Woodland Lakes Lodges Near Thirsk Review Guide

Last Updated on March 12, 2024 by Suzy McCullough

Last June we stayed at Woodland Lakes Lodges on the outskirts of Thirsk in North Yorkshire. It’s a great base to explore the local area and we were only a short drive from Monk Park Farm and Sutton Bank Visitor Centre.

The site has a range of wooden lodges although our lodge was more like a luxury static caravan that has been cladded in wood. You can book a range of night stays starting from 2 nights up to 28 nights, starting from a Friday. Most of the lodges are set over or next to the water.

I had booked hoping we would be able to fish on the lakes next to the lodges but the fishing is a separate business and it is not allowed on the lakes at the holiday park. We did still fish though (more about that below).
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The reception for the lodges is in a large and relatively new visitor centre pictured above. This is where all the main facilities for the park are and as the site is small none of the lodges are a long walk away. Check-in was really quick and easy which made a change. We also found all the staff to be friendly and helpful during our stay.

In this building, there is a small shop area selling things for kids to play with, food and drink including alcohol, bread, milk, soft drinks etc. Plus there is a freezer with ice creams and a separate freezer with local ice cream. It had everything you needed for a holiday.

There is a soft play area for young children which you may have to book a time slot. It has three floors and is suitable for toddlers and small children. Our seven-year-old was too tall! Sessions cost £2 and can be pre-booked over the phone or when you are there.

Next to the soft play area, there is an indoor swimming pool. It’s not a huge pool but it’s adequate if you want wanting a swim or to entertain the kids. There is a small charge to use the pool and you may have to book a session for a limited time.

Also in this building, there is a large cafe/restaurant with table service. We ordered pizzas to take away and they were excellent. My non-pizza-loving husband announced them to be the best he’d had in years. They have indoor and outdoor seating.

You could book your kids a session in the soft play before or after a meal if you wanted to. The cafe does not have a licence to sell alcohol. You can, however, bring your own or purchase cold drinks from their shop to consume in their cafe.

Our Lodge at Woodland Lakes Lodges

They have a great range of lodges available to rent. They have three different types of lodges that sleep 2-3 people. 9 different lodges that sleep up to 4 people and 4 different lodges that sleep up to 8 people. All of their lodges have a hot tub that varies in their level of privacy.

I booked us into a Lime Waterside lodge that is pet friendly and has no pets allowed options. It sleeps up to 4 and their description does mention that they are timber-clad holiday homes. We were really close to reception and although you can’t park at your lodge we were just a very short walk from one of their many car parks.

Our hot tub was tucked down at ground level and was probably the most private of all on our lake although it still didn’t offer full privacy. It is pictured on the left of this photo just next to the stairs into the lodge.

Inside our lodge, it was lovely and modern and it felt fresh and clean. We had a lounge area with a flat-screen TV with a DVD player (although we had no DVDs). There was a small kitchen area with an oven, fridge freezer, dishwasher, microwave and crockery. We also had a welcome pack with a sponge, two dishwasher tablets, plus extra bin bags.

We then had a twin bedroom with a wardrobe and a double bedroom with a large wardrobe and an en-suite with a bath. There was also a separate shower room. The only complaint I had of the lodge was that there was no internal door to separate the bedrooms from the lounge so there was no blocking the noise off at night time.

The highlight of our stay though was our balcony. It was slightly over the water and totally enclosed so all their hundreds of geese couldn’t get on the decking. We loved it. We got through so much goose and duck food. It was lovely to see all the ducklings and goslings.

We were staying on a relatively small pond with lodges all around. There was a small play area nearby with swings for toddlers and older kids plus a couple of other things to play on.

We also had a meal out at the Watermill Bar and Grill which is not part of Woodland Lakes Lodges but it is next door. You can easily walk there from the lodges. This has an outdoor play area for those who eat in the restaurant.

There is also a cafe where you can purchase hot breakfast sandwiches. This is part of the fishing lakes. Woodland Lakes is an award-winning commercial fishery with 13 lakes. We fished here for a few hours and caught a few fish. It costs £10 for one person to fish with 2 rods and a rod licence is also needed.

It was a great place to stay and we would certainly return. Even my super fussy husband has said that he’d happily holiday there again.

Woodland Lakes Lodges FAQ & Further Information

Address: Coney Carth Lane, Carlton Miniott, Thirsk YO7 4NJ, North Yorkshire

Category – Holiday Park – Suitable for all ages.