🎣 The UK’s Premier Big Carp Holiday Venue

Olivemead Lake – The Mead

Dauntsey · Chippenham · Wiltshire

📋 About the Fishery

Olivemead Lake — affectionately known as ‘The Mead’ — is a very picturesque and private 3-acre lake set in a total of 8 acres of its own grounds, situated in the glorious Wiltshire countryside and conveniently located close to Royal Wootton Bassett, Chippenham, Malmesbury, and the M4 and M5. Since opening as a carp fishing venue in 2007, Olivemead has grown steadily in reputation to become one of the most celebrated and exclusive big-carp holiday destinations in the entire UK — a venue that has earned the title of the UK’s number one premiere big carp fishing holiday venue through consistently delivering extraordinary fishing in an exceptional setting with luxury accommodation that sets it apart from virtually every comparable venue in the South West.

At Olivemead Lake, the owner and family understand that a fishing holiday is about more than just the catch — it’s about creating lasting memories with loved ones. Since 2007 they have poured their hearts into providing a warm and welcoming environment for all who visit. They have meticulously crafted the carp fishery into a sanctuary for big specimen carp. This family-run ethos is felt throughout every aspect of the Olivemead experience — from the thoughtfully designed and beautifully maintained lodges through to the careful stocking philosophy and the lake management programme overseen by fishery manager Caleb that has produced one of the most impressive heads of big carp available on any three-acre lake anywhere in the UK.

The Mead has matured over the years into a beautiful and impressive lake, well-maintained by its manager. The margins are lined with reeds and lilies, and there are two islands in the middle of the lake. These two central islands — fringed with lily pads and natural vegetation — are defining features of the Olivemead landscape and provide both outstanding visual beauty and exceptional fishing opportunities. The lily-fringed island margins teem with natural food for carp and create the kind of habitat that draws big fish with great regularity throughout the warmer months, making island presentations one of the most reliable approaches on the lake.

Olivemead offers 5 lodges, each accommodating 2 anglers. The larger lodges include Willows Lodge, Cedars Lodge, The Main Lodge, and the brand new Oak Lodge. Each lodge swim occupies a minimum of one fifth — 20% — of the main lake’s water, ensuring that even when the lake is fully booked with five anglers, each has a generous and private area to fish without interference or overcrowding. From the 5 pegs on the lake, 3 have purpose-built lodges which leave only 2 pegs for anglers who prefer to bivvy up. This combination of luxury lodge accommodation and traditional bivvy swims gives Olivemead an appeal that spans the full spectrum of carp angling — from couples and families seeking a premium fishing holiday experience through to serious specimen hunters who simply want to be on one of the most stocked big-carp waters in Wiltshire.

The lake bed is predominantly a combination of stone, clay, and gravel with an average depth of 5 to 7 feet across the board. The lake varies in depth from 3ft to approximately 10ft and has a host of features including gravel bars, lily pads, reeds, deep holes and troughs where some of the ‘hippos’ of the lake reside. This variation in depth — from shallow lily pad margins to 10-foot deep holes and troughs — creates a lake of genuine tactical complexity despite its modest three-acre footprint, and means that the most productive areas of the lake can change significantly with the seasons, the weather, and the behaviour of the fish on any given session.

One practical consideration worth noting for those researching the venue: with the M4 motorway around 100 metres from this lake, there can be some noise. This is a genuine and honest detail that the fishery does not attempt to conceal — the M4 is audible from certain swims, particularly at busy times of day. For the vast majority of visiting anglers, the extraordinary quality of the fishing, the luxury of the lodge accommodation, and the exceptional stock of carp more than compensate for the background motorway noise, and many visitors report that they cease to notice it after the first hour of their session.

Olivemead operates a comprehensive and active fishery management programme that includes regular removal of silver fish and smaller carp every two years — this de-stocking programme allows the remaining specimen carp and tench to flourish without competition from non-target species for the lake’s natural food supply. This proactive management approach is one of the key reasons the carp at Olivemead have grown to such extraordinary sizes within a three-acre environment, and why the average size across the stock is so remarkably high relative to the lake’s acreage.

🐟 Fish Stock

The main lake houses around 170 King Carp, out of which more than 90 weigh over 20lb, 60 weigh over 30lb, and 6 weigh over 40lb. The current lake record is held by a huge mirror carp named ‘Luca’ at 47lb 2oz. These are astonishing figures for a three-acre lake — 90 confirmed twenties, 60 confirmed thirties, and 6 forties in just three acres of water makes Olivemead one of the most densely stocked big-fish waters anywhere in the UK. At 47lb 2oz, Luca represents one of the finest individual carp captures available to any day-visit angler in Wiltshire, and the presence of five other confirmed forty-pound fish means Luca is not an outlier but part of a genuinely exceptional big-fish stock.

Olivemead has some awesome specimen tench going over the 10lb-plus mark and pike which exceed 20lb-plus. There are no bream present in The Mead. The double-figure tench are a remarkable secondary target — a 10lb-plus tench from a three-acre lake is an extraordinary achievement and a testament to the quality of the natural food environment Olivemead has developed. The pike fishing provides an exciting winter alternative for lodge guests who want year-round sport, while the deliberate absence of bream ensures that the lake’s natural food supply is directed entirely towards the growth of the specimen carp and tench rather than being consumed by large bream shoals.

The carp at Olivemead are described by regular visitors as the ‘hippos of the lake’ — a nickname that perfectly captures the size, power, and presence of fish that have grown to extraordinary weights within a relatively small body of water. Every fish in the lake is a genuine specimen, and the six forties and the 47lb 2oz lake record confirm that Olivemead is operating at the very top tier of what UK private carp fishing venues are capable of producing.

🎯 Tactics & Methods

With only five anglers maximum on the lake at any one time and each occupying at least 20% of the water, Olivemead offers an unrivalled opportunity for truly intimate big-carp fishing in Wiltshire. The relatively small footprint of the lake means that feature finding and location are both more straightforward than on larger gravel pits — fish are never far away, and their movements across the lake throughout a session can often be tracked visually by the observant angler.

The two central islands are the primary tactical focus for most visiting anglers. The large central island is lined with lily pads and reeds, and the area teems with natural food for carp and offers excellent open-water spots known for successfully attracting some of Olivemead’s larger carp. Each lodge swim has specific access to different sections of the island — Cedars Lodge has excellent access to the front point of the large main central island, while Willows Lodge provides access to the rear point of the main island. Understanding which section of the island is accessible from your booked swim and planning your presentations accordingly is one of the first tactical conversations to have with the fishery when you arrive.

The lake features gravel bars, lily pads, reeds, deep holes and troughs where some of the larger fish reside. The deeper holes and troughs — reaching up to 10 feet — are where the ‘hippos’ of the lake tend to spend significant time, particularly during warmer periods when they seek the cooler, more thermally stable deep water. Presenting a rig into these deeper features, whether identified with a marker rod or by careful casting to feel the bottom composition change underfoot, is consistently one of the most reliable ways to intercept the lake’s largest residents.

Bait choice should reflect the exceptional quality of the stock — big, experienced carp like those at Olivemead have encountered a wide variety of baits over their years in the lake. High-quality, consistent boilies in proven flavours, fished with confidence over a modest bed of bait, tend to outperform novelty approaches. The natural food abundance in the lake means the carp are never going hungry, so hookbait attraction and presentation quality are more important than volume. A single, perfectly presented pop-up or wafter fished over a handful of matching freebies and a small spod of particles is a consistently effective Olivemead approach.

Margin fishing along the lily pad and reed-fringed banks is highly productive, particularly during the evening and overnight periods when the lake’s biggest carp patrol these natural corridors with great confidence. A bait placed accurately within inches of the lily pad edge — whether by hand, baiting pole, or accurate underarm cast — will frequently out-fish presentations made further out in the open water during these key feeding windows. Given that Cedars Lodge anglers fish from a decked platform on the water and must bring stage stands or a rod pod — and similarly Oak Lodge — tackle planning before your visit is important for platform-based swims.

🏆 Lake Records & Key Stats

📅 Seasonal Fishing Guide

Spring (March–May): As water temperatures rise, the carp at Olivemead become increasingly active around the island margins and lily pad areas. Spring is an excellent period for sight fishing in the shallower margins before full lily pad development — visible fish can often be targeted directly with well-placed presentations. The tench also begin feeding strongly from late spring, providing excellent sport on float and feeder tactics for lodge guests targeting a change of species.

Summer (June–August): Arguably the most exciting period at Olivemead, with carp active throughout the lake and the lily pad margins at their most attractive to fish. The ‘hippos’ of the lake spend significant time in the deeper holes and troughs during the heat of the day before moving into margin and island areas in the cooler evening and overnight periods. Surface fishing is highly effective during settled conditions, and zig rigs produce well when fish are visible but not responding to bottom presentations.

Autumn (September–November): Carp at Olivemead feed hard through autumn building condition, and this period consistently produces some of the season’s best catches. The gravel bars and deeper troughs are at their most productive through October and November as fish feed over natural food-rich areas of the lakebed. Lodge guests fishing autumn sessions frequently report their best-ever carp captures from the venue during this window.

Winter (December–February): Olivemead is available as a year-round venue and the luxury lodge accommodation makes it a genuinely appealing winter fishing destination in a way that bivvy-based fishing can never be. Carp slow during the coldest months but the lake’s exceptional stock density means fish remain catchable on single hookbaits and small PVA bags. The pike fishing provides an exciting alternative during winter sessions, and the lodge guests benefit from heated, comfortable accommodation between takes.

ℹ️ Facilities & Key Rules

Olivemead offers 5 lodges, each accommodating 2 anglers — Willows Lodge, Cedars Lodge, The Main Lodge, and the brand new Oak Lodge as the larger lodges. All lodges are self-catering and provide a comfortable home-from-home environment for the duration of the booking. A separate toilet and shower block is available for bivvy swim anglers who do not have lodge access. iPhone and iPad charging is available at a cost of £1 per item. The lake is strictly by appointment and pre-booking only — you are welcome to come and look around, but it is by appointment only — call Scott on 07940 356737.

Cedars Lodge anglers fish from a decked platform on the water and must bring stage stands or a rod pod. Oak Lodge anglers also fish from a decked platform and will need a rod pod or stage stands. Willows Lodge has a stoned swim area — it is recommended to bring a rod pod or bank sticks with a mallet. Each swim has been thoughtfully designed to maximise access to the lake’s features, with specific guidance available from the fishery for each lodge position.

Key Rules to Know:

Barbless hooks only. Unhooking mats and carp care products mandatory for all fish. No sacking of fish. Pre-booking essential — no walk-up sessions available. Maximum 2 anglers per lodge. Only lodge and booked bivvy swim anglers permitted on site — no day visitors. Valid EA rod licence required at all times. Contact Scott on 07940 356737 for bookings and current availability.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

📞 Venue Information

🌐 www.olivemeadlake.co.uk

📞 07940 356737 (Scott – bookings & appointments)

📍 Dauntsey, Chippenham, Wiltshire

Pre-book only · 5 lodge swims (3 lodges + 2 bivvy) · Min 2 anglers per lodge · Year-round fishing · No walk-ups · Viewings by appointment only