The Lake District is the obvious place to learn to paddle in England and one of the best places to keep doing it. This guide picks eight launches from the PaddlePal Finder listings across the five lakes that matter most to a visitor, Windermere, Ullswater, Derwentwater, Coniston Water and Grasmere, and adds the practical half: when to come, where to stay, how to get about, and which lakes you cannot paddle at all.

Why paddle in the Lake District

This is lake paddling, and the lakes are long, narrow and glacial, which means two things. Sheltered water is never far away, because the shores are cut into bays and the fells break the wind on one side or the other; and the middle of a big lake on a gusty afternoon can feel like the sea, because the same fells funnel wind straight down its length. The smaller lakes are the reward for reading the map: Grasmere is a quiet morning's loop under Helm Crag, Derwentwater has islands and a market town at the top of it, and Coniston has length without Windermere's traffic. There is very little flat river paddling; the rivers between the lakes are short and steep.

When to go

May to September is the season: warmer water, longer evenings, the boating centres and campsites open. July and August are the busiest weeks on Windermere and around Keswick, and the lakeside car parks fill by mid-morning, so launch early or come midweek. Late spring and September are often the best of it, with settled spells, quieter shores and water that has had a summer to warm up. The weather turns quickly at any time of year, so treat the forecast as a plan for the morning. Outside the season the water is cold enough to need proper kit and a conservative plan.

Where to paddle

Derwent Water at Keswick

Keswick sits at the north end of Derwentwater, and the launch off the foreshore, a few minutes' walk from the market square, is the easiest start in the northern lakes. The listing records parking and a play spot, and a neighbouring pin on the same shore records toilets and a café. The lake opens out towards Cat Bells and the Borrowdale fells, with four islands in between. The National Trust manages the lake: St Herbert's Island and Rampsholme are open for a picnic landing, Lord's Island is off limits with a no-paddle zone on its shoreward side to protect nesting geese, and Derwent Island is closed, so check the current position before planning a landing. See the listing on PaddlePal Finder.

Nichol End Marine, Derwentwater

On the western shore near Portinscale, Nichol End is the quieter way onto the same lake, and the listing records a café at the water's edge. It puts you straight under Cat Bells with the whole lake to explore south towards Grange. A neighbouring pin for Derwent Water Marina records hire, so this shore is also where to look if you have arrived without a board. See the listing on PaddlePal Finder.

Glenridding Launch, Ullswater

Ullswater is the second largest lake in England and the one most people picture when they think of paddling here: nine miles of water in a dog-leg, with Helvellyn's flanks above the southern end. Glenridding is that southern end, and the launch listing records parking and toilets. The scenery is at its most dramatic here and the wind at its most awkward, because anything from the west or south comes straight down the valley. Paddle the western shore towards Glencoyne Bay for the best of it, and give the Ullswater Steamers a wide berth as they come and go from the pier. See the listing on PaddlePal Finder.

Pooley Bridge, Ullswater

The other end of Ullswater is the gentler one. Pooley Bridge is a small village at the northern tip of the lake, and the listing records parking, toilets, a café and a pub. The water here is shallower and more open, with farmland rather than crags on either side, so it suits a family or a first outing better than Glenridding. Head along the eastern shore towards Howtown for a longer trip; the road stays close on that side, so a one-way paddle with a pick-up is easy to arrange. See the listing on PaddlePal Finder.

Grasmere

Grasmere is the small lake beside the village of the same name, a mile or so across, with Helm Crag and the Fairfield ridge on the skyline. The listing records parking and a play spot. It is the pick for a windy afternoon when the big lakes are white, because it is sheltered enough to circle in an hour and you are never far from shore. The lake is privately owned by the Lowther estate, which allows canoes, kayaks and paddleboards but no rowing, sailing or powered boats and no landing on the island. See the listing on PaddlePal Finder.

Ferry Nab, Windermere

Windermere is the biggest lake in England, and Ferry Nab, just south of Bowness, is its public slipway, run by the council's lake wardens who patrol the water. The listing records parking and a café. This is the busiest water in the guide, with launches, hire boats, dinghies and the car ferry that crosses right beside the slipway: pass well behind it, at least two ferry lengths, never in front. The wooded western shore north past Belle Isle is the quietest water. The lake has a public right of navigation, speed limits keep the powered traffic slow, and a paddleboard needs no registration. See the listing on PaddlePal Finder.

Fell Foot, Windermere

Fell Foot is the National Trust's park at the southern tip of Windermere by Newby Bridge, and the listing records parking and a pub nearby. The lake narrows here and the water is sheltered, with lawns to sit on afterwards, which makes it the family end of Windermere. Be careful heading south: the lake becomes the River Leven at Newby Bridge, and a neighbouring finder pin marks the weir at the start of the river. See the listing on PaddlePal Finder.

Coniston Boating Centre, Coniston Water

Coniston Water is five miles long and almost straight, with the Old Man of Coniston above the village at the northern end and Peel Island, the model for Wild Cat Island in Swallows and Amazons, near the southern one. The boating centre listing records parking, and a neighbouring pin at Coniston Pier records a café. The centre is run by the national park authority and charges a launch fee for private craft, and it asks that boards and boats arrive clean to keep invasive species out of the lake. See the listing on PaddlePal Finder.

Routes to try

Paddlers have shared GPX routes on PaddlePal Finder for four of the five lakes in this guide:

  • Ullswater Lake: 4.9 km, a short outing that suits a first paddle from Glenridding or Pooley Bridge.
  • Windermere From Ambleside: 9.9 km, starting at the northern end of Windermere and heading down the lake.
  • Derwent Water: 10.1 km, a lap of Derwentwater that takes in the islands and the Borrowdale end.
  • Lake Coniston Eastside: 13.0 km along the quieter eastern shore of Coniston Water.

Beyond the water

The fells are the obvious rest day: Cat Bells above Derwentwater and Loughrigg above Grasmere are short, sharp walks with the lakes laid out below, and Helvellyn and Scafell Pike are the big days. Keswick has the Theatre by the Lake and a Saturday market, Grasmere has Dove Cottage and the gingerbread shop, and the Ullswater Steamers and Keswick launches are a fine way to see a lake when the wind is up.

Where to stay

Stay on the water if you can; the first hour after dawn is when the lakes are calmest. Several campsites appear on the finder as launch points in their own right: Low Wray National Trust Campsite on the western shore of Windermere, Park Foot Campsite near Pooley Bridge on Ullswater, Coniston Hall Campsite on Coniston Water and the Borrowdale Caravan and Motorhome Club Site at the southern end of Derwentwater. For beds, Keswick is the base for the northern lakes, with everything from hostels to hotels; Ambleside and Bowness cover Windermere and Grasmere; Glenridding and Pooley Bridge have pubs with rooms and B&Bs at either end of Ullswater; Coniston village has a couple of inns and plenty of holiday lets.

Getting there

The M6 runs down the eastern edge of the national park: junction 36 and the A590 for Windermere and Coniston, junction 40 and the A66 for Keswick and, via the A592, Ullswater. By train, the West Coast Main Line stops at Oxenholme, where a branch line runs to Windermere, and at Penrith for Ullswater and Keswick. Stagecoach buses do the last leg, with the 555 running through the middle of the park from Kendal to Keswick via Windermere, Ambleside and Grasmere, and services from Penrith to Keswick and down Ullswater. Manchester is the practical airport. An inflatable board travels well by train and bus; a hard board or kayak wants a car, and a car wants an early start, because parking is the real constraint in summer.

Before you launch

Access in the Lake District is decided lake by lake, and the differences matter. Windermere has a public right of navigation, and non-powered craft need no licence or registration. Ullswater, Derwentwater, Coniston and Grasmere allow canoes, kayaks and paddleboards without a permit, though Coniston Boating Centre charges to launch from its slipway. Bassenthwaite Lake needs a permit from the Lake District National Park Authority, and Buttermere, Crummock Water and Loweswater need a day permit from the National Trust car parks. Thirlmere does not allow paddleboards, and Rydal Water, Brotherswater and Haweswater allow no craft of any kind. Esthwaite Water is a private fishery. Finder listings are a starting point, so if a pin sits on a restricted lake, check the rules before you drive there.

Finder pins also flag the hazards. Below Derwentwater there is a pin for the weir at Portinscale; around Ambleside, Skelwith Force and the rapids above Skelwith Bridge mark the River Brathay as whitewater, not a link between lakes; and at the foot of Windermere the weir at the start of the River Leven and Backbarrow weir below it are both pinned, so stay on the lake.

Everything else is the usual sense: wear a buoyancy aid, stay near the shore until you have seen what the wind does, check, clean and dry your kit between lakes because the park is fighting invasive species, and tell someone your plan.

Plan it with PaddlePal

These eight are a starting point; the finder lists well over a hundred spots across the Keswick, Ambleside, Penrith, Windermere, Coniston and Ulverston areas. Browse the Lake District listings on PaddlePal Finder, download a shared route as GPX, then plan your line in the PaddlePal app, check the forecast before you leave the car and track the paddle from your wrist.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a licence to paddleboard in the Lake District?
No licence on Windermere, Ullswater, Derwentwater, Coniston or Grasmere. Bassenthwaite needs a permit from the national park authority, and Buttermere, Crummock Water and Loweswater need a National Trust day permit. Thirlmere does not allow paddleboards and Rydal Water allows no craft.

Can you paddleboard on Windermere?
Yes. Windermere has a public right of navigation and no registration is needed for a paddleboard or kayak. Ferry Nab near Bowness is the public slipway; pass well behind the car ferry and keep clear of the launches.

When is the best time of year to paddle in the Lake District?
May to September, with late spring and September usually the calmest and quietest. Launch early whatever the month: the wind builds through the day and the car parks fill by mid-morning in summer.