Rushden Lakes is more than shopping and dining, it’s the place to explore and discover nature! There are plenty of walks, trails and activities for everyone to enjoy. Rushden Lakes is set beside the stunning Nene Wetlands nature reserve, a unique one square mile of wild and man-made habitats, managed for wildlife and people by The Wildlife Trust. From the boardwalk you will see Skew Bridge lake, this mile long nature loop starts near to the Nene Wetlands visitor centre and has a hard surface, making it ideal for pushchairs and wheelchairs. There are seating areas and viewpoints to look out from, as well as fourteen wooden animal sculptures.
The wider Nene Wetlands is part of the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Protection Area. Four Wildlife Trust nature reserves – Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows, Ditchford Lakes and Meadows, Higham Ferrers Pits and Wilson’s Pits are now linked up with Skew Bridge Lake, Delta Pit and Higham Lake – flooded gravel pits, wet meadow, wet woodland and reedbed at the heart of the Wildlife Trust’s Nene Valley Living Landscape.
This extensive series of shallow and deep open waters are surrounded with a wide range of marginal features, such as sparsely vegetated islands, gravel bars and shorelines, and habitats including reed swamp, marsh, wet ditches, rush pasture, rough grassland and scattered scrub. This range of habitat and the varied topography of the lagoons provide valuable nesting, resting and feeding conditions to sustain nationally important numbers and assemblages of breeding and wintering birds. Twenty thousand waterbirds use the wetlands every year, for breeding, for their winter quarters or as vital stopping points on their long migration routes, from as far away as Arctic Russia and southern Africa.
Visitor Centre
The Visitor Centre – a low-lying wooden, grass-roofed building on the edge of Skew Bridge Lake – is hugely symbolic for the Wildlife Trust BCN. A first visitor centre for the Trust’s three counties and a wonderful opportunity to engage with an entirely new audience coming to experience the retail park at Rushden Lakes. Visitors will experience an adventure at a place where wildlife, industrial history and modern retail culture come face-to-face.
Sculpture Trail
Outdoor play specialists Flights of Fantasy have created 14 beautiful wildlife sculptures in a trail along the edge of Skew Bridge Lake. Designer Russell Bowlby’s creations also include interactive installations in a Wildlife Discovery Area – an abandoned barge and an otter holt. Carefully positioned trail cameras around the lake deliver footage to screens in the visitor centre (e.g. images from the heronry on Delta Lake – not publicly accessible).
Wild Paddling
We collaborate with Northamptonshire company Canoe2 to offer a unique way to experience and appreciate nature. With the boathouse of Canoe2 just next door, access to the lakes – with portage on to the river Nene – couldn’t be easier.
Thank you for your support
Donations are their single biggest source of income, help us stop nature’s decline in your area and maintain our reserves by making a small donation today.
Discover the Nene Wetlands and The Wildlife Trust. Learn more by watching the below video.
Discover more…
of everything Rushden Lakes and the surrounding areas have to offer.
The Chester House Estate is a nationally significant heritage site, being one of the few places in the country which can demonstrate over 10,000 years of human activity.
North Northamptonshire Council (formally Northamptonshire County Council) purchased the site in 2004 and secured grant funding through working with the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop a sustainable visitor destination with access for the public to learn about the history and heritage, as well as becoming the location to house countywide archaeological finds.
The aim is to make The Chester House Estate somewhere that people want to come; a place that through education, learning and enjoyment adds value to their lives, and helps them to appreciate Northamptonshire’s outstanding heritage.
The towns of Rushden and Higham Ferrers are conveniently located in close proximity to Rushden Lakes; the towns are lively, friendly and offer a diverse range of small independent shops amidst attractive heritage settings.
Parking is free, we hope you will take the time to come and visit the local towns and discover more.
The spectacular Nene Valley runs from the West of Northampton following the River Nene taking in a mixture of medieval villages and market towns, through to the Cathedral City of Peterborough.
Covering more than 41,000 hectares, the Nene Valley boasts incredible views, unique landscapes and is a haven for many different types of wildlife. Click here for more information on what there is to see, do and explore!
Exploring the Nene Valley: people, heritage and identity in a changing landscape. There are many passionate organisations and individuals in the area working to look after the landscape. Nenescape support their projects by increasing access into the landscape, sharing skills and knowledge across partners and ensuring that the river is resilient to increasing visitor numbers. Find out more here.
Visit Canoe2 on the boardwalk to see how you can get out onto the water and explore our beautiful surroundings! Canoe2 has been the home of canoe hire, comfy camping and short breaks on the River Nene in Northamptonshire since 2010. Please click here for more information and to start your adventure!
Recruit Rushden Lakes is a free recruitment programme set up by The Crown Estate. It connects talented and local individuals with vacancies in the area. This in turn helps our retail and restaurant businesses at Rushden Lakes, together with other local businesses, find and train the staff they need. Please click here for more information.
Visit Higham Ferrers Town Centre
Find out more about Higham Ferrers and surrounding areas.
