Queen Elizabeth II Country Park

QE II Country Park is located on the north edge of Ashington, between the A197 and the A189, with the main car park off the A189.

QE II Country Park is located on the north edge of Ashington, between the A197 and the A189, with the main car park off the A189.

It is popular for walking, dog walking, picnics and jogging, as well as activities on the lake such as windsurfing, canoeing and coarse fishing. 

The main feature of the park is the 16-hectare lake surrounded by developing woodland and open grassland.

Drone use
Launching drones from County Council land is only allowed with the consent of the Council and where a formal license agreement has been signed. The council reserves the right to refuse consent and where consent is granted will require evidence of your Civil Aviation Training Certificate and public liability insurance.
The site can be accessed by footpath or by the Coast and Castles Cycle route out of Ashington, or from Woodhorn Colliery Museum. Tarmac paths and cut grass paths on the eastern side of the park allow good access around the lake. 

The diverse and developing habitats around the lake now host a variety of birds, plants and mammals, and the lake itself is host to both resident and migratory birds.

For information about fishing permits and lake use permits, please visit the Wansbeck and Cramlington Angling Club website. Accessible fishing platforms by the lake make the site suitable for fishing for the less able, including wheelchair users.

The lake is used during the spring and summer for organised open water swimming training and events. Swimming by individuals is not encouraged.

Woodhorn Colliery was established in 1894 by Ashington Coal Company and produced its first coal in 1901. The colliery started to decline in the 1960s and closed in 1981. The old colliery buildings were turned into a museum in 1989, after the country park was developed.

The QEII Country Park is an excellent example of restored industrial land, as the site was once one of the biggest colliery spoil heaps in Europe, and the adjacent North Ashington Wood was the other.

Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Ashington NE63 9AT

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QE II Country Park is located on the north edge of Ashington, between the A197 and the A189, with the main car park off the A189.