The 30 Best Kayaking in London

“HIGHLY recommend this spot to swim. It's tucked away in a picturesque location, with a lovely dock with changing rooms and places to store your belongings. There are three loops of different lengths to choose from - perfect for those who are training to complete a specific distance. The staff are really friendly and helpful - they host different events to help test your skill and have 121 coaching on offer as well. Bright coloured caps and tow floats are required - they do have a supply of some as well. Lovely dining spots nearby for those wanting to make an occasion out of it - including outdoor bars on the water during the summer.”

“Kate is a fantastic guide and leader. I feel inspired and motivated to undertake more treks, which as an inexperienced woman who wants to get more outdoorsy feels so empowering. However, my favourite part is the adventuress community - I have done both the compass navigation and confidence outdoors courses, and the community that Kate has an integral role in developing of Adventuresses feels like a truly welcoming, supportive environment. I’ve already booked onto more adventuress walks - if you’re not sure, just sign up!”

“Best swimming event I have attended!”

“An excellent event space with great views across the river, super friendly events team.”

“Had a cheeseburger to die for, reasonably priced. Quite location, friendly staff, have to be prepared to wait for the food to be served, but it is definitely worth the wait and in fact that tells me that it is made right there and then. Definitely coming back again with friends! Well done guys!”

“We had an amazing stay at Home Farm. Facilities are amazing and all very clean. Love the barn, great for socialising. Beautiful location with the forest and fields. We had a lady come in to do wine tasting one afternoon which I would definitely recommend.. Would love to come back with the dogs one day.”

“Booked a boat trip today with our two children. I had been before back in July and had the same skipper, Isaac. He was very informative and friendly and even let my two children steer the boat for a little while. They loved it!! £10 per adult and £5 per child and it lasts about an hour. You can book the boat privately for an hour for £100. Up to 12 people. Would 100% recommend! Looking forward to booking again before the trips stop for the winter.”

“We are absolutely thrilled with the swimming lessons our child has received at Surrey Swim School. Our child has been attending for several years now, and the progress has been remarkable. Before joining Surrey Swim School, she attended several other schools, but none of them were consistent in terms of coaches, class sizes, teaching style, and progression. Since moving to Surrey Swim School, the improvement has been consistent and impressive. The class sizes are always kept small, never more than 5 pupils, which ensures that each child gets the attention they need. The continuous assessment and movement up the grades have kept our child motivated and excited about swimming. Joe and his team do a fantastic job. Their dedication, professionalism, and genuine care for the children's progress are evident in every lesson. We truly love going swimming every week and seeing our child's confidence and skills grow. Thank you, Surrey Swim School, for providing such an excellent environment for our child to thrive in!”

“Lovely lake, the folks at the Watersport Centre were very helpful and friendly. They can blow up your iSup for a small fee. We paid £12 each for 4 hours with our own paddleboard/kayak, this includes your parking if you validate it at the desk. There are lockers and safe changing facilities. Will definitely be back for the evening social, many thanks. The cafe next door is good, coffee was great and they have nice clean toilets, much nicer than the ones at the car park.”

“We attended the BSUPA Level 1 Paddleboard course. Our instructor was calm, understanding and inspired confidence. He was also incredibly knowledgeable. We felt safe and confident with him. Good solid advice on bouancy aids, and equipment followed up with excellent advice on how to use it. On the water we learned how to paddle laying down, then kneeling and finally we ALL got up. None of us fell in. We paddled a little and then it was time to deliberately fall in so we could practice getting back on....Again, everyone managed to get back on!! This is a sign of great coaching! More paddling and practicing on/off, maneuvers and steering..and then we were taught stepback turns, and encouraged to get further and further back on the board. We went from nervous shaky wobbly beginners to confident paddlers twirling on the spot with stepback turns....again ALL of us were doing this! Incredible! If you want to learn Paddleboarding, get down there now, you wont regret it. Best money I have spent! Thank you HYMB!!”

“A beautiful pice of history ! That’s how I find this little Castle. Beautifully preserved and ready to be photographed form outside and welcome everyone to take rowed lesson!”

“Took my 8 years old niece and 5 year old nephew. Booked in advance online and was very quick and easy to book. Parking is available onsite for free. Getting in was very quick and easy. The children's play area is large and the kids absolutely loved all the equipment, which is very study and well built. We also went on the pedalos and did archery (both cost extra) - the staff were all really friendly and I especially want to give a huge thank you to Max who was super kind and patient with the kids during archery and made their day. We finished the day with the Discovery Trail - this is a lovely walk by one of the lakes and in the woodland. We would have stayed longer but had to leave as it was closing. Will definitely be back!”

“A wonderful and beautiful place! For climber there are a variety of routes and boulders and it is a place that is very family friendly as well. Such a great park!”

“Absolutely fantastic Scout group run by brilliant leaders.”

“Our eight and nine year old girls were scheduled for their first kayaking session yesterday, however, due to the weather, their introduction was replaced with canoeing, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed. To participate, you must be eight years old. They provide windsurfing, sailing, and canoeing in addition to kayaking. Excited to explore the other water sports. The personnel was welcoming and friendly. An additional perk is that parking is free on the premises. I would highly recommend.”

“Lovely staff, simple and informative induction. Tow floats provided. Red/pink/orange swimming caps required (purchasable on site). It was my first time there on a Monday evening and it wasn't too busy but nice seeing people ending their day with a swim. Some people were doing a proper swim session but a few (myself included) had a nice chat and swam with friends. Plenty of space for everyone along the routes. Booking through Better is very easy. Your name is on their system so you don't need to bring up your booking when you arrive, just give your name.”

“We arranged to take the whole of Nyftha House at Brecon. It is difficult to express quite how excellent the staff, accommodation, food and of course the guides were. Being an HF novice, what staggered me was the food. From breakfast through to the huge take-away buffet for lunch to a really great evening meal. The manager,Tiffany and her staff were excellent. In fact everything was. There were 34 of us and everyone was impressed. On behalf of all of us, thank you for going that extra mile to make this such a memorable holiday.”

“Took my 3 year old and was pleasantly surprised plenty to do here, lots of space, parking charges ok and the cafe was nice. Would definitely recommend it if you are in the area and want to give the kids a run!”

“Good quality clothes; warm, functional, elegant, durable and affordable.... and Blue Light Discounts apply as well! But why is it called Trespass? The definition of Trespass is "to commit an offence against (a person or a set of rules)" or "an offence or sin"”

“Spotted a dress I liked, staff member Emma was very friendly and helpful when I was trying it on. Offered to order it in my size which arrived this morning less than 24 hours from wandering into the shop! I never knew Millets sold dresses; sensible length for a shorter person, comfortable cotton jersey in an attractive design.”

“Went here with some friends to chill. Beautiful scenery, nice picnic, and sun lounger .Get there early and pre book. I had a fantastic day. Has little gem bar and little play area up the stairs. Also has cafe to get bit to eat. Only down fall is toilets sit right next to resturant and woof of smell is awful, mixture of hot weather and frequency. THey need constant bleaching.”

“Beautiful park in South east London. With lots of spaces, areas to chill or sit and rest.”

“Great outdoor lake for a swim complete with ducks and wild landscape. You need to book online in advance and wear clothes easy to change into outdoor in the open on the shore before/after. Would be great if there were open outdoor cold water shower to rinse off afterwards as you do get a bit of pond weeds stick to you; hopefully something that can be added soon.”

“Lovely quirky house with interesting people running it. I'm sure we will be back.”

“This is a delightful bed and breakfast. I can't recommend it enough.”

“Had a great 90 min 1-2-1 intro to kayaks with Sophie this morning had the lake to ourselves went swimmingly (didn't have to swim!).”

“It was such an experience that I loved playing hide and seek in the woods. I enjoyed all of the amazing memories I made there”