NATURE
What wildlife
to see in Summer
Heritage
Learning from the past,
building for the future
Adventure
Where the adventure
lasts all day
CHARITY NO. 1050157
Visitor information :
Hours
Find Us
Parking
Accessibility
Contact
Visitor Opening times
Please see the table below for the current opening times.
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Date |
Site opening Times |
Visitor Centre Opening Times |
| January – March | 7am – 5pm | 10am – 4pm |
| April to September | 7am – 7pm | 10am – 5pm |
| October-December | 7am – 5pm | 10am – 4pm |
How to find us
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Stanwick Lakes is situated off the Stanwick roundabout on the A45 in East Northamptonshire between Wellingborough (eight miles away) and Thrapston (seven miles away).
The postcode for Sat Nav directions is NN9 6GY.
Parking and prices
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Thank you for paying to park!
Did you know that Stanwick Lakes is run by Rockingham Forest Trust, a local environmental charity?
Every time you pay the car park charges at Stanwick Lakes you are supporting the conservation and maintenance work that takes place on the site. This includes managing the nature reserve for wildlife, looking after the play equipment and maintaining miles of paths for walking and cycling.
Car Parking Charges
Charging period |
Charges per car |
|
0-2 hours – £4.00 |
|
| Minibus (9 seater +) £30.00 Coach (17 seater +) £60.00 |
|
|
Annual Parking Pass |
£52 per household per year |
Closed Christmas Day
Accessibility
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The majority of the site’s facilities are wheelchair accessible, including the visitor centre, toilets, feeding station and water’s edge bird hides, the network of footpaths and cycle paths, and areas within the central adventure playground. A lift is situated in the café area to allow disabled visitors to access the mezzanine area where the archaeological finds are kept, including the section of Roman floor mosaic.
Contact Us
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01933 625 522
info@rftrust.org.uk
Follow us on social media:
Stanwick Lakes is managed as a social enterprise by the environmental charity,
Rockingham Forest Trust. All Income from our visitors directly supports the cost of running the site, including conservation work and educational events.
Upcoming Events
Northants and Rutland Open Studios -Stanwick Art Collective
Home Education Day Key Stage 1 & 2
Heritage Talk: Bronze Age Burials And Ceremonial Landscape
Finds Fridays at Stanwick Lakes
Northants and Rutland Open Studios – Meet the Artist
Mixed Media Art Course
Bat Walk (Nene Valley Mammal Youth Group)
Afternoon Tea with Craig Nathan
Autumn Wreath Making
The visitor centre, with café, shop and function space, hosts many events, family celebrations, business meetings and craft workshops throughout the year.
THINGS TO DO…
NATURE
Visit a birdhide
One of the best ways to take in all that a wetlands site has to offer is to stop off at several hides dotted around the reserve, and see what you can spot…
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HERITAGE
Go back in time!
Notice the stone marker posts, each carved with an historical era? These form part of our Heritage Trail and each of the six stones marks the site of an important historic settlement…
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ADVENTURE
Imaginative play
Get active and explore our adventure playground, assault course, adventure trail, dotted around the reserve, including water play and a zip line!
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acres of open space
miles of scenic paths
days of the year
LATEST NEWS
New Wheelchair-Accessible Play Towers Coming Soon
There’s a lot about to happen in our adventure playground as work gets underway on exciting new accessible play equipment! The new equipment will include wheelchair-accessible towers connected by a raised walkway, along with a slide and sensory play features. Designed with accessibility in mind, the towers can be reached by ramps and will be suitable for wheelchairs, prams and pushchairs. Improvements are also being made to the ground surrounding the equipment to help make the area easier to access and enjoy.
Digging Into the Past: Heritage Talks Return to Stanwick Lakes
Did you know that beneath the beautiful lakes, meadows and footpaths at Stanwick Lakes lies evidence of more than 5,000 years of human history?
This autumn, visitors will have the opportunity to uncover some of those incredible stories through a series of fascinating heritage talks led by two renowned historians and archaeologists.
Northants & Rutland Open Studios at Stanwick Lakes
This September, Stanwick Lakes will be hosting a special exhibition as part of the Northants and Rutland Open Studios Festival, showcasing the work of four talented local artists inspired by the natural world.
Disabled Adventurer to Host Free Film Screening and Talk
Nick Wilson, also known as ‘The Disabled Adventurer’ will arrive at Stanwick Lakes on the 14th of August at 3pm having completed 30miles of North Northamptonshire’s Greenways trail. As part of The Disabled Adventurer’s 50 for 50 accessibility campaign, Nick will be hosting a ‘small and personal get together’ in our Visitors Centre for a film screening and talk.
Charcoal Making
Charcoal Making – a traditional, cyclical story This time, our Ranger Roundup comes with a bit of a twist, as our Rangers have been turning their winter conservation work into something new for our shop. This year, we are making our own charcoal here at Stanwick...
A Modern Artefact Returns Home
A Modern Artefact Returns Home Every landscape has a story, and at Stanwick Lakes, that story spans more than 10,000 years – from the first people to settle beside the River Nene, to the quarry that created the lakes we enjoy today. When people think of museum...
Iron to Empire: Summer Update
Kilns, dye pots and jetty posts - this summer's build progress so far... This time round, we thought we'd hand the blog over to the people doing the digging, dyeing and building themselves. Below you'll find updates from across our heritage sites, each written by the...
Hot Weather, High Risk – How you can help
With very hot weather forecast this week, we’d really appreciate your help in looking after Stanwick Lakes, its wildlife and everyone who comes to enjoy it. To keep things simple, we’re asking all visitors to follow a few important rules during this period: Please...
Good for your team. Great for our riverbank.
Could Your Team's Next Volunteering Day Help Save a Riverbank? This summer, we're inviting local businesses and community groups to join us for a series of hands-on conservation sessions at Stanwick Lakes - and help us take on Himalayan Balsam, one of the most...
Top 3 Outdoor Team Challenges for Summer
Summer is an ideal time for corporate team-building days. Longer days, warmer weather, big skies and open spaces create the perfect environment for teams to step away from the office and reconnect. Outdoor team challenges are more than just fun activities—they help...
A unique setting, convenient location, and with ample facilities, you can make your event one to remember at Stanwick Lakes. Our flexible indoor and outdoor spaces and our experienced team, and specialist knowledge can help with you shape your event into something unique.
Every Visit Counts
The visitor centre, with café, shop and function spaces is ran as a social enterprise, which very much supports the charity, with all income. The setting for many events, family celebrations, business meetings and craft workshops throughout the year, we can cater for any event.
So there’s always enough going on to work up an appetite!