In the land between the sea and main promenade road on Fleetwood seafront, you’ll find two boating lakes.
Larger Boating Lake
This one (below) is the larger of the two boating lakes.
It’s an attractive feature on The Esplanade at Fleetwood – walk along the pavement against the highway, or follow the footpath which runs along the coast towards the sea ward side.
Following recent renovation works (see below) there’s also a footpath which runs right around the edge of the lake itself.
It’s a lovely spot for a quiet walk – watch the wildlife and enjoy the view!
The big lake is about 4′ at its deepest and 3′ (1m) at its shallowest.
Watch this drone flight footage across Fleetwood Boating Lake at sunset in winter. Thanks to Christopher Verity who filmed this, for allowing us to share it.
Using the Boating Lake
If you’d like to use it to practice your canoe and paddle-boating skills you can just turn up and do so as you wish.
However, if you would like to organise a proper ‘event’ which is promoted in advance and will attract a big crowd of people, then you should contact Wyre Council to arrange for the necessary permissions.
Boatwork and Seamanship Training
Blackpool and the Fylde College use the large boating lake for boatwork and seamanship training, for students from Fleetwood Nautical College, whose campus is just down the road.
In the clip below you can see the lifeboat sailing around the lake as students practise survival skills.
Canoe craft skills being practised at Fleetwood boating lake
Blackpool and the Fylde College students learning their skills on the boating lake at Fleetwood
Model Yacht Pond
The smaller of the two is the model yacht pond and to its left the paddling pool (below)
Fleetwood Model Yacht & Power Boat Club has it’s clubhouse on the main promenade against these two lakes, and holds events and competitions throughout the year on the model yacht pond.
The Club was formed in 1929 and their smaller of the two lakes, as we know it today, was officially opened in 1932. In the same year the club held its first National Championship for 6 metre model Yachts.
In 1933, the British Open A Class Championship was held for the first time at Fleetwood. Since then, Fleetwood has held many major national and international championships for many classes of boats. There is a racing section for model yachts, rules and a thriving scale section. This section is active in all aspects of scale and semi-scale, both yachting and power.
Over the years there have been constant improvements to the clubhouse and the lake facilities and it is now one of the finest clubhouses in the country.
The 2017 (UK) Vane A-Class Championships at Fleetwood started on Sunday 30. This prestigious regatta has a history which dates back to the late 1920’s. This five day event brings skippers from all over the UK, with the Netherlands also represented.
The area is also home to families of ducks, geese and swans, who have trained the public to feed them and make quite a sight when they gather to watch the events!
Improvement Works to the Lakes
In December 2014, works started to improve the lakes, to achieve consistent levels of water, so that a better range of sports and activities can be provided in the future.
The main boating lake was dredged and drained (above) and once empty, repairs were carried out to the lining, the aprons were re-concreted and some of the access pathways improved. The lake was then refilled with water.
The sand which was dredged out of the lake was transported to Rossall to be used on another Five For Fleetwood project. It was stored and used in the landscaping along the seafront which is part of the new Rossall sea defence works.
Find out More
Blackpool and the Fylde College
Fleetwood Model Yacht and Power Boat Club
Fleetwood Boating Lake