Rushden Rangers Are Back at Rushden Lakes This Summer

Rushden Rangers is back at Rushden Lakes for another summer of nature-packed fun with The Wildlife Trust, running every Wednesday right through the school holidays. It’s the kind of thing you can book once and then just turn up to week after week, which takes a nice bit of the planning pressure off.

What is Rushden Rangers?

Rushden Rangers is a weekly summer session for families, run in partnership with The Wildlife Trust, based around the Nene Wetlands near Rushden Lakes. Each week has its own theme, so children get to explore a different part of the natural world through hands-on activities, wildlife encounters and creative crafts, along with practical tips for helping nature at home.

There are four pre-bookable sessions each Wednesday, at 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm, so you can pick whatever slot fits around nap times, lunch or your other summer plans.

Dates and weekly themes

Sessions run every Wednesday from 22nd July to 26th August 2026, with a different theme each week:

• 22nd July – Water for Wildlife: exploring what lives beneath the surface of Rushden Lake and how to help keep ponds healthy.
• 29th July – Brilliant Beavers: learning about the resident beaver family who have made their home at Rushden Lakes.
• 5th August – Terrific Trees: discovering how trees support both people and wildlife, plus some tree-inspired art.
• 12th August – Wild Weather & Climate Control: looking at ocean currents, wind and the greenhouse effect in a way kids can actually get their heads round.
• 19th August – Brilliant Bugs (Small and Mighty): bug bingo and learning how insects pollinate plants and help make fertiliser.
• 26th August – Wildlife Gardening in the Community Garden: all about worms, healthy soil and growing your own.

The practical bits

Sessions meet at the designated meeting point near the entrance to the Nene Wetlands Visitor Centre, where families are led by the Rangers on themed educational activity trails near the lake. A few things worth knowing before you book:

• You’ll need to book a child ticket for each child and a general ticket for each accompanying adult.
• Sessions must be pre-booked via Eventbrite.
• Arrive 10 minutes early to sign in with the Rangers.
• Wear sensible footwear, as you’ll be out on the trails.
• Refunds are available up to one day before the event.
• 50% of ticket sales go towards Rushden Lakes’ Charity of the Year, so you’re supporting a good cause while you’re at it.

You can book your place through Eventbrite here.

Make a day of it

If you fancy stretching this into a full day out, Rushden Lakes has plenty of cafes and shops nearby to fill the rest of your visit once the session’s finished. If you’re after somewhere else nature-focused nearby for another day this summer, my Sywell Country Park guide is worth a look too – it’s a similar reservoir and trails setup with play areas thrown in.

And if your little ones love this kind of outdoor exploring, my free Nature Scavenger Hunt is a brilliant one to take along on any woodland or lakeside walk this summer.

For more ideas to fill the summer holidays, my Things To Do In Northamptonshire guide is a good place to start too.

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The details listed in this guide are run by third-party organisers, and all details were correct at the time of publication, based on information from their official websites. However, changes or cancellations can happen at short notice. To avoid any disappointment, we recommend double-checking the event information on the official websites before making plans.