The Lakes

Oak, Sessile, Acorn, Holm and Turkey

Every lake on the park is named after an oak, or after something that comes off one. The numbers match the markers on the walking map, so you can pick them off as you go.

Oak Lake at Rockingham Forest Park, with its fountain playing and willows along the far bank

11On the walking map

Opposite the entrance

Oak Lake

The first water you see, and the busiest. It was dug in 1984 and sits directly opposite the entrance, which means it gets the most visitors, the most feeding and the most photographs. Through the summer, pink and white water lilies spread a blanket across part of it, and a weeping willow leans out over the bank. Herons stand on the edge waiting; mallards and the occasional swan come in to see what is going on.

Created 1984
Fishing lake
Water lilies

4On the walking map

Near the public bridleway to Apethorpe

Sessile Lake

The bigger of the two fishing lakes, and the one to walk out to if you want more water in front of you. Stone banks, open sky, and far enough from the lodges that you tend to have it to yourself. It takes its name from the sessile oak, the tall oak of semi-natural woodland — the tree the whole park is named around. The North Fields Walk takes it in on the way round.

Larger fishing lake
North Fields Walk
Bridleway to Apethorpe

Acorn Lake at Rockingham Forest Park, its wooded banks mirrored in still water

9On the walking map

East of the lodge park

Acorn Lake

The longest lake on the park, running east of the lodges. Named, simply, for the nut that comes off the oak. It is the quiet one — no swims, no crowds. The South Fields Walk starts at the old railway bridge, borders Little Morton Sale and brings you along it.

Longest lake on the park
South Fields Walk
Quiet water

The timber footbridge across Holm Lake, with open grass and trees beyond

10On the walking map

On your left as you drive in

Holm Lake

The one you pass on the way to your lodge, with a footbridge across one end. It is named for the holm oak, the evergreen that was first brought to this country in the 1500s and keeps its leaves all winter — which is roughly how this lake behaves too, still looking like something when the rest of the park has gone bare. The North Fields Walk comes back round to it past Great Byard Sale.

Footbridge
North Fields Walk
Good in winter

Turkey Lake, with willows leaning out across dark, still water and reeds running up to the bank

5On the walking map

The fifth lake

Turkey Lake

Willows lean out across the water and close it in overhead, so the surface stays dark and still even in the middle of the day. Reeds and scrub run right up to the bank. It keeps the naming pattern of the others — the turkey oak is another of the family, brought here in the 1700s and known for the whiskery cup around its acorn.

Willow-shaded
Still water
Reeds to the bank

Fishing the park

Two of the five lakes are open to anglers: Oak Lake, opposite the entrance, and Sessile Lake, which is the larger of the pair. Both are carp water. Three things are asked of everyone who fishes here.

1A valid rod licence. Every angler needs an Environment Agency rod licence before casting. It takes a couple of minutes to buy online and covers you anywhere in England.
2An unhooking mat, every time. We ask this of everyone, without exception. It is the single thing that keeps our fish in good condition.
3Line and litter in the bins. Discarded line does real harm on the bank and in the water. There are bins provided — please use them.
4Ask if you are unsure. Guest Services can point you at the swims and answer anything this page does not.

One of the fishing lakes at Rockingham Forest Park, with stone-edged swims along the near bank and the far bank reflected in still water

What is in there

Common carp
Mirror carp
Roach
Rudd
A few orange koi

What they take

Pellets, luncheon meat, sweetcorn and cheese. Float fishing with pellets just off the bottom is the method that works for the carp.

Where they sit

In the weed, and under the branches that hang over the water. Our maintenance team de-weed the swims through the summer to give you clear spots, and check the lakes regularly for broken rigs and line.

Buy a rod licence

What lives on the water

Mallards, swans and geese are the regulars, and there is usually a heron somewhere on a bank pretending to be a stick. Bring something to sit on and you will see more than you expect.

Grey heron

Herons work the banks, standing motionless until something swims into range. The collective noun is a siege, which is about right. In flight the long neck folds back into an S — that is how you tell one from everything else.

Water lilies

Pink and white lilies open across part of Oak Lake through the summer. Big waxy leaves, cupped flowers sitting just above the surface. Ours are the pale European sort rather than the tropical jewel colours.

Greylag geese

Greylags graze the grass between the water and the lodges and are entirely unbothered by you walking past. Every farmyard goose in the country descends from this bird.

Dragonflies

On warm days they patrol the margins — hovering, gone, back again. One of the better reasons to stop walking for five minutes.

The stargazing spot

Next to Sessile Lake there are two chairs behind a woven willow screen, and a board beside them telling you what to look for on a clear night.

Four things the board suggests looking for:

The Milky Way
Constellations
Shooting stars
Planets

Bring a telescope or binoculars if you have them — or, as the board puts it, just enjoy the sky with the naked eye.

The spot is beside Sessile Lake, point 4 on the walking map. Take a torch for the walk back.

The Welcome to our Stargazing Spot sign at Rockingham Forest Park, listing the Milky Way, constellations, shooting stars and planets as things to look for on a clear night

Walks that take in the water

Three waymarked routes start on the park, and two of them are built around the lakes. There are benches dotted along the way if you want to sit for a while.

North Fields Walk

Takes you around the park by way of Sessile Lake and the open countryside beyond it, then back round to Holm Lake past Great Byard Sale.

Sessile and Holm

South Fields Walk

Starts at the old railway bridge and borders Little Morton Sale, bringing you along the length of Acorn Lake.

Acorn Lake

Railway Ramble

Through Great Morton Sale to the dismantled railway underneath the LNWR bridge, built for the line between Seaton and Wansford.

Woodland and railway

The walking map marks every lake, path and numbered point on the park — worth having on your phone before you set off.

Download the walking map

On the park

Fishing here