Alderford Lake

Liked Lovely site. Everything we needed. Easy access and helpful customer services ( through email)

Disliked Not anyone’s fault, but the site is right next a busy road. ( advice to bring ear plugs if you’re a light sleeper)

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From the manager: Thank you for the lovely review! 😊 We’re really pleased you enjoyed your stay and found everything you needed, and it’s great to hear our team were helpful when you got in touch.

Thank you as well for the helpful tip for future campers regarding the road noise – ear plugs are definitely a good shout for lighter sleepers!

We hope to welcome you back to Alderford for another stay soon.

Liked Cafe was nice, lake staff were friendly and patient. We were the only two tents camped for two nights of our stay. Kids loved the lake activities and had lots of space to run around on the campsite field - one sprained his ankle in one of the holes in the field, so be careful.

Disliked Limited camping facilities: one washing up sink for whole campsite; portaloos and showers not great. Not typical camping facilities, such as shop, ice pack refreeze, no staff on site once cafe/lake had closed early evening.
Onsite takeaway not open even though it was supposed to be on the Sunday.
Had to negotiate for a package price for lake activities as there wasn’t one available to campers surprisingly.
Campsite right next to busy dual carriageway which we didn’t realise, quite noisy but we managed.
Other campers ignoring 10pm quiet time. WiFi does not reach campsite.

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From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to leave such detailed feedback. We’re pleased to hear the children loved the lake activities and made the most of the space, and that you found our café and lake teams friendly and helpful.

We appreciate your comments regarding the camping facilities. Our campsite is intended to offer a more simple, back-to-basics camping experience alongside everything available at Alderford during the day, but we recognise that some guests may expect additional facilities. Your feedback around washing-up facilities, WiFi coverage and activity packages for campers is particularly useful as we continue to look at ways we can improve the camping experience.

We’ll also make sure the hole you’ve mentioned in the camping field is investigated, and we hope your son’s ankle recovered quickly.

The 10pm quiet time is in place to make the campsite enjoyable for everyone, so it’s disappointing to hear this wasn’t observed by other campers during your stay. We’ll take this feedback on board alongside your comments about the Takeaway not being open as expected.

It’s great to hear that, despite these points, the children had such a good time on the lake, and we hope there were plenty of good memories from your stay at Alderford

Liked Drove straight in and set up with ease. Toilets, showers, sinks and bins were close to camping pitches and clean. The large field is perfect for ball games.

Disliked Unable to go in the lake due to algae bloom which was really disappointing as this was the reason we booked, toilets smelt of urine, very noisy overnight due to busy A road.

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From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review.

We're pleased to hear you found it easy to arrive, that the facilities were close to your pitch, and that you enjoyed the large camping field.

We're sorry to hear you chose not to use the lake during your stay. At the time, we had moderate levels of naturally occurring blue-green algae, so the lake remained open with additional control measures in place, including showering after water activities and other precautions in line with our environmental management procedures. Many guests were still able to enjoy the water safely while following these measures.

Thank you also for your feedback regarding the toilets. They are cleaned regularly throughout the day, and we'll continue to monitor them closely. As we're located alongside the A41, some road noise can unfortunately be noticeable, particularly overnight.

We appreciate your feedback and hope you'll visit us again so you can enjoy everything Alderford Lake has to offer.

Liked Great weekend! Lovely facilities.

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From the manager: Thank you so much for your lovely review, we are so glad you enjoyed your weekend.

We hope to welcome you back soon!

Liked Loved the bell tent and set up, really great for a family with young children. Picnic bench outside was super useful. Beds were really comfortable.

Disliked We adults didn't sleep that well because the tents were located near what seems a busy road with lots of traffic noise in the night. We should have brought ear plugs perhaps. The kids stayed asleep though. I will rate the location down a bit, referring to location of the bell tents. The whole site is so lovely and will definitely come again.

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From the manager: Thank you for your lovely review.

We're so pleased to hear that you and your family enjoyed your stay, and that the bell tent, comfortable beds and outdoor picnic bench all helped make your trip a great one. It's wonderful to hear the children slept well too!

Thank you for your feedback regarding the traffic noise. As we're located alongside the A41, some road noise can unfortunately be noticeable, particularly during the night. We appreciate you mentioning this, as it helps set expectations for future guests.

We're delighted to hear you thought the site itself was lovely and that you'd definitely come back. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to Alderford Lake again soon!

Liked Clean toilets and showers. Friendly staff. Great activities in the day time for extra cost and better if lake was cleaner.

Disliked Lake has serious algae problem. In fairness it was advertised as a moderate problem but was still open for activities. I feel it really should be closed. Was so smelly and gross when you were in it that it made me feel queasy. Also access to the lake closes early evening and doesn’t open until 9am so nowhere to relax/walk dog/ children’s play area other than the one camping field. You’re essentially just on an empty field. Lake side dining was closed due to slow business. Only cafe open but not suitable when you’re wet and smelly from the lake. Also cafe closed early. It seems everything shut down from around 5:30. No staff around to ask questions. Road noise loud on camping field from nearby A road. WiFi doesn’t reach to camping field.

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From the manager: Hi,

Thank you for taking the time to leave such detailed feedback following your stay.

We're really pleased to hear that you found our facilities clean, our team friendly, and that you enjoyed the range of activities available.

We're sorry that other aspects of your visit didn't meet your expectations. We completely understand your concerns regarding the water quality. The lake was operating under a moderate algae risk, which was clearly communicated before arrival and is within the levels where activities can safely continue under our comprehensive water quality management plan. We work closely with independent specialists and regularly test the water, only opening when it is considered safe to do so. That said, we appreciate that the appearance and smell of the water can still affect the overall experience, and we're sorry this was the case during your visit.

Access to the lake outside of operating hours is restricted for safety reasons, and we appreciate this limits the areas available for campers during the evening and early morning. Our Lakeside Kitchen and café opening hours are reviewed based on demand, but we understand your disappointment that there were fewer options available later in the day. Your comments regarding evening facilities, staff availability and Wi-Fi coverage on the camping field have all been noted and will be considered as we continue to improve the camping experience.

Thank you again for your balanced feedback. We genuinely appreciate you recognising the positives alongside the areas where you feel we could do better, and we'll use your comments to help shape future improvements.

Liked The place is amazing and beds are so comfy in the bell tents! Plenty to do inside the lake.

Disliked Check in times and access to lake should be more clear when booking. We thought we could not arrive until 2pm for check in when we could have been at the lake all day while waiting for check in. This meant we only got an hr in the lake on saturday.

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From the manager: Hi Carly,

Thank you so much for your lovely review and for booking to stay with us again this weekend – we really appreciate your support!

We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the bell tent, found the beds comfortable, and made the most of everything the lake has to offer.

Thank you also for your feedback regarding the check-in information. We can see how this could have been clearer. While bell tent check-in is from 2pm, guests are very welcome to arrive earlier and enjoy the lake and site facilities before their accommodation is ready. We'll review our booking information to make this clearer for future guests so no one misses out on valuable lake time.

We look forward to welcoming you back this weekend!

Liked Location next to the lake is great - took our paddle board and could easily spend the whole day here. We could also come in and out which worked well with kids, and could bring lunch back to tent etc.
Cafe was great - pleasantly surprised there was a gluten free option for the whole outside menu!

Disliked Only 6 toilets (3 men’s 3 women’s) for the whole campsite doesn’t seem enough - it was quiet while we were there but can’t imagine how it would work if the site was full.
Showers were OK - did come out like a lobster as it’s v hot bur clean at least. Only one block of showers seemed to work while we were there, not sure why but again not really an issues as only 3/4 pitches occupied.
Whole washing up/sink/area felt thrown together and v basic especially given that I’d assume the majority of people will be spending the day at the lake will want to properly clean up afterwards.
You can’t access the lakeside outside of the opening hours, a real shame that you aren’t allowed to even walk round etc - means the kids can’t access the park too.
A park run rocked up at 9am on Saturday morning and ran around the campsite, felt a bit odd having loads of people running round the tents. Not a massive deal for us as they were quiet ish but when you’re still getting up etc would prefer a bit more privacy.
The road is NOISY. Does not quiet down at night, if you’re a light sleeper bring ear plugs.
Also so much geese poo everywhere! Not a deal breaker but just another annoying thing on top of others really.

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From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback.

We're delighted to hear you enjoyed our lakeside location, the flexibility of being able to come and go throughout the day, and our café, particularly the gluten-free options.

We would like to clarify a couple of points for future guests. During your stay there were only a small number of pitches occupied, and our toilet and shower facilities are designed to accommodate the total number of camping pitches on site. Comments about how the facilities would operate when the campsite is full are therefore based on assumption rather than firsthand experience.

Our weekly parkrun takes place every Saturday morning and follows a designated route around the site. When tents are pitched within their allocated areas, participants do not pass directly in front of them. In fact, we've received lots of positive feedback from both campers and parkrunners, with many campers enjoying cheering participants on, and some even deciding to join the free community event themselves.

As a natural lakeside setting, wildlife such as geese are part of the environment. We work hard to keep the site clean and regularly maintain the grounds, but it isn't possible to completely eliminate evidence of wildlife in an open, natural setting.

Thank you again for your comments. We appreciate all feedback and continue to invest in improving our campsite and facilities.

Liked Nice location. Good communication about the lake not being available for use.

Disliked Toilets -We were aware that the lake was not available to use in time but decided this may have benefits as it wouldn't be too busy. Booked for 2 nights but stayed only one. It was not busy at all - hardly any campers. The toilets were horrid really stank so only stayed one night.

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From the manager: Hi Fran,

Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback.

We're pleased to hear you appreciated our communication regarding the temporary lake closure.

We fully understand your comments regarding the toilet facilities. During that period, we experienced an issue which unfortunately resulted in an unpleasant odour, and we recognise this affected a number of our camping guests. As soon as the problem was identified, we worked to resolve it and we're pleased to confirm that it has now been fixed, with the toilets back to the standard we expect.

We take cleanliness and hygiene extremely seriously, so we were disappointed that this issue occurred and appreciate you bringing it to our attention. We hope you'll consider visiting us again in the future so we can provide you with the experience we would normally expect our guests to have.

Liked Gorgeous bell tents and fabulous lake. Cafe was also excellent. Staff also so lovely and helpful.

Disliked Toilet and washing block. Awful smell from the toilet blocks due to the heat and poor flushing. No mirror in the toilets. Blacknout bell tents would be better too.

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From the manager: Hi Ruth,

Thank you so much for your lovely review.

We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your stay in our bell tents, loved the lake, and had a great experience in the café. It's especially nice to hear your kind comments about our team – we'll be sure to pass them on.

Thank you also for your feedback regarding the toilet and washing facilities. During your stay we were experiencing an issue with the toilet system which unfortunately caused the unpleasant odour. We recognise this affected a number of our guests, and we're pleased to confirm that the issue has now been resolved and the toilets are back to normal.

We also appreciate your suggestions regarding mirrors and blackout bell tents. Guest feedback like this is always valuable as we continue to improve the camping experience.

We hope to welcome you back again soon.