Woodland Waters Holiday Park sits inside a 72-acre wooded valley in Ancaster, Lincolnshire, sharing its landscape with deep history and transformed industrial land.

From Quarry to Lakes

• Industrial Roots: The five fishing lakes at the holiday park were not naturally formed; they originated as commercial limestone and mineral quarries.
• Landscape Transformation: Once extraction ceased, the deep excavations filled with natural spring and rainwater, and the surrounding valley was replanted and landscaped into a peaceful retreat featuring mature trees and wildlife habitats.

The Ancient History of Ancaster

• Roman Crossroads: The nearby village of Ancaster sits directly on Ermine Street, the historic Roman road that connected London to York.
• Military Outpost: Long before the holiday valley was wooded, the Romans built an auxiliary fort and walled town here in the 1st century AD to guard the local limestone gap and manage local ironworking and stone-carving.
• Name Origin: The name Ancaster dates back to the 12th century and translates roughly to “the Roman fort of Anna”. Archaeologists have uncovered extensive Roman burial grounds, stone sarcophagi, and coin hoards in the immediate fields surrounding the valley.

Famous Stone: The oolitic limestone quarried from the hills around Ancaster has been used for centuries, appearing in notable regional structures including historic castles and grand country houses.