Best Sailing schools in United Kingdom

Thanks so much Richard and team. Our boat was stored here in the boatyard for the best part of 2 years. All the staff without exception have made a contribution to a really positive experience. Boatwork pratically every day is sometimes daunting especially in the middle of winter. It makes a difference to be greeted by a smile, helpful and professional service. In addition to this the businesses on site have been excellent too. A special mention for Nathan Bone and Lewis Marine as well as a friendly and helpful chandlery. A great cafe as well. Thanks guys you're all awesome.

Amazing service. I’m a visitor and they have looked after me so well, super impressive. It’s the first time I have ever seen a marina team have the boat tucked away in the stack before I have unloaded my bags into the car!! Definitely recommend. Matt A. Moonraker.

Fabulous day on the sailing taster. Wonderful volunteers thank you.

I started utilising YHQ drystack for the first time approximately 4 years ago and have stored 4 boats there in total over that time. It took me just over 6 months to secure a place after being placed on their waiting list.

I cannot praise them enough at YHQ! They are professional, courteous, friendly and regularly go above and beyond what you could expect from a marina.

From Lorna and Julie in the office who are always on hand for bookings, logistics and finance, to the lads in the yard, Rich, Steve, Mitch, Kev, Lee, Paul and Tom, who all work so incredibly hard and are so helpful at all times. I do not think I have ever seen any of them without a smile on their face and ready to help!

In short, a fantastic facility, with a fantastic team who's service, in my view is unrivalled and I can say this with confidence having moored at other marinas over the years - they just don't compare to the Dry stack. No wonder there is always a waiting list to get a place here!

Thank you so much to everyone for always making my life so much easier.

First time kayaking but didn't really feel like it. Shout-out to Taylor for being an absolutely fantastic instructor. Had a blast!

Would definitely do it again!

Taylor was the best instructor we could have asked for!! Fantastic photos and loads of fun! If you get to pick your instructor pick Taylor!!

Want to thank Quinty and the team at Piddinghoe for making the RYA 1 & 2 learn to sail such a great learning experience.
They were very knowledgeable, down to earth & supportive.

Lovely boat yard/buildings

Great cafe on site along with marine engineers etc and shops.

The staff have always been absolutely amazing. Very polite friendly and helpful.

My boat has been here over a year with absolutely no problem at all.

My son Sam started his surf journey with Shawn in October 2022 and has not looked back since. We could not have asked for a more patient and encouraging teacher. Sam learnt alot in a couple of hours, and is now surfing regularly, and surfing is his favourite passion. Thanks to Shawn, Sam has found a mentor and teacher - who has introduced him to a sport that fulfils both physical and mental fitness.
If you or someone you know is looking for an experienced team, don’t hesitate - contact Brighton Watersports and ask for Shawn.

I had a 1:1 surf session with Shawn this week which was absolutely amazing! He is such a calm and patient instructor & taught me so much. It was definitely the BEST surf session I ever had!
Great instructions and tips throughout the session! It was so much fun!
Ironically it was the first surf in England I ever had even though we are in Brighton very frequently as it’s an easy commute from London.

If you don’t have a wetsuit or anything else related to surfing, you can be reassured that everything will be provided!
You are free to bring your own if you like.
The surf club is absolutely fantastic, lovely and very helpful people. The club also has changing rooms and showers. Additionally, there is a pretty cool surf shop next door, if you fancy to buy some equipment or a talk! Everyone is super helpful there.

I communicated with Shawn via whatsapp. I received lots of information upfront, detailed instructions/ location etc.
Everything had been provided and prepped for a smooth transition into the water shortly afterwards.

I cannot recommend the surf club & Shawn enough! No matter what you are looking for (beginner, intermediate, advanced) - there is lots to learn from Shawn!

Thank you so much for the session & great time!

The best surf lesson and day! Had a surf lesson with Shawn, he is so knowledgable and a really nice bloke. All the kit was provided and fit perfectly. Shawn then gave a quick but informative intro into surfing, the board etc. and then we got straight to it. Got to catch loads of waves and Shawn gave loads of great tips to help me improve. When we got back to the shop I met some more of the team who were also lovely. Overall such a fun day out. I will definitely be back for more lessons and definitely recommend Shawn and the team if you want to have a go at surfing.

Purchased an Orca wetsuit online. It's was packed and shipped very quickly. Delivery on the other hand was by Royal Mail, who did their best to slow the entire process down. Oh...and the wetsuit was an incredible price with the additional 10% off for new customers. All round 5 stars for Brighton Watersports!

I stopped in the layby in my motorhome . Lovely quiet spot with the occasional noise from ducks landing on the lake.

Very good facility and clean amenities for swimming

Lovely location. I would love to see the menu being updated. Very limited for a vegan, however, I’ve never eaten anything I didn’t like there. Staff are all wonderful. Toilets are a bit of a pain to use at the back of the car park but I think that will change hopefully when the Mess Room get their own!

Really really good! Rented two kayaks, very easy + wetsuit was a must, the wind and water was already quite cold, but an absolutely awesome experience! I have returned already and will return again.

I love this place. Great place for an early morning swim. I’ve yet to try it in the winter, but I will. It’s the perfect place to swim a good distance. The water is clean and the staff are friendly. You have to book a bit in advance on peak times, but the app
Is easy to use. £11 is steep, but the membership is a bargain if you swim often enough.

Great Sunday out doing an induction into kayaking & paddleboarding. It was busy, but very good fun, everyone was so helpful & kind. Top !!!

Nice enough place but £11 for a swim, and you can’t pay on entry (you have to book through the terrible Better app) is a bit steep. Heath ponds are nicer and only £4.

Way too many rules - you have to wear their colour swim caps (no black swim caps allowed for some reason) and they make you swim with a float. They even make you get in and out of the water in one place. All feels a bit restrictive. Fine but about as far from a wild swim as you can get.

Cafe is great, will be back for that.

If visiting London and want an outdoor swim, skip this place and go straight to the Heath ponds.

Great club, very helpful nice people

Friendly local sailing club. Provides an excellent start and ongoing support to enjoy sailing socially and competitively. Also provide radio controlled sailing, e-sailing and SUP sessions.

Love this place- been swimming here for over ten years. Feel so privileged to have this patch of wildlife and wild swimming on my doorstep, and I’m glad it reached a wider audience over lockdown. The negative reviews about there being too many rules is because people turn up expecting a beach whereas it’s an open-water sports facility, and that’s how they are (always) run, for safety reasons. Apparently there are some changes afoot, to make it more accessible, which I hope don’t alter it too much.

Really impressed with this club. Absolutely stunning setting & really nice people.

Friendly & welcoming club with some seriously competitive, midweek, model yacht racing

I was on a family day out on hired mountain bikes, and as we cycled past the sailing club, my deaf cousins and I were shouted at and accused by the owner of the sailing club for smoking on his property and vandalism. When I politely requested him to search me and to check cameras to see if I was on his property, he said "look at yourself", and "look at your way of life", without allowing me to prove myself innocent. I would assume this was because of how I looked on one of the hired mountain bikes.

This is one of my favourite places in north London. I can never get enough of swimming here - it’s lovely. The views while swimming are gorgeous. It’s a bit pricey though and you need to book ahead - but well worth it. Parking is very easy - there’s always plenty of space. And there’s a great little cafe for after your swim.

For kids there’s also the watersports club which is very popular and well worth it

Love West Reservoir! I love swimming here all year round, for an invigorating cold water dip in the winter and the gorgeous blue skies and luscious swims in the summer. It's so worth being a Better Gym member if you're a keen swimmer. I'm addicted in the best possible way.

I had previously walked past the water tower, within seeing the reservoir, desperate for the loo, and a cup of tea, I found my way to the cafe, which faces the lake
Plenty of people enjoying various water sports activities, despite the cold weather.
A decent cup of tea, clean toilets, and plenty of birds, around. Parakeets, wagtails, ducks, etc.
Only disappointment for me, being a keen angler, was that no fishing is allowed!

Great. 7 yo old daughter was there for Saturday sailors. First time in charge of a boat sailing herself. I did my first race with her as crew looking after the jib. Great fun. Didn't come last :)

Excellent Accessible boats easy to manoeuvere and good fun !

Delightful, friendly club. Loads of families, plenty of older members too. Well equipped and plenty of enthusiasm. So welcoming.

We've been using Yacht Haven Quay to store our during the winter for a couple of years & cannot rate it highly enough.

The staff are very helpful & friendly.

The cafe is great.

The chandlery whilst not carrying a massive stock is very knowledgeable & helpful

joined this sailing club about 2 years ago. Very friendly, helpful club. There's social sailing for families, lots of training scheduled for all ages and abilities. There's also racing at weekends and Wednesday evenings.

It's a relaxed club, organises socials, food, barbecues. You don't need to own your own boat to get started, the club has a good range of different boats available you can use as a member.

Spent an afternoon by the Mere first time out since self isolation very peaceful lots of wild fowl,take binoculars and a camera.

Very friendly club

We attended a great event at this friendly and welcoming sailing club.

Attended the RYA push the boat out open day. Excellent day, centre and members all lovely and welcoming.

hidden gem

Peaceful

Friendly, professional and totally supportive to beginners. I had never sailed before and just wanted to give it a go. I then became a nervous sailor as I realised there was so much to it and lacked confidence. However, they put 110% into making me feel able and before long I had a certificate and I was sailing! A wonderful feeling indeed. Highly recommend for getting out there and socialising with a really friendly bunch of people.

Really high standard dry-stack with excellent facilities. Staff is very professional and friendly.

Just ensure you don't show up too late if you want to have your boat lifted out of the water. On busy days you have to be there at least an hour before they leave.

A first class facility in a great location. Keeping my boat on dry land is so much better; easy to work on, no need to anti foul, no need to worry about bad weather. Perfect. Great cafe too, new loos and showers, loads of parking and a "happy to help" staff who always put my boat in the water at the drop of a hat. I have been here for seven years now and would not consider changing.