The opening of Rushden Lakes a few years ago was life-changing to the locals. Up until then the only places to go for some GOOD shopping were Milton Keynes or Northampton Town centre. Both of these are fine but Milton Keynes is a 40-minute drive for me – double in peak hour and the town centre comes with the hassle of trying to find somewhere to park and navigating the busy town traffic.
Rushden Lakes is located just off the roundabout on the A45 between the Rushden and Higham Ferrers turn-offs. See the map at the bottom of the post for the exact location.
You could easily spend a whole day at Rushden Lakes, read on to find out the many things you can enjoy.
the shops…
Rushden Lakes is primarily made up of over 45 shops including department stores such as M&S, Frasers, high street brands such as Primark, H&M, Next, River Island, and your slightly fancier stores like Fat Face, Joules and Hobbs.
There are also some other specialist stores such as a bike shop, magazine shop, Boots, stationary, and shoe shops.
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the food…
Sitting alongside the lake are a number of cafes, bars, and restaurants including my favourite Bills Restaurant (check out my review here), Wagamamas, five guys, Jamaica blue cafe, and Heavenly Desserts.
the entertainment…
Down the end of the shops is where you will find the cinema complex. Here you can enjoy movies in your traditional 2D but also IMAX, 3D and 4DX which I highly recommend.
Within the cinema complex, you will also find 360 play (check out my review here), Rock Up climbing centre, Paradise Island Adventure Golf, and Flip Out trampoline park.
the nature walk…
Perfect for after a nice lunch is a walk around the lake or up towards Stanwick. There are multiple footpaths ranging between 20 minutes and 2.5 hours duration and if you have the little ones with you there is also a small play area too.
the water…
With such a beautiful lake it would be silly not to let people get onto it. In the Summer there are paddle boats available, a splash area just off the boardwalk and canoes to hire from Canoe2
the photo opportunities…
Rushden Lakes is great if you want to get some great Insta shots or photos of the kids (or yourself). The Lake itself is a great background but there are also a few “props” around the place. Such as this arch of flowers or at special times of years they might set something special up!
Have you been to Rushden Lakes? What’s your favourite thing to do here?
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