Sailing in the Lake District

[vjmehra]

I'm thinking of organising a long weekend in the Lake district later on this year, not sure when exactly, maybe over Easter, or maybe in the summer.

I was just wondering if anyone had any pointers...

Are there any lakes to be avoided?
Is there one/more than one we should particularly try and sail on?
Are there any particular recommendations on Charter companies?
As we can be flexible on dates, is there a particular time of year we should avoid (e.g. is it too busy in summer etc.)?

It would be 4 adults and just looking on this website: http://www.obsailing.co.uk/yacht-boats/

The 2009 Oceanis 31 looks ideal for our needs, modern and not too big!

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Croak]

Are you thinking of staying on the boat, or camping/hotel?

If so you are probably restricted to Windermere.

 

[davidbfox]

There is not a lot of choice if hiring. 'Charter' is a bit grand for a ten mile long lake. OB sailing are always on the lake doing training I think. Maiden Marine have charter contacts and there is another firm at Ferry Nab who have houseboats and day boats, which might be a more practical combination if you want to do Swallows and Amazons campfires on islands.

The problem on Windermere (where I have my boat) is that there are very few places where you can land, especially with a big boat. So you are always back on your home mooring. There are a handful of places where you might anchor temporarily. There are public jetties at Ferry Nab, Ambleside, Bowness and at the bottom of the lake but not much room except at Ferry Nab. You can sail from one end to the other in a couple of hours.

All this means the fun is in the sailing and the messing about in boats, not in any sense of journey. This is why I suggest cottage and day boat as an alternative.

If thinking that way you might look at Ullswater where there are some on the side of the lake, or Coniston. You can sail on Derwentwater too but I don't know anywhere to stay directly on the lake shore.

On Windermere I'd avoid the bank holidays, otherwise it is pretty quiet away from Bowness town.

Best wishes.

 

[mlthomas]

I would stick to Windermere for a long weekend in the lakes, OB will sort out which ever way you want to do with staying on the boat or taking advantage of Bowness on Windermere etc. Bank Holidays would be madness, but if it madness you want.... It is a great place to visit.

 

[vjmehra]

We were planning to stay on the boat, but happy to consider alternatives, especially if moorings really are impossible.

Is it possible to pre-book moorings at all, or is the issue simply no space, rather than the spaces being taken?

 

[aquaplane]

Outrun Sailing do yacht charter too:

http://www.outrunsailing.co.uk/charter/charter.htm

While it is comon for folk to go back to their home mooring, you can anchor in several sheltered places on the lake.

We use our boat as a base, we sail a bit, walk a bit, mess around in boats a bit.

You can book holiday moorings, these are dotted round the lake. The hire company may have some that you can use but I'm not sure about that, Robsons used to I think.

 

[mlthomas]

Better give OB a ring to answer your questions. Although we have been in Cumbria for over 30 years, we sail out of Whitehaven

 

[Windy Tonique]

For a long weekend Windermere will be fine as davidbfox said there are public jetties in the North, South and centre of the Lake. There are also jetties at the Waters Edge Pub, Ambleside, Low Wood Hotel, Beech Hill Hotel, Storrs Hall, Fell Foot and the Lakeside if you fancied a pub crawl or as Bob says there are lots of anchoring spots. You can use the holiday moorings but need to book with the wardens. We have picked up empty mooorings for lunch stops. Both OB & Outrun pontoons are in walking distance to Bowness which is a lively place to go out at the weekend with lots of pubs and restaurants and even a couple of nightclubs! There are often wind shifts on the lake which makes for some interesting sailing some days. Spring weather is usually better than summer. If you want somewhere a lot quieter then Ullswater is the lake to go for.

 

[vjmehra]

Great thanks!

Am just waiting on the other guys I'm planning to go with to decide, then ready to book...

 

[Lakesailor]

I live in Bowness. Avoid bank Holidays but come before the middle of June. The best weather is early in the year. 4 adults will need a 30ft+ boat so Outrun and OB are your best starting points.

24th April This Sunday was blisteringly hot.

25th May


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