Alderford Lake

Had a great morning visiting to attend parkrun. Definitely an advantage signing the waiver online, saved loads of time. It was a lovely two-lap trail route around fields and the lake. Weather was atrocious so it was really muddy but good fun. Had a lovely warm in the Lakeside Cafe afterwards for tea, breakfast bap and good company. Very friendly service!

What a beautiful place to visit. 12 of us went. Used paddle boards and canoes. Hours of fun. Dogs allowed on leads. One couple thought they owned place letting dog run free. Scaring my neice. Move or put dog on lead. They moved. Didn't spoil day though. Very tidy. Place to get warm if needed after swimming. Cafe/ restaurant/pizza place/ ice creams . Water inflatable assault course and other stuff. Definitely visiting again. It is well worth booking in advance as people got turned away as full.

Great for a day out and well priced! Picturesque. Shop and cafe. Great for water sports or wild swimming

Slightly apprehensive about going, having read about extra costs here there and everywhere! However it was great! £6.90 on the door to swim on a Sunday (cheaper to book on line in advance) but this includes a cup of tea/small coffee/small chocolate in the cafe so great value. (Don't know if this applies on line) Lady at admissions was super helpful, explained where we could swim (anywhere!) but there was an area to the right with picnic benches and a handrail to help you down a gentle slope with matting on. Nice cool 8 degrees, changing dome as well, nice staff in the restaurant as well. What a lovely morning!

Alderford is one of our favourite family days out. Walk round the lake with the dog then enjoy some cake in the cafe. Always have a lovely time and never disappointed!

We had a fantastic day out at Alderford Lake! Six of us, and our cockapoo Tim, went on the mega SUP, which was hilarious! Some of us had a go on the Aqua Park, which was great. The activities were well organised and all the staff at Alderford lake were very friendly and added to the fun of our day. We also ate at Lakeside Kitchen and the food was delicious. Would highly recommend Alderford Lake, a great day out for all the family…we'll be back! Thank you.

I love Alderford. Although there was a flood this time at the side of the lake, we love it for open water swimming. The cafe afterwards is a lovely treat. The food was delicious and the little touches like providing hot water bottles is a definite win. Definitely recommend.

Visited for the first time for Father's day today, booked the 'Tiki Escape Island' where we were taken out on a boat and left to complete the mission! It was super fun and managed to complete it just in time! Loads to choose from for drinks and food as there are cafes and a bar lake side and we ended the day with a woodland walk which had loads of fun interactive swings and climbing apparatus. Definitely will be back to try out the water sports 😁

Went to the lights in the woods. Was amazing. So much thought has gone into it. Highly recommend. Lovely fires to roast marshmallows. Hot chocolate and items to buy. So worth a visit

Lovely site. Gorgeous walk around the lake. Restaurant lovely with a good menu.Lots of choice. Not cheap but quality good.Friendly service and lots of tables inside and out. Farm shop has lots of edible treats, meals, fresh produce and lovely gifts.

Great alternative to hitting the beech on a hot day. In some ways better as the lake is a lot safer to swim in. All the facilities we're very good, nice restaurant and pop up food stalls selling halloumi fries and crêpes. The sight was very clean, no litter to be seen and well looked after. Staff were friendly as well as the other day trippers. Take your own canoe or kayak or higher one. Would highly recommend for a day out with the family.

Delicious festive afternoon tea in the restaurant. Lovely setting, with really nice farm shop selling lots of beautiful items on site.
Lovely walks around the lake and lots of water activities available. Great location for kids and dogs.

Went on the Santa experience and my 9 year old loved it! The elves were amazing, very entertaining and there was plenty to do. A truly magical experience and meeting Santa was the perfect way to get ready for Christmas.

What a great place to chill and relax. Great setting. Very quiet. Prices for entrance vary. If you just want to walk round it’s £1 a person. Think it was about £5 if you want to swim in the lake. No fee if you just want to use the cafe. Nice to see people enjoying their surroundings and getting out into some fresh air. Easy to find with a great car park. Sometimes it’s just nice to be surrounded by nature.

Beautiful place. Beautiful lake. Highly recommend for a wild swim and relax in the sun.

Excellent place. We been coming here now 2 years running for the xmas grotto and would highly recommend with the kids.

They have food stalls available for food/drinks which caters for everyone.

We also came here for easter and it was brilliant.

Had a nice family time out. £2 per adult if going for just a walk

We went to go and see father Christmas on Santa island just before Christmas. Wow, what an experience it was! Truely magical, completely different to anything we had done before and a lot more there than we expected.

We had booked on line so check in in couldn't be easier, just a quick search of our name and we were in. Everything was very ordered, with time slots for the trip over the lake, so after grabbing our life vests and watching the safety briefing, we were helped into the boats and taken over to the island. We were there just as it was dropping dark, so got to see the magic appear through the dark. As we approached the island, you could see numerous structures and elves and other guests, as well as the resident goose, Nicky.

As we landed we were met by an elf, who helped us on and then helped us make toasted marshmallows and played some games and told some jokes. We then went into our first tipi for Christmas story telling, sat on skin rugs, which was fun with audience participation. Following this we made reindeerfood, played jenga and then searched for our wishing cube which we used to make a wish as we crossed the bridge to Santa's tipi.

The elves were all fantastic, with one cheeky naughty elf darting about and making mischief. Santa was super, Taking time to talk to us, find out what the kids had asked for and then sent us away with a signed copy of the chritmas story as well as a gift. There was also an elf on hand for the full family photo. We could then take photos on Santa's sleigh before the boat ride back. All in all it was just over an hour. We then popped into the alderford kitchen for a simple dinner in their lovely kitchen restaurant.

A magical experience for the kids and excellent value as far as the parents were concerned. Thank you for putting on this event at a time when we all need a bit of magic.

The lake is a really beautiful place to visit. We hired 2 paddle boards for an hour and whilst the lake is smaller than we realised it was about the right size for the time we had to practice paddle boarding, have a swim and a splash and enjoy ourselves.

The changing and loo facilities were quite basic but well kept and definitely sufficient. Every staff member we chatted to was lovely and friendly and helpful. There are plenty of activities on site to try so we’ll definitely return and keep an eye out for special events.

Lovely safe environment to swim/kayak or paddle board. Lovely calm water islands to paddle around. Clean water. Plenty of loos and they were clean. Advance check in recommended due to signing the waiver. Plenty or food and drink stalls on site or make a day or it and take a picnic. Lifeguards on site and a play are/ water wipe out for kids. Staff are all friendly.