Photos: Get Active ABC / Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council; NI Greenways; Northern Builder
2 hours – a dayHow long
All agesBest for
FreePark entry
Free car parkParking
OutdoorsSetting
Craigavon Lakes are two man-made lakes with around 180 hectares of parkland wrapped around them — three miles of flat, surfaced path, a 10.6 km mountain-bike trail through the woods, and a watersports centre that will put you on the water in a kayak, a dinghy or on a giant inflatable.
What you'll do: Walk or cycle the lakeside loops, ride the pump track, fish the North and South Lakes, and — if you book it — sail, kayak, paddleboard, water-ski or throw yourself around the floating aqua park.
How long: Two hours for a loop and the play; a full day if you add the watersports, the pool and the café.
Cost: The park, the paths, the pump track and the trails are all free, with free parking. Watersports, bike hire and the leisure centre are paid.
Book the watersports ahead. South Lake Watersports runs on online booking and sessions fill up, especially in the school holidays — turning up on spec is the one way to be disappointed here.
Come ready: The main paths are flat, surfaced and genuinely buggy- and wheelchair-friendly. For the water you want a change of clothes and a towel, whatever the forecast says.
Food: Café IncredABLE inside South Lake Leisure Centre looks straight out over the lake and does all-day food. There is a lot of grass for a picnic too.
Plan your visit
Two lakes, three miles of path and a lot of water to get into
Start at South Lake Leisure Centre, because that is where everything is: the free car park, the café with the lake view, the toilets and the pontoon. From there the paths run in both directions. Roughly three miles of flat, surfaced walking and cycling path circle the two lakes, with a shorter perimeter cycle loop for anyone who wants a quick spin. It is properly level ground — one of the easier big walks in this part of the country for a buggy, a wheelchair or a first bike.
Riders get more. A 10.6 km family mountain-bike trail winds through the woodland around both lakes, and there is a purpose-built pump track for younger riders learning to hold a line without pedalling. Bikes can be hired on site if yours are at home.
Then there is the water itself. South Lake Watersports runs from the same building — sailing and powerboat courses with RYA accreditation, kayaking, paddleboarding, windsurfing, waterskiing and wakeboarding, archery on the bank, and in summer an inflatable aqua park anchored offshore that children will not want to leave. Cheap Paddle & Play sessions run alongside the courses, and there are inclusive programmes and a wheelyboat for anyone who needs them.
Anglers fish both the North and the South Lake. And when the rain comes in off the drumlins, the water goes silver, the woodland smells green and clean, and the café windows are exactly where you want to be with a pot of tea.
Free parkland and parkingTwo lakes, sailing and paddling10.6 km bike trail and pump track~3 miles of flat surfaced pathCafé over the waterparkrun and angling
Book watersports before you travel:
South Lake Watersports takes online bookings and sessions sell out in the holidays. The park, paths and pump track need no booking at all — but if the aqua park or a sailing session is the reason you are coming, book it first. Paddle clubs run April to October, with indoor sessions through the winter.
Before you set off
What to wear & bring
🚲Bikes or scootersFlat, surfaced and marked for cycling. Hire is on site if you'd rather travel light.
🩳A towel and a changeAnything on the water ends wetter than planned. That is most of the fun.
🧥A coat or layersOpen water and open ground, so there is always a breeze. Wrapped up, it is glorious.
🧺A picnic or a fiverCafé IncredABLE overlooks the lake; there is also plenty of grass and a good view to eat it on.
What's on
Events at the lakes
A free weekly parkrun uses the lakeside paths, and the watersports centre runs a rolling programme through the year — kids' multi-activity days and week-long camps in the holidays, a Youth Start and Discover Paddlesport programme, RYA sailing and powerboat courses, and inclusive sessions for participants with disabilities.
The aqua inflatable and the paddle clubs are seasonal, generally running from spring through to October, with indoor paddle sessions carrying on over the winter. Check the Get Active ABC listings before you travel — the programme changes with the season and the weather.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
The park, paths, trails and pump track are free. Watersports, bike hire and the leisure centre are paid
Opening
The parkland is open access all year. South Lake Leisure Centre opens Monday to Friday 6am–10pm and Saturday and Sunday 8am–7pm
Best for ages
All ages — flat paths for the very young and the very old, watersports and mountain biking from primary age up
What's there
Two lakes with about 180 hectares of parkland, ~3 miles of surfaced walking and cycling path, a 10.6 km family mountain-bike trail, a pump track, angling on both lakes, South Lake Watersports, South Lake Leisure Centre with a 50m pool and a 17m training pool with slides, an 8-court sports hall and a gym over the water
Toilets
In South Lake Leisure Centre, along with accessible changing and a Changing Places facility
Parking
Free car park at South Lake Leisure Centre, with accessible spaces, family bays and EV charging
Dogs
Welcome on the parkland under close control at all times — please clean up. There is also a bookable dog run
Accessibility
Flat surfaced paths suitable for wheelchairs and buggies; the leisure centre holds Disability Sport NI Inclusive Sport Facility accreditation, with poolside pods, Changing Places and a wheelyboat for the water
How long to allow
Two hours for a walk and a play; a full day with watersports or the pool
Food
Café IncredABLE inside the leisure centre, overlooking the lake — Monday to Friday 7am–8pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am–5pm
Booking
Watersports must be booked online in advance. The park, paths and pump track need no booking
Address
South Lake Leisure Centre, 1 Lake Road, Craigavon, Co Armagh BT64 1AS
Phone
0330 056 4411
Questions
Before you go
Is it free?
The parkland, the paths, the mountain-bike trail and the pump track are all free, and so is the car park. Watersports, bike hire and the leisure centre pool and gym are paid.
Do I need to book?
Only for the water. Watersports sessions are booked online in advance and do sell out in the school holidays. Walking, cycling and the pump track need nothing at all.
How long is the walk round the lakes?
There are roughly three miles of surfaced walking and cycling path around the two lakes, plus a shorter perimeter cycle loop. The mountain-bike trail through the woods runs to 10.6 km.
Is it good for a buggy or a wheelchair?
Yes — the main lakeside paths are flat and surfaced, and the leisure centre holds Disability Sport NI accreditation with Changing Places facilities and a wheelyboat for getting on the water.
Is there anywhere to eat?
Café IncredABLE inside South Lake Leisure Centre does all-day food with the lake outside the window. There is also plenty of grass for a picnic.
Can we fish the lakes?
Angling runs on both the North and the South Lake. Check the current permit and season rules with the council before you cast.
Can we bring the dog?
Yes — under close control on the parkland, and clean up after them. There is also a dog run you can book.
What is the aqua park?
A large inflatable obstacle course anchored on the water, run by South Lake Watersports through the warmer months. Book it online; bring a towel and a change of clothes.
Getting there
Craigavon Lakes sit between Lurgan and Portadown, just off the M1. Aim for South Lake Leisure Centre, 1 Lake Road, Craigavon BT64 1AS — that is the hub, with the free car park, the café, the toilets and the watersports pontoon. Paths run from the car park in both directions around both lakes.
The lakes at Craigavon look natural now, with reeds and swans and woodland down to the water. They are not. They were dug.
In the 1960s the government set out to build a new city between Lurgan and Portadown and name it after Northern Ireland's first prime minister. Building began in 1965. The plan was enormous — a linear city, a new civic and government heart, a transport hub, thousands of homes — and among the engineering it required were balancing lakes: large bodies of water that hold back storm run-off and let it away slowly, so the low ground around them does not flood.
Much of the grand plan never arrived. The city was never finished as drawn, and Craigavon spent decades wearing that as a joke. But the practical part — the drainage — got built, and around it grew several hundred acres of parkland. Over time the lakes picked up playing fields, a petting zoo and, for a while, an artificial ski slope. The civic centre, costing around £3 million, opened in April 1983.
What is left is the quiet vindication of the whole project. The flood engineering is now the best day out in the borough: two lakes, miles of level path, woodland trails, a first-class watersports centre and a leisure centre with its gym windows looking straight out over the water. The city that was never finished ended up with the park.
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