The Lakes

Oak, Sessile, Acorn and Holm

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.

6On 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

5On 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
Quietest of the four

9On 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

Fishing the park

Two of the four 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.

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.

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