This is a really beautiful place to swim. I booked to come last Friday and unfortunately the site had to close early due to hot weather, which is completely understandable and unavoidable. Unfortunately, the website was not updated to reflect this or prevent ticket sales so I booked a ticket and drove around 40 minutes to be told they were closed (it had been posted on Instagram but not everyone has an account). The two girls on the front desk were very helpful and understanding and processed a refund for me. Initial communication to customers could've been better but the staff were great and I would come back again.

Insanely overpriced small duck pond sized lake that is HUGELY overcrowded and commercialised to within a inch of its Tacky as can get life!!!! Its actually to such an extent now its genuinly Grotesque and makes for a very unpleasant place to go. Which is a shame as This lake used to be an every summer go to several times a week for myself and many many friends, family and neighbours and visitors we have, but today was the literal END, the Cost just to launch own paddleboard, an insane £12.50, for whatbis a duck pond size lake 🤣 the parking costs on top, the myriad of commercial outlets trying to sell things to people, the ramming ontp lake as many large numbers of people and boats until lake is rammed, so mucb so its deeply unpleasant to be on at all. I'd rather spend my time and money somewhere where the beauty of somewhere has been cared for and protected and that is not just mega money grabbing commecialism to this level of destroying somewhere.

The lake was rammed but it was still well managed, plenty of space next to the lake for everyone to enjoy and the staff left you to it, as long as you're safe. Get there early to enjoy the most of it (0930-1000 I'd recommend) and bring your own food as it's a bit spenny like, but overall it's a great day for yourself to enjoy with your friends / family. The only downside which isn't the staffs fault, hence the continued 5* review, is that there is a fair amount of dog faeces on the grass everywhere because some inconsiderate owners don't think it's their responsibility to clean up after their animals, and some people absolutely blast music which is ideal for about 6 people. Most music players are respectful and play their music quietly so that their group can enjoy it, but some really generous souls think it's better that the whole lake hears their speaker blasting out Michael Jackson. Nothing against MJ but after hearing 'Beat It' for the 18th time, you'd think they'd get the hint and sort it out. To summarise, people suck, the lake is great, the staff are friendly, get there early. Parking is £5 all day.

We visited Alderford Lake yesterday and overall had a really lovely experience. The setting is beautiful, the water activities are fantastic, everything felt clean and well maintained, and the facilities were genuinely impressive. It’s the kind of place you can happily spend an entire day with family and friends, especially during warm weather. One thing that really puzzled us though was the parking system. Parking is free for the first 3 hours, but after that you have to pay. We stayed for around 4.5 hours and ended up paying £5 for the additional 1.5 hours. It just felt a little counterintuitive for a venue that encourages people to relax and spend the day there. In reality, the longer visitors stay, the more they are likely to spend on food, drinks, ice creams and activities anyway, so charging extra for remaining on site longer felt slightly like being penalised for enjoying the venue properly. The only other downside was the amount of very loud swearing throughout the day from groups of teenagers. Teenagers themselves weren’t the issue at all, but the constant shouting of aggressive language across a family environment wasn’t ideal when visiting with younger children. At times it felt almost impossible not to be exposed to the relentless language while trying to enjoy the day. Perhaps a few polite but firm park rules or signs reminding visitors to be respectful of the family atmosphere and mindful of their language would help. Overall though, Alderford Lake is a brilliant place with huge potential for really memorable family days out.

Great place to go for a day out, paddle boarding on the lake or let the children play on the water activity centre . They have changing rooms, coffee shop and ice cream parlour . A good footpath for the mile long walk around the lake with plenty of benches to sit and admire.