Stanwick Lakes

Home
United Kingdom
Northampton
Stanwick Lakes

Call Directions Website Contact the organisation

Welcome to Stanwick Lakes,
where the adventure lasts all day!
(1826)

Stanwick Lakes is a unique 750acre countryside attraction and nature reserve in the heart of Northamptonshire's beautiful Nene Valley, and is widely considered to be one of the region's most imaginative outdoor activity destinations. It offers the best of both worlds: extensive play areas to keep adventurous families entertained for hours, and for nature lovers, walkers and cyclists, acres of wide open spaces and paths, where blue skies are reflected in tranquil waters. Stanwick Lakes is managed as a social enterprise by environmental charity, Rockingham Forest Trust, in partnership with East Northamptonshire Council.

14/10/2026

Help us to take practical action for the UK’s tiniest mouse!

We are inviting people to join us to survey the riverbanks and meadows of the Stanwick Lakes nature reserve for Harvest Mice as part of the Mammal Society’s National Harvest Mouse Survey.

On 13th November, survey for these tiny mice alongside our Wildlife Volunteer Team – book your FREE place here: www.stanwicklakes.org.uk/harvest-mouse-surveys/

The Nene Valley Mammal Youth Group is also hosting events, and there are still places on our Wildlife Survey Skills Harvest Mouse Monitoring event for young conservationists aged 18- 30: https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/mammal-group/

Nationally, harvest mice are included on the Red List for Britain’s Mammals and our surveys enable conservationists to monitor populations and identify actions to manage nature reserves to protect them.

For more information about the Society's National Harvest Mouse Survey: https://mammal.org.uk/current-research/national-harvest-mouse-survey

13/10/2026

What a fantastic Heritage Build Weekend we've just had!
Our replica Roman kiln has had its first successful firing 🔥, and we’re really pleased with the results...

The kiln fire was lit on Friday, and was tended over the whole weekend. Temperatures reached between 720°C and 850°C, leaving us with a lovely mix of fired pots in a range of colours. A few didn’t quite make it, and some need a little more heat next time, but that’s all part of the learning. The firing has given us lots of insight and great ideas of what to do when we fire the kiln again in 2027.

It was also wonderful to see so many visitors enjoying everything that was going on during our Heritage Build Weekend, from natural dyeing and mosaic making to exploring our Bronze Age-style jetty and watching bronze casting demonstrations.

A huge thank you to our brilliant volunteers, project partners - Udig Excavations, Ancient Craft - Dr. James Dilley, Woodnewton Workshops, The Longthorpe Legion, Earthly Arts Studio and everyone else who came along to be part of it. What a weekend!

We are really excited to see where these projects take us in 2027, keep following us for more updates.

12/10/2026

Schools: Brilliant Birds!

Winter visitors are winging their way to Stanwick Lakes and bringing a whole world of discovery with them.

As a multi-designated reserve for over-wintering birds, this is one of the best times of year for you to visit with your class.

From beaks to feet to fabulous feathers, come and explore what makes each brilliant bird different and discover how their structure makes them well suited to our habitat.

Perfect for classes who want to explore ‘Animals, including humans’ through a STEM-based approach.

Get in touch today to plan your visit. Email [email protected]

11/10/2026

There are now less then 75 days until Christmas. But who's counting? 👀🎄
Well, we are - especially as Father Christmas will be arriving at Stanwick Lakes sooner! If you've been meaning to book your Grotto visit, consider this a little nudge. 🎅

Santa stops here from 5th December, and you can book your visit now for various dates throughout the month!

Don't forget, you can add an ✨ Elfish Activity Passport ✨ to your booking, with our Christmas trail, crafts and pottery activities bundled in at a special price for some extra festive fun.

For all the details, dates, and to book your tickets, visit: https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/christmas-at-stanwick-lakes-2026/

10/10/2026

What a day!
More of the same tomorrow:
Heritage Build Weekend, 10am - 4pm

09/10/2026

Give a tote bag a personal touch this half term! 🎨
Come along to our Family Friendly Fabric Printing Workshop on Friday 30th October and create a design that’s completely your own.

Artist and printmaker Lizzie Ault will be on hand to guide you as you experiment with ready-cut stamps and her own hand-cut lino blocks to print onto a tote bag. All materials are provided, so you can concentrate on getting creative.

£15 per person, including parking.
Suitable for ages 7+, with younger children welcome to have a go with supervision.

🎟️ Morning and afternoon sessions are available. Book your place here:
https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/events/fabric-printing-workshop/

Find more ideas for half term here:
https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/october-half-term-activities/

08/10/2026

Join us for a cosy autumn evening this October as the Visitor Centre opens late for an evening of creativity.

This is your chance to try your hand at something new, with workshops ranging from an autumn-themed Sip & Paint for ages 18+ 🍷🎨 to Family Friendly Resin Jewellery Making for ages 10+. 💍

Each workshop is beginner-friendly, set in small groups, and designed to help you unwind, get creative and make something special for the season. 🍁

Stanwick 'Lates' takes place on Friday 23rd October, from 6 - 8pm.

Book your session now: https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/events/stanwick-lates/

07/10/2026

It was lovely to see children and their families from the Kingswood Children’s Centre exploring Stanwick Lakes this week as part of the Nature Families project.

The children made and decorated their own binoculars before heading out on to the nature reserve to spot ducks and swans on the lakes, and sparrows in the woodland. And, of course, the trip wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to the playground and the new accessible play equipment, which is perfect for little adventurers. For some of the families, this was their first visit to Stanwick Lakes and the parents and carers told us they loved the wide-open spaces, sand and water play and spending time outdoors with their children.

The visit, which included transport to and from Stanwick Lakes, was made possible thanks to a donation from Kori Construction Kori Construction Limited and enables us to support families who may face barriers to visiting Stanwick Lakes, giving parents and pre-school children the chance to spend time outdoors together and connect with nature.

Elaine Kendall, Head of Sustainability, Kori Construction, said: ”We’re delighted to be supporting the Nature Families project through our Corby Community Fund, helping to create positive and lasting experiences for local families.”

06/10/2026

Our Heritage Build Weekend is this weekend!
This Saturday and Sunday, 10th & 11th October, we’ll be celebrating a major milestone in our "From Iron to Empire" heritage project at Stanwick Lakes.

First up: our Roman kiln!
After months of experimenting with Roman pottery, our replica Roman kiln is finally ready for its first firing.
The kiln will be lit on Friday, after the wonderful replica pots made by our volunteers over the weekend have been loaded inside. They’ll then be fired using the techniques we’ve been exploring throughout the project.

You can also explore our new jetty…
The jetty has been one of the big builds of the project, and this weekend you’ll have the chance to go out and have a look around for yourself, with self-guided access across both days.
Join Dr James Dilley of , who will also be doing bronze casting demonstrations each day at 2pm.

And if you’ve joined us for one of our previous Heritage Build Weekends, you’ll know there’s plenty more going on too...

- Roman textiles and natural dyeing
- Drop-in mosaic making with Earthly Arts Studio
- Children’s crafts
- Meet the Romans from The Longthorpe Legion

There’ll be plenty to see and do throughout the weekend, with lots of our volunteers and project partners showing you what they’ve been working on over the past year.

📅 Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 October 10am – 4pm
📍 Stanwick Lakes

It’s going to be a brilliant weekend, and we’d love to see you there!

05/10/2026

Come to Stanwick Lakes and explore more!

Join us for an immersive hands-on living history session for as little as £195.00 per class of students including your pre-visit, parking and a dedicated lunch room.

Then explore even more by visiting our Heritage Museum, Bronze Age Barrow or Iron Age Roundhouses, see experimental archaeology in action (on selected days), or make time for some fun in our popular play areas!

Get in touch to find out more [email protected]

Address

Northampton
NN96GY

Telephone

01933 625522

Website

http://www.stanwicklakes.org.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Stanwick Lakes posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to Stanwick Lakes:

Want your organisation to be the top-listed government service in Northampton?