Top 4 Lakes around Preston

For a family-friendly experience, Fairhaven Lake is an excellent choice, offering motor and rowing boat hire, pedalos, tennis courts, a skate park, crazy golf, and children's playgrounds. The RSPB Ribble Discovery Centre also provides educational opportunities. Another great option is Brockholes Nature Reserve, which features a floating Visitor Village, an adventure play area, and accessible paths suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Abbey Grounds Park also has a wide open space, wildfowl, and a children’s play area, making it suitable for family visits.

Cuerden Valley Park offers extensive walking and cycling trails through woodlands, meadows, and open grassland around Cuerden Lake. Brockholes Nature Reserve also has several waymarked walking trails, including accessible paths. For cyclists, the Singletrack Between the Manorbrook Lakes provides a flowing surface track with fun corners. You can find more detailed hiking routes around the area in our Hiking around Preston guide and cycling routes in the Road Cycling Routes around Preston guide.

Yes, Fairhaven Lake offers adjacent parking and accessible routes around its perimeter, ensuring easy mobility for all visitors. Brockholes Nature Reserve also provides accessible paths suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs, making it a welcoming destination for everyone.

Brockholes Nature Reserve is exceptional for wildlife spotting, with a mosaic of habitats including pools and reedbeds that attract record numbers of breeding wading birds, ospreys, and otters. The RSPB Ribble Discovery Centre at Fairhaven Lake provides information about local wildlife and is excellent for birdwatching. Cuerden Valley Park is also home to diverse wildlife, with sightings of deer, owls, kingfishers, and various bird species.

Fairhaven Lake offers a wide range of facilities including boat hire, tennis courts, a skate park, crazy golf, children's playgrounds, bowling greens, and a fitness trail. It also has the RSPB Ribble Discovery Centre. Brockholes Nature Reserve features a floating Visitor Village with a welcome centre, shop, and a café. Abbey Grounds Park includes public toilets and a children's play area. You can also find the Dragonfly Café & Visitor Centre situated next to a lake, offering outside seating.

Yes, Brockholes Nature Reserve has a café within its floating Visitor Village with stunning views over Meadow Lake. The Dragonfly Café & Visitor Centre is another great option, located next to a lake with outdoor seating. While Cuerden Valley Park has picnic areas, you might find additional refreshment options in nearby villages.

Many lakes, such as the area around the Singletrack Between the Manorbrook Lakes, are particularly enjoyable in the spring and summer months when the weather is milder and nature is in full bloom. However, places like Brockholes Nature Reserve and Cuerden Valley Park offer beautiful scenery and wildlife spotting opportunities year-round, with events often held throughout the seasons.

Cuerden Valley Park, which includes Cuerden Lake, has historical features such as the ruins of Lower Kem Mill. The lake itself is a reservoir constructed in the late 19th century to supply water to Cuerden Hall. Fairhaven Lake is also considered one of the oldest marine lakes in Britain, adding a historical dimension to its natural beauty.

Fairhaven Lake offers a wide array of recreational activities. You can hire motor and rowing boats, pedalos, or canoes. There are also 14 tennis courts, a skate and BMX park, crazy golf, children's playgrounds, bowling greens, and a fitness trail. The RSPB Ribble Discovery Centre provides insights into the lake's heritage and wildlife, and the well-maintained path around the perimeter is popular for walks.

Brockholes Nature Reserve is unique for its innovative floating Visitor Village, which houses a welcome centre, shop, and a café with stunning views. It was transformed from a former sand and gravel quarry into a vibrant natural haven, boasting a mosaic of habitats rich in birdlife and other wildlife, including otters. It's an engaging destination for all ages with exceptional wildlife spotting opportunities and family-friendly facilities.

While not directly in Preston, the broader region includes the Cotswold Water Park, which is the UK’s largest marl lake system. It encompasses over 150 lakes, many of which are designated nature reserves, offering vast natural beauty and diverse wildlife. Closer to Preston, Brockholes Nature Reserve is a significant natural haven with a variety of habitats.