of the river
consider and respond to planning issues affecting the river
raise awareness of the river Wye and matters related to it
form a Friends of the Wye Group to help achieve these objectives