Which lake?

[FirstAway]

We had a 25 footer on Windermere for about 15 years before we retired four years ago. We got to know the regulars on the lake and made some good friends who we still keep in touch with, some of whom come out to sail with us in Greece. It must be said that after this period of time we were getting a bit bored with the lake, and Windermere is the largest and most varied of them, but it suited our purposes while we were working.

Windermere has the advantage (?) that there are more attractions within easy reach to amuse the family over the inevitable wet weekends. In general though I would say don’t stress about it, pick a lake and try it for a year and if you want something quieter or more interesting, just trail to a different lake the following year.

As for the weather, they are all surrounded by hills so the wind will be flukey and gusty at times but nothing out of the ordinary.

Whichever you choose, best of luck.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I might be being unfair but I get the impression that you're not a massive fan of lake sailing - I get that you can't get very far on a lake save going round and round, but tbh with 2 v young children we're not aiming to get very far. The pleasure of being out on the water and having mini adventures by sailing off to a quiet bay or landing on an island, or even sailing to the end of the lake and back, is going to be enough for us until the kids are older and we can afford a bigger boat.

In that case, can I suggest that you think about Loch Ken too. It's about two hours further than Ullswater from the south, but it has a cracking good island, lots of bays and a network of rivers, islands and an old canal at the north end which we've been exploring for years. Moorings available at the Galloway Activity Centre or Loch Ken Marina.

 

[michael_w]

Surprised no one has mentioned Bassenthwaite Lake. Very family oriented club. Good sailing especially in south westerlies. Bonus of an excellent pub round the corner.

 

[suffolklass]

Surprised no one has mentioned Bassenthwaite Lake. Very family oriented club. Good sailing especially in south westerlies. Bonus of an excellent pub round the corner.

My understanding was that Bassenthwaite was limited to open boats but do correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[earlybird]

My understanding was that Bassenthwaite was limited to open boats but do correct me if I'm wrong!

That is correct. Boats are also limited to 20'. AFAIK, Bassenthwaite SC has sole control of sailing rights.

 

[suffolklass]

In that case, can I suggest that you think about Loch Ken too. It's about two hours further than Ullswater from the south, but it has a cracking good island, lots of bays and a network of rivers, islands and an old canal at the north end which we've been exploring for years. Moorings available at the Galloway Activity Centre or Loch Ken Marina.

We've got Loch Ken on the list for a short holiday at some point but the advantage of the Lake District is that we can get there and back in a day.

 

[davidpbo]

We are on Windermere with a 24ft boat. Swinging mooring in Parsonage bay near the Ferry Nab Launch site and chain ferry.

Cost is over £1000 per year: Mooring cost, parking permit and dinghy rack storage.

There is a good family sailing club at Fellfoot (South End) and others on the lake.

We have been on the lake 19yrs. We like the fact there are other things to do if sailing is not on the agenda such as walking There are good quirky cinemas in Bowness and Ambleside, restaurants of all types and the wonderful Laundry theatre.

 

[AEMD]

Pretty much any lake can get some pretty vicious squalls - we've experienced plenty of them on Rutland Water, though you can at least see them coming. We sailed there for 25 years and there were many occasions we went out with a pleasant breeze and ended up getting back to the mooring with it gusting well into 30 knots on the wind indicator. Either that of a complete flat calm and a long long row from the other side of the lake which was very hard work on a 22 footer tipping the scales at around 1600kgs. Outboards are not allowed .
Always look at the weather forecast both at home and when you get to the lake is the only answer, and have lfejackets and other safety equipment.

 

[JumbleDuck]

We've got Loch Ken on the list for a short holiday at some point but the advantage of the Lake District is that we can get there and back in a day.

Please let me know if you ever come up to Loch Ken. I quite appreciate the extra distance.

 

[suffolklass]

* In that area you may be lucky enough to come across a Manta 19, a fine sailing boat.

Funny you should mention the Manta 19, we're just about to buy one!

 

[ffiill]

Sorry, I know this thread has come up before, but it's always good to get an up-to-date perspective!

We are about to buy our first non-dinghy boat - aiming for 19-20' in length. The majority of the time we will keep it in the lake district on a swinging mooring for day, weekend and long weekend sails (hopefully with occasional trips elsewhere) and over the winter it will live on a trailer.

We're currently looking at different options for where to have our mooring. Current thought is that Windermere is on the expensive side and we're trying to save money, so other options are Coniston, Ullswater and possibly Derwentwater (still waiting for prices).

Any experiences? Thoughts? Advice on any particularly good mooring locations on any of those lakes (Coniston in particular seems to have many different bays with moorings)?

We have 2 young children so lakes is definitely preferable to sea at the moment for anyone wondering about our reasoning

Back in the 1980s when living in Lancaster I kept an 18 foot seawitch bilge keeler in the storage facility at Coniston Boat Centre(dont know if its still there)I used to launch it and recover it from the ramp next to the Gondela pier.If you didnt have a suitable vehicle the Boating Centre had its own tractor.At the time this was far cheaper than a mooring.The lake was fun to sail on as it was to windsurf on all be it you had to be ready for squalls coming down the Coppermines valley and several other spots.
Of course no power boats or jet skis to worry about in those days.

 

[wfe1947]

Last year I moved my Leisure 18 from Ullswater Sailing Club to Fell Foot on Windermere. the main reason was that coming up from Liverpool it was 25 minutes shorter journey. If you moor on Windermere it costs about £750 p.a. and because I am in the National Trust, parking is free at Fell Foot (south end of the lake), where you can get launch and haul outs done for you (£55ish) and tender storage, trailer storage and winter boat storage is also available (for a fee). My other issue with Ullswater was that the steamers produce an enormous wake going past the moorings which meant that you had to hold on tight. The Windermere steamers come closer to my mooring but don't produce such a big wake. As previously mentioned, there are many more stopping places on Widermere and at over 10 miles long, is the largest of the lakes.

 

[Mud]

I’ve sailed dinghies on Coniston & Ullswater, and they’re both good in their own ways. Choosing between them would be like you having to make a preference between your children! Lol

You can hire dinghies from both lakes at a reasonable price, so I would suggest trying them both first before making your choice.

 

[Denis R]

Anyone know how much it costs to sink a chain on a swinging mooring in lake windermere? I already have a chain.