High Lodge Leisure - Lodge Review: Great All Round Fishing + Hot Tubs!

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On Site Facilities

What You Will Find At High Lodge

I have stayed at High Lodge twice with my family. These were paid trips; this review is based on my opinions of my stay. We are booked to go back again this summer!

About my trip

We had a week booked in one of the lodges around the lake. High Lodge had a cancellation so we stayed for 3 nights at one of the lodges nearer to the entrance and then moved over to around the lake.

The lodge

Due to a cancellation, we ended up booking 3 extra nights at the start of our stay in one of the other lodges that are not by the lake. These have a small pool of water in front of them and overlook the clubhouse and cafe more. There is a fishing lake off to the side of them that residents can fish on a day ticket. This is packed with small carp, koi and lots and lots of roach. Take some floaters in the summer and you’ll see the fish going absolutely wild for them. The challenge is stopping the roach from destroying your bait to get to the carp! I didn’t have any with me but I’d suggest dog biscuits would be the way to get around this.

For the rest of the time, we stayed in Jay lodge which had a hot tub to the side. The lodge was very nice and well kept inside. We had a nice terrace area to sit at the front and steps down to the grass to get to our peg. Behind the lodge was a large area of grass where we played some football, cricket and frisbee. This was a nice relaxing place to stay. Some days and evenings there were shooting events on site which was a little noisy at times but apart from that, it was a very quiet place to stay.

The lodges are a traditional black wood build that is common in Suffolk. It was noticeable how well maintained they were. The site and the lodges are very well looked after.

What Else Will You Find On Site

Resturant On Site

There is a restaurant on-site that serves meals and drinks throughout the day. The food is well priced and very nice. Check with High Lodge directly for the opening times.

Fishing

All the lodges around the lakes have their own peg. Ours was on the left and 4 lodges down. The peg we had was great with a reed bed to the left, Lillies in front and a small bit of open water to the left. No one in the lodges to my left was fishing. One lodge two to the right was and another lodge across from us. There was not a lot of lines in the water during our trip. Most fish in the morning and then again in the evening.

The carp

I’d classify this as a match fishing carp lake. Most of the carp are in the 2lb to 4lb range, but there are absolutely loads of them! We did a lot of surface fishing and with some pre-baiting, the carp would come in on the sound of floating pellets going in. It was incredible to see them turn up over and over again.

I also had a rod with a bite alarm on and the runs were relentless. When we go back I’ll be going for a more swing tip and method feeder set up than the bite alarms – these were a little overkill. I caught them feeding boilies and sweet corn with trimmed wafters on the hook.

Both of my children (7 & 9) caught and landed their first carp, unaided, on the trip which was great to see. It was a quality family fishing session with loads of fish caught and lots of happy smiles all around.

High Lodge small mirror carp

Match fishing

As well as the carp there is a good stock of match fishing. My children had their float rods with them as well as the carp rods and the bites again were relentless. If you didn’t get a bite on the spots in a couple of minutes you could guarantee that your bait had come off. We fished corn on the hook and caught endless roach, of a decent size too. My 9-year-old was pulling half pound roach in all week!

Archery

High Lodge has regular archery classes for beginners and more experienced archers. We did a beginners class and it was great fun. I would recommend giving this a go!

Clay Pigeon Shooting

There are various levels of shooting and areas where this is done. Please check with High Lodge for availability and more information.

How To Find High Lodge

What Is In The Local Area

Whist staying we got out and about to visit some local places and pubs, here are some of the things we enjoyed during our visit.

2 Magpies Bakery

This is at the end of the drive and is a MUST visit unless you don’t like food! They have a range of bread and pastries as well as delicious cakes. We visited a few times and I can personally recommend the salted chocolate torte. I would probably go back to stay at High Lodge just so I could buy more bread and cakes here. They also have a baking school but this was fully booked by the time we found out.

Sutton Hoo

This is a National Trust site where they found ancient burial mounds. The story was recently made into a film for Netflix called the dig – It’s well worth watching before you go.

The Fox Inn -Darsham

This is just down the road from High Lodges in a quaint little village. It is an old-style traditional pub that serves very nice food. We liked it so much we went back again later in the week.

Kings Head – Yoxford

This is just a little further down the road than the Fox in but still only around 5 minutes. We had a very nice Sunday Lunch here although the pub was rather quiet.

Distances To Nearest Facilities

High Lodge Site Map

*Site map was taken from the source and is subject to change, check the website for the most up to date information.

As you can see the lodges on one side have hot tubs. There is an island on the lake between lodge 10 and 4 approximately.

If you are planning to fish while you are there I would recommend booking, lodges 15-12 if you want a hot tub and lodges 2-4 if you don’t.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the lodges at High Lodge all have hot tubs?

Around half the lodges have hot tubs, check the site map for the exact lodges. These are all down one side of the lake.

Do the lodges have private fishing?

Yes, each lodge has its own dedicate page for you to fish from. In my opinion, the lodges at the top end of the lake have better fishing with more water to go at compared to the lodges around the island.

Are there any pubs in walking distance?

The Fox Inn is 2.3 miles away so, in theory, it is within walking distance. You would need to check the maps for footpaths to get there as the main road to it is busy.

Can you have shopping delivered?

Yes, we had a Tesco delivery during our stay. They will drive round to your lodge with the delivery. If you need anything else there is a Budgens, just down the road.

Are the lodges suitable for children?

The lodges are suitable for families and children. From the front of the lodge, you can get straight to the water’s edge so you will need to keep an eye on younger children.

Do they allow pets?

No, pets are not permitted at High Lodge

Can you park next to your lodge?

Yes, each lodge has its own area for parking behind or to the side of the lodge.

Simon Grainger May 25, 2022

High Lodge Leisure – Lodge Review: Great All Round Fishing + Hot Tubs!

Key Information - High Lodge Leisure

Like the look so far? Why not share it with your friends?

On Site Facilities