Lincolnshire is rarely on the trendy tourist’s radar, but that’s their loss: it’s a rural county with a rich architectural heritage, miles of sandy beaches, rolling hills and, of course, fabulous fishing. All the caravan parks on this list have well-stocked lakes for coarse fishing, but if you’re a fly guy (or girl), there’s plenty here to keep you hooked. For more angling options, check out lincolnshirelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/15-best-fishing-locations-lincolnshire-70848.
The sites below range from full-on leisure parks offering plenty of family fun to simple, secluded oases of calm that don’t accept children. All of them are a short walk or drive from shops, pubs and unmissable local attractions, from Lincoln’s glorious cathedral to elegant Skegness pier. Pack your rod and tackle, make sure your licence is up to date and check the park’s website for bait rules and Covid-19 updates.
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Woodland Waters
Address: Ancaster, Lincolnshire NG32 3RT
Website: woodlandwaters.co.uk
Open all year
Woodland Waters certainly lives up to its name: this rural 72-acre site is a peaceful park that’s firmly aimed at fishing fans. The touring pitches have views of the tree-lined specimen lake, which is stocked with carp, pike, bream rudd and perch. It’s one of five lakes on the site, along with a match lake with a large head of tench, a small carp lake that’s popular with beginners and a roach pool where you can teach your kids the basics. Facilities include showers, toilets, electric hook-ups, a laundry, a play area and a bar/restaurant where you can while away an evening playing pool or darts.
Once you’ve stocked up at the supermarkets in Grantham, 15 minutes away, you might not want to leave Woodland Waters – but make time for day trips to see Lincoln Cathedral, the handsome stone buildings in Stamford and Burghley House, built at vast expense to impress Elizabeth I (who never bothered to show up). It’s a 15-minute walk to the Railway Inn and to Ancaster station, for trains to Nottingham and the bracing Skegness seafront.
Prices: from £23 a night for two. Fishing from £6 a day for one rod
Top tip: buy a discounted evening ticket and you can fish from 5pm until dusk – ideal for a summer visit
Caistor Lakes
Address: Caistor, Lincolnshire LN7 6RX
Website: caistorlakes.co.uk
Open all year
Monster Carp fans will love this five-star site on the northern fringes of the Lincolnshire Wolds – there are 52lb whoppers in Arthur’s Pool, a specimen lake with gravel bars, drop-offs, plateaus and lily pads. You can even order a bite to eat while you wait for a bite: the restaurant will bring food straight to your peg. For a wider range of species, there’s the Foundry Pool, which was designed for matches, or the more relaxed Heron Pool. Fish aren’t the only animals at dog-friendly Caistor Lakes: Rocky the Macaw will greet you at reception, and there’s a pair of tortoises in a pen near the 29 touring pitches.
The site has showers, toilets, electric hook-ups and free WiFi. The touring pitches are for adults only, so your down time won’t be disturbed, and bike and car hire are available if you want to explore the Wolds, a rolling landscape of chalk hills where you might see bikers en route to a race at Cadwell Park. You can walk to the Co-op and the White Hart pub in the Georgian village of Caistor, half a mile down the road, and there’s a good range of shops and restaurants in Market Rasen, a 15-minute drive away. It’s 40 minutes to Lincoln and half an hour to the handsome market town of Louth, home to the tallest church steeple in England.
Prices: £22 a night for two. Fishing from £5 a day for residents
Top tip: if you’re here in November or December, drive to the Donna Nook Nature Reserve, 45 minutes away, to spot grey seals on the beach
Grange Leisure Park
Address: Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire LN12 1NE
Website: coastfields.co.uk/lincolnshire-holiday-parks/grange-leisure-park/lincolnshire-fishing-holidays
Open from March to early January
If you enjoy saltwater fishing as well as freshwater, this is the site for you – it’s just two miles away from the seaside resort of Mablethorpe, gateway to miles of sandy beach where you might catch flounder, eel, sole, bass, dab or whiting. The park has several lakes stocked with roach, rudd, carp, perch, tench, bream and gudgeon, as well as a bait and tackle shop, and experts are on hand to tell you about the best locations and techniques.
When you fancy a break from your rod, you can hone your golf swing on a nine-hole course, try out a Total Wipeout-style water assault course or enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner at Badger’s Barn, a light, bright restaurant that opened recently as part of a big investment in the park. Grange Leisure Park has showers, toilets, electric hook-up, a laundry, a play area and a small Spar supermarket. Head to Mablethorpe for fish and chips and supplies from Lidl; it’s a 25-minute drive to the market in Louth and 12 minutes to pretty Alford, where you can check out the 17th-century thatched manor house or pop into a period pub after a laid-back drive in the Lincolnshire Wolds.
Prices: from £17 a night for two, including fishing
Top tip: there’s a boating lake in Mablethorpe if that aquatic assault course sounds like too much hard work
Watermill Leisure Park
Address: Moortown, Lincolnshire LN7 6HZ
Website: watermillleisurepark.co.uk
Open from March to December
Here’s a caravan park for anyone seeking scenic hiking and rural R&R as well as fishing: Watermill Leisure Park offers direct access to woodland walks and is just outside the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. With just one lake, the 55-acre site can’t match some of the others on this list for variety, but you’ll find carp, roach, rudd, perch and tench on your hook, and you’ll be surrounded by beautiful countryside.
Watermill Leisure Park is a simple site with wide pitches for tourers, showers, toilets and electric hook-up. Pick up supplies in Market Rasen, 15 minutes away by car, and plan day trips to Lincoln, 45 minutes from the site, and Cleethorpes beach, a half-hour drive. Or just sit under your awning and enjoy the fresh air.
Prices: from £15 a night for two, including fishing
Top tip: you can take your tackle to the Skipworth Arms, a short walk away, where there’s another lake – contact the pub to arrange some night fishing
Willow Holt
Address: Tattershall, Lincolnshire LN4 4JS
Website: willowholt.co.uk
Open from March to October
You could while away a few days fishing for bream, tench, rudd, roach, perch and pike in the two lakes at this peaceful rural caravan park, but it’s well worth leaving the park to explore Lincolnshire’s rich history. Willow Holt is two miles from Tattershall Castle, a National Trust-run keep that was built in the 15th century and embellished with Edwardian extravagance a few centuries later. Head to the roof for breathtaking views of Lincoln Cathedral, 20 miles away, the hilly Wolds and the Boston Stump, a 300ft high church tower in the market town that gave its name to its famous American counterpart – many of the Pilgrim Fathers hailed from these parts.
If flora and fauna are more your thing, bring your binoculars for the bird life in the park grounds or head to the Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve, a 50-minute drive away, where you’ll see migrating waders such as cranes in the marshes and lagoons next to the sand dunes. Willow Holt has showers, toilets, electric hook-up, a play area, a football pitch, a lake where you can sail your boat and a restaurant that does a full English until 2pm, then meals in the evening. For shops, pubs and restaurants, head into nearby Tattershall or make the 15-minute drive to the market town of Horncastle.
Prices: from £16 a night for two, including fishing
Top tip: keep your eyes on the skies for history of a different kind – the park is near RAF Coningsby, which maintains six Spitfires, two Hurricanes and a Lancaster for use at national commemorations, as well as Typhoons for the defence of the realm
Grooby’s Pit
Website: fishskegness.co.uk
Open from March to October
The name sounds slightly unsavoury, but this family-run caravan park is perfect for anyone seeking peace and tranquillity – it’s adults only, so the only disturbance you’ll encounter will be ducks and chickens roaming around the site. No wonder Grooby’s Pit has earned five-star status and a slew of awards. The touring pitches overlook the main fishing lake, stocked with bream, tench, roach, barbel, carp, perch, rudd, skimmers, pike and eel; there’s also a nursery lake with carp, tench, silvers, bream and golden orfe. It’s a 10-minute drive to the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds and if you fancy a bit of kiss-me-quick fun at the seaside, you can walk to Thorpe Culver station for trains to Skegness.
Grooby’s Pit has showers, toilets, a new laundrette, electric hook-ups and free WiFi, but you’ll have to drive to Wainfleet, 10 minutes away, for shops, pubs and restaurants. Not that you’ll mind: it’s a pretty village that’s best known as the home of the Batemans brewery, which offers tours and tastings. Should you find Skeggie insufficiently exotic, head to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park to see lions and tigers.
Prices: £24 a night for two. Fishing from £6 a day for one rod
Top tip: you’ll get a discount on the fishing price if you’re willing to pay for your stay upfront