A fantastic family day out (Rudyard Lake (Staffordshire))

Member Name: robbiej

Product:	Rudyard Lake (Staffordshire)
Date:	28/09/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Something for everyone

Disadvantages: not great in bad weather

A few months ago my partners mum bought a mobile home on location, in a purpose built park, within a 5 minute walk of Rudyard Lake. A short while after this I had the pleasure of spending a long weekend with my partner and her daughter in the newly acquired mobile home.
Rudyard Lake is ideally located very close to both Macclesfield & Leak (Just off the A523), and commutable from many surrounding towns / cities. The lake is a few miles in length, and on a 'family walk' you can walk around the entire lake within 3 4 hours. Although the one side of the lake is almost cycle track/canal like in appearance, the other side is somewhat more wild, and more of a mission, without specifically built tourist routes - Maybe not idea for young children who dad ends up carrying (this I can confirm from experience). On the one side of the lake there is a 'miniature train and track, which holds up to around 40 people, and is fantastic, starting in one of the car parks, and taking you most of the length of the lake (The train fare is around the £1.50-£2. Although I will double check and then update this review).

The central point of the lake is the Visitor Centre, and shop/cafe. This is accompanied by a smaller car park, that does get very busy, especially during the weekends and holiday periods. The visitor centre is an introduction and overview of the lake, detailing all activities and things to do and see while you are there. Joining this area of the lake is the boat moorings, and boat launching (prices of things I will give a summary of at the end) where there is always a lot of activity going on. You can bring your own boat for the day if you fancy a day's sailing (you can also hire a perminent mooring for your boat here). There is also the option of bringing or hiring your own canoes, and you can hire boats located at the lake (you need to contact them direct to get specific details on this). Finally there is an organised boat trip, that you can either do on the day or book privately. For these activities I would highly recommend either phoning them or checking out the website for more info.

Apart from the varied watersports and walking available there is a host of wildlife every inch of the way, and there is fantastic fishing available. Unless there is a fishing match on (pre check with the warden) you can turn up and pick your spot, let your family leave you in peace and wait for the warden to collect your £4 for the day. You do NEED to have a rod license (available from the internet or the post office) !! It is an instant fine now and no excuse policy - you have been warned. The fishing is great, lots of bigger fish including Pike, Perch & Bream (I was lucky enough to catch 2 fantastic perch of about 4-5 in weight). Although the pegs are not great after a lot of rain and the water level has risen. However when there isn't a match on, you will usually have the choice of over 40 pegs, to suit your preferance.

There are many more things I could describe about the lakeside activities, but without wanting to cover a lot of ground that the website gives you. For all details I would highly recommend looking over their website (address below).

The lake is of course child friendly, and also dog friendly. The one thing I would say here is that there have been the occasional outbreak of blue algae at the lake, which are documented at the visitor centre, and sign posts give you the current situation.

Around the lake there are many nice grassy areas with great viewpoints, and loads of space to relax with a picnic and watch the world go by. For the more energetic Rudyark Lake is the centre of many walks and walking paths through the hills, along rivers and canals.
It isn't the easiest place to find, so do research directions prior to your drive there. From Macclesfield it takes us about half an hour to get there. For people that require disabled access, then there are many disabled facilities on offer (including a special hoist for boat access), along with toilets and changing rooms.

Train around £2 each way (I will confirm this and update)
Fishing £4 per day
Boat Launching £7 - £10 per day
Canoeing day ticket £5 (group discount available)
Boat Hire £5 per hour
Boat Trip £3 adults £2 children
www.rudyardlake.com

There are also varied opening times for the lake, the parking and activities. Again I would recommend checking anything like this before setting off.
I think it only fair to mention the slight downside of Rudyard lake for the majority. That is simply the Weather! I am happy there come rain or shine, but for a family with kids it's not the best place to be in bad weather. It is very much outdoors! Without many places for shelter. So again double check the weather and makes sure you are prepared for this.... just in case!

All in all it can be a fantastic day out for all the family. The views are fantastic in all directions, and you are spoilt for choice with things to see and do.
If you are lookig for a pleasant pic-nic location or a serious walk in the country, rudyard has it all.

Have Fun !!

Summary: A fantastic lake of activities !