Lake Grounds

What it’s like

A boating lake, playground and open grass for picnics, all free to park and wander round.

The boating lake is the reason to come. Nobody's pretending it's a theme park ride, but paddling round in a hired boat while the grown ups sit on the bank is exactly the sort of low key thing that fills an afternoon without anyone needing a nap. There's a playground too, so if the boats are busy or your kids are too small for them, the swings and climbing frame pick up the slack.

Bring a picnic. There are picnic areas set out on the grass and the site clearly expects people to make a day of it rather than nip in for twenty minutes. A café's on site if you'd rather not carry a bag of sandwiches, which is handy if you've forgotten to pack anything or the kids demand chips halfway through.

Parking's free, which matters more than it sounds. No booking fee to weigh up, no session times to work around, just turn up when you fancy it. That also means there's nothing here to tell you about opening hours or how much the boats cost, so it's worth having a rough plan B if you arrive and the lake's shut for the day.

It's an outdoor spot built around grass, water and play equipment rather than anything under cover, so a soggy day is going to change the visit. Nothing in what they list suggests indoor shelter beyond the café, so this is really a fair weather trip.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

Free parking on site

• The boating lake is the main draw, so factor in queuing if it looks busy
• It's mostly outdoors, so a wet day will change the visit
• Free parking means no need to plan around a booking

Plan your visit

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