SY10 9EB · private ground on the Welsh border, no public access
Lakeside lodges near Oswestry where each booking comes with its own swim in front of the lodge and a lake stocked with around 110 hand-picked carp. It is one of the few Shropshire fishing lodges built around specimen carp rather than a busy runs water.
A serious carp venue with comfortable lodges, not a holiday park with a lake. The draw is the stock: around 110 carp, 59 of them over 30lb and six over 40lb, with a lake record of 50lb 12oz set in March 2025. Every lodge faces the water, the ground is private with no day anglers, and the rules are strict because the fish are the point. It suits an experienced carp angler, with a partner along for the break.
Leave your own nets and mats at home
The fishery supplies the landing nets, unhooking mats and slings, and other nets, retainers and mats are not allowed on site. Pack freezer bait boilies only: shelf-life boilies are banned.
Blackthorn sits on private farmland above Trefonen, about 11 minutes' drive from Oswestry, close enough to the Welsh border that Wrexham, Welshpool and Shrewsbury are all within reach. The gates are locked and visits are by appointment only, so the only people on the bank are the anglers booked in that week.
There are three luxury lakeside lodges, North, South and East, plus the smaller Original Cabin built in 2011. Each has open-plan living and patio doors onto the lake, so the swim is a few steps from the kitchen. North and South take up to three people with one or two anglers; East and the Original Cabin are set up for one angler and a guest.
The swim is a few steps from the kitchen, and the only people on the bank are the anglers booked in that week.
The fishery is run around the carp. Bailiffs help with weighing and photos, around the clock for anything over 40lb, and the owners encourage anglers to talk to each other and share the water rather than guard a swim.
Reviews on the fishery's Facebook page are consistently positive about how clean the facilities are and the quality of the fish. The honest caution, which the venue makes itself, is that this is not a water for beginners expecting plenty of runs.
Written from guest reviews and the venue’s published details. We have not stayed here ourselves.
Hand-picked British carp in a lake stocked since 2011, fished from the swim in front of your lodge. Specimen rules, fishery-supplied fish care kit and no day ticket anglers.
| Sessions | Weekend Friday 2pm to Monday 10am; midweek Monday 2pm to Friday 10am; or a full week |
| Rods | Up to 3 rods per angler |
| Minimum age | 12 on the main lake, 8 on Pines Lake |
| Hooks and line | Barbless only (no flattened barbs), 15lb minimum line, no braided mainline, no long curved shank hooks |
| Rigs | No zigs, no fixed leads, leads must eject if snagged |
| Bait | Freezer bait boilies only, no shelf-life boilies, no nuts as bait, no artificial baits except pop-ups and wafters |
| Fish care | Fishery nets, mats and slings only; no keepnets, sacks or waders |
| Bait boats | Allowed on Pines Lake, not on the main lake |
| Dogs | No dogs or pets |
| Access | Booked anglers and guests only, by appointment |
Three luxury lakeside lodges and the smaller Original Cabin, all self-catering with patio doors onto the lake. The separate Blackthorn Pines lodge has its own private lake and is listed on its own page.
Summarised in our own words from public reviews. Read reviews on the fishery's Facebook page.
For the days off the bank, and for anyone in the party who didn't come to fish.
A border fortress built in 1295 and lived in by the Myddelton family for over 400 years, with 5.5 acres of award-winning garden and 480 acres of parkland. The gardens usually open earlier in the day than the castle, so check times before you go.
Chirk, just over the Welsh border north of Oswestry Plan a visit →A 3,000-year-old Iron Age hill fort and one of the best preserved in Britain, with views over the town and the Shropshire countryside. Entry is free at any reasonable time in daylight; livestock graze the site, so keep dogs under control.
Llwyn Road, on the northern edge of Oswestry, SY11 1EW Plan a visit →Thomas Telford's aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal 38 metres above the Dee valley and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Near Trevor, in the Dee valley north of ChirkA picturesque castle close to Oswestry, an easy short outing.
Whittington, near OswestryNo. The fishery rules say no dogs or pets.
Source: blackthornfishery.co.uk lake rules
No. The fishery does not accept non-angling bookings, although each lodge price includes one non-angling guest.
Source: blackthornfishery.co.uk
For 2026, the North, South and East lodges run from £595 for a winter weekend to £935 for a weekend or £2,085 for a week between 30 March and 30 October, for one angler and one guest. Extra anglers and guests cost more, the Original Cabin is 10 to 15 percent less, and a 50 percent deposit secures the booking.
Source: blackthornfishery.co.uk booking page
The lake record is 50lb 12oz, set in March 2025. The stock of around 110 carp includes 59 fish over 30lb and six over 40lb.
Source: blackthornfishery.co.uk
No, and you cannot use them. The fishery provides nets, unhooking mats and slings, and other fish care kit is not allowed on site.
Source: blackthornfishery.co.uk lake rules
It is a specimen water rather than a runs lake, and the venue describes it as aimed at experienced carp anglers. Tuition on finding the fish is available.
Source: blackthornfishery.co.uk
On private farmland above Trefonen, about 11 minutes' drive from Oswestry. Postcode SY10 9EB. Gates are locked and all visits are by appointment.
The fishery prefers enquiries by Facebook Messenger or email to [email protected].
