Bolam Lake with surrounding trees, Northumberland

Where to go · Northumberland

Forest bathing at Bolam Lake Country Park

Lake and woodland laid out by John Dobson in the 1810s, with a fully accessible lakeside path and red squirrels.

Bolam Lake Country Park covers about 26 hectares of lake, woodland and grassland, around 9 miles west of Morpeth. The architect John Dobson designed the lake and its woods from 1816, partly to give local people work during a slump, turning a marsh known as Bolam Bog into the lake you see now. Northumberland County Council bought the estate as a country park in 1972. Red squirrels, roe deer, nuthatches and great spotted woodpeckers live in the woods.

The Boathouse Wood car park, next to the visitor centre and café on the north side of the lake, is the usual start. A fully accessible path loops the lake, which makes this one of the easiest woodland visits in the county, and other paths lead off into the trees. It is a popular day out, so the woodland paths away from the lakeside are the better bet for quiet.

Practical

Managed by
Northumberland County Council
Parking
Pay and display, three car parks
Terrain
Fully accessible lakeside loop; unsurfaced woodland paths
Nearest station
Morpeth, about 9 miles
Facilities
Visitor centre and café by Boathouse Wood car park
Opening and entry
Open access, free
Official page
woodlandtrust.org.uk

Last updated 4 November 2026. Paths, parking and access can change, so check before you visit. Spotted something out of date? Please let us know.

Guides nearby

A guide within 15 miles of Bolam Lake Country Park

  • Laura Waugh

    Oak & Air

    Tyne Valley (Minsteracres), Northumberland

    UnclaimedTrained by Nature and Therapy UK

    Corporate and team daysPrivate and one-to-onePublic group sessions+1 more

    Price on enquiry14 miles away

    View profile: Laura Waugh

More woodlands in Northumberland

All venues in Northumberland
Woodland at Allen Banks in the River Allen gorge, NorthumberlandAllen Banks and Staward GorgeNorthumberland's largest ancient woodland, in the deep gorge of the River AllenWoodland path through trees on the Cragside estate, NorthumberlandCragsideGiant conifers, rhododendron tunnels and engineered lakes on the Victorian estate above RothburyWooded valley at Hareshaw Linn near Bellingham, NorthumberlandHareshaw LinnAncient woodland above Bellingham, six bridges and a nine metre waterfall at the end

Photos: Allen Banks and Staward Gorge, Anthony Foster (CC BY-SA 2.0); Cragside, Bill Boaden (CC BY-SA 2.0); Hareshaw Linn, Anthony Foster (CC BY-SA 2.0).