Coniston Boating Centre
Coniston Boating Centre
Coniston Boating Centre
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Full view
About
Boat and bike hire on the shores of Coniston Water in the Lake District. Motor boats, rowing boats, paddle boards, kayaks, mountain bikes and electric fat-tyre bike to hire! With the Bluebird cafe offering drinks, snacks, lunches and ice creams, everything you need for a fun day out on the water.
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Coniston Boating Centre
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4.5
227 reviews
Excellent
145
Very good
54
Average
12
Poor
3
Terrible
13
Our Wanderings | E&J
United Kingdom99 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
We pre-booked the open canoe for 2 people which cost £25 for 2 hours. The booking system was extremely easy to navigate and we were glad we did this beforehand as it was very busy when we arrived. The car park is limited with parking spaces so we would recommend you to arrive earlier as to not to miss your booking start time. We also enjoyed bringing small bites to eat whilst we were paddling!
Written 31 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gareth
Cape Town, South Africa13 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Bike hire. I Recommend a clockwise route .Lof the Coniston lake. We hired for 4 hrs. Very helpful staff. Well serviced bikes.
The cycle path is a mix of quiet roads (50%), cycle paths (25%) and a more busy road (25%). The entire route is wonderful with stunning forests, views and villages. Streams.
On the clockwise route the B road hugs the east shore ( swimming) and passes through the wonderful Grizedale forest.
(The section of road between the south of the lake and Torver is a hill but we tackled it with a. Mix of push / cycle. No problem. Sure there are a few more cars but this should not stop you going. There is a lama farm half way up the hill ).
We stopped at the Inn in Torver for lunch and still made it back to the cycle centre within the 4 hrs.
I would book bikes ahead of your planned trip although the bike hire centre seemed less in demand than the SUPs / boat hire
The family was two adults and 2 kids ( 13 & 11)
Highly recommend
The cycle path is a mix of quiet roads (50%), cycle paths (25%) and a more busy road (25%). The entire route is wonderful with stunning forests, views and villages. Streams.
On the clockwise route the B road hugs the east shore ( swimming) and passes through the wonderful Grizedale forest.
(The section of road between the south of the lake and Torver is a hill but we tackled it with a. Mix of push / cycle. No problem. Sure there are a few more cars but this should not stop you going. There is a lama farm half way up the hill ).
We stopped at the Inn in Torver for lunch and still made it back to the cycle centre within the 4 hrs.
I would book bikes ahead of your planned trip although the bike hire centre seemed less in demand than the SUPs / boat hire
The family was two adults and 2 kids ( 13 & 11)
Highly recommend
Written 18 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter B
Solihull, UK332 contributions
May 2021 • Friends
The paddle boarding was great value for money at £20 for 2 hours much cheaper than most nearby competitors and the equipment was still of a high standard. Staff friendly and helpful on arrival and when handing back over. Beautiful location was an added bonus!
Written 14 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joanna D
3 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
Went here with the aim of hiring a bike. Firstly the parking was more expensive than advertised on the website. Then, whilst the website says advance booking recommended, it does not specify that this is actually ESSENTIAL! As I was going on a day out of peak season, first thing in the morning, and with a rather horrible weather forecast, I didn't think booking would be necessary. Turns out, no matter how busy it is (it was very quiet), you always have to book the day before. This needs to be on the website please to save others a wasted trip. The young guy I spoke to did at least give me an appropriate suggestion of somewhere else I could try and advised calling ahead to check, which was helpful.
Written 4 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
juliamitch
Leeds, UK3 contributions
Jul 2021 • Friends
We couldn’t get parked in either car park (despite booking 2 months in advance). We drove around the main and overflow car parks for 25 mins before giving up and subsequently asked for a refund. The staff were rude; refused a refund and said we should have been aware of the parking at the school down the road, even though this is not stated on the website and we are not from the area.
The customer service was shocking - both car parks are ill-organised and cramped and the boating centre clearly took on more bookings that they could provide facilities for.
Thankfully, we found Bank Ground Farm across the other (much quieter) side of the lake, who hire out boats and don’t overstretch their service. This was a much more enjoyable experience than Coniston Boating Centre and one I would recommend if you value a friendly and quality service.
The customer service was shocking - both car parks are ill-organised and cramped and the boating centre clearly took on more bookings that they could provide facilities for.
Thankfully, we found Bank Ground Farm across the other (much quieter) side of the lake, who hire out boats and don’t overstretch their service. This was a much more enjoyable experience than Coniston Boating Centre and one I would recommend if you value a friendly and quality service.
Written 19 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KennyCh2018
Guisborough, UK155 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
This non event was a waste of time..... pur time! We turned up to get a boat only to see a notice "no sailings today" = we had checked the website before going and drove 20 odd miles each way! Annoyed ......
Written 1 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel S
Middlewich, UK205 contributions
Jul 2021
We prebooked a boat the night before for one hour for £30 at 10am. We were pleased we'd picked the earlier slot as we did get parked in the main car park, by the time we'd finished at 11am the car park was full and the overflow was pretty busy as well.
The boat was fine, the weather was a little cloudy so we didn't enjoy it as much as we thought. Everything was pretty well organised and the staff were very polite.
The boat was fine, the weather was a little cloudy so we didn't enjoy it as much as we thought. Everything was pretty well organised and the staff were very polite.
Written 31 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TonyF4504
10 contributions
Aug 2020 • Friends
We hired a boat and really enjoyed our time on the water, the price is fair and if I was rating purely on that itd be a 5/5
Sadly for me and my guests the customer service absolutely ruined this outing and we left feeling deflated by our experience.
It states when you make your purchase there will be a ‘brief instruction before hire’ and a ‘contact free safety briefing’,neither of these things happened which is concerning as a lot of families with young children were using this service which can be dangerous with lack of knowledge on how to be safe on the water wether it be as simple as how to turn, slow down, what position to row in or even telling people to stay seated on the boat.
When we returned and docked our boat we were greeted by a member of staff who was extremely rude and made comments towards me and my friends which were very obnoxious, due to this member of staffs arrogance towards us I would not recommend this service.
I hope the staff are better trained for future interactions but sadly I dont see myself nor my friends returning to this particular boat hiring service.
Sadly for me and my guests the customer service absolutely ruined this outing and we left feeling deflated by our experience.
It states when you make your purchase there will be a ‘brief instruction before hire’ and a ‘contact free safety briefing’,neither of these things happened which is concerning as a lot of families with young children were using this service which can be dangerous with lack of knowledge on how to be safe on the water wether it be as simple as how to turn, slow down, what position to row in or even telling people to stay seated on the boat.
When we returned and docked our boat we were greeted by a member of staff who was extremely rude and made comments towards me and my friends which were very obnoxious, due to this member of staffs arrogance towards us I would not recommend this service.
I hope the staff are better trained for future interactions but sadly I dont see myself nor my friends returning to this particular boat hiring service.
Written 1 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
djr39
Preston, UK168 contributions
Apr 2023
Family hired a motor boat for one hour and had a super time on the lake, taking in the wonderful views ( it was a sunny day in the lakes!).
Better to book in advance online but we were lucky and they had availability at the end of the day. Very reasonable charges, variety of durations for hires.
Really helpful staff, good safety briefing and fitting life jackets for adults and children.
Boats simple to use, spacious and comfortable.
The most relaxing way to view the lake shore and the mountains.
Ample pay and display parking, or a twenty minute walk from the village. Bluebird cafe nearby or ample areas and tables for picnics on site.
Better to book in advance online but we were lucky and they had availability at the end of the day. Very reasonable charges, variety of durations for hires.
Really helpful staff, good safety briefing and fitting life jackets for adults and children.
Boats simple to use, spacious and comfortable.
The most relaxing way to view the lake shore and the mountains.
Ample pay and display parking, or a twenty minute walk from the village. Bluebird cafe nearby or ample areas and tables for picnics on site.
Written 7 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DevonshireMike
Newton Abbot, UK128 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
Various types of boats are available for hire, and can be booked in advance online.
I’ve always hankered after rowing a proper old-fashioned rowing boat on Coniston. When two of us, with a tiny dog, turned up on-spec in April 2022, friendly staff welcomed us, got us all safely kitted up in buoyancy jackets and out in our boat very efficiently.
Highly recommended.
I’ve always hankered after rowing a proper old-fashioned rowing boat on Coniston. When two of us, with a tiny dog, turned up on-spec in April 2022, friendly staff welcomed us, got us all safely kitted up in buoyancy jackets and out in our boat very efficiently.
Highly recommended.
Written 10 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What happens if you’ve booked a motorboat but when you arrive there is a storm? Can yo move the booking or get a refund?
Written 5 April 2024
Hi Alison,
The centre is outside, but its flat and most of the ground is either paved or gravel. We have disabled car park spaces, and the Bluebird cafe is wheelchair accessible. Most excitingly, we will be launching our wheelchair accessible boat back into the water for this summer season. If you have any particular things that would make your visit easier, give the team a call and they'll be happy to help.
Written 13 March 2020
Are dogs allowed on the boats?
Written 10 April 2019
When are row boats available to hire?
Written 10 April 2019
Is the boating centre open for motor boat hire throughout january please?
Written 4 January 2018
It would appear to be open from 10-4 every day for boat and bike hire, but it might be worth phoning to check if travelling specially.
Written 8 January 2018
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