Paddleboarding spots in Leicestershire

This mapped slipway sits on a service path off Tuckers Road in the Woodthorpe/Shelthorpe area of Loughborough, next to woodland and a small islet, but no named water body could be confirmed at the coordinate.

Memorial Gardens slipway (Melton Mowbray)

The River Eye flows past Melton Mowbray's Memorial Gardens off Asfordby Road, where this slipway sits alongside the derelict Melton Mowbray Navigation, an 18th-century canalisation of the same river. Most of the navigation's lock chambers survive but need repair, and the Melton and Oakham Waterways Society is leading restoration work.

Lake

Stoney Cove

Stoney Cove is a flooded quarry near Stoney Stanton run as a dedicated scuba diving and open-water swimming centre, reaching a maximum depth of about 36 metres. It is a bookable private venue rather than an open access launch point.

South Wigston put-in

This slipway sits beside the Grand Union Canal's Leicester Line at South Wigston, on the southern outskirts of Leicester. The River Sence also runs nearby, but the canal is the closest named waterway to the marked launch point.

Snarestone Wharf put-in

This slipway sits on the Ashby Canal at Snarestone, close to the short Snarestone Tunnel that carries the canal beneath the village. The current head of the through-navigable canal running south from here to Marston Junction lies just north of the village, beyond a rebuilt bridge and winding point.

Sawley Marina Slipway

Adjoining Sawley Marina, this slipway launches into Sawley Cut, a channel dug around 1796 to bypass a difficult, shallow stretch of the River Trent Navigation. The Canal and River Trust manages this reach of the Trent from Shardlow to Gainsborough Bridge.

Pillings Lock slipway (Quorn)

The River Soar, canalised as the Soar Navigation, forms Quorn's eastern boundary with Barrow upon Soar and passes Pillings Lock immediately next to this slipway. The Canal and River Trust manages the navigation, and its paddlecraft licensing scheme covers this reach.

Sawley Marina slipway (Warren Lane)

This slipway on Warren Lane launches into Sawley Marina, a boat-mooring basin on the south bank of the River Trent opposite Sawley village, within the Lockington-Hemington parish of Leicestershire. The marina connects directly to the Trent Navigation, which the Canal and River Trust manages from Shardlow to Gainsborough Bridge.

Ashby Canal Centre slipway (Stoke Golding)

This service slipway sits on the Ashby Canal at Stoke Golding, adjacent to the Ashby Canal Centre boatyard, rather than at Higham on the Hill as the harvested name suggested. The canal here is one of the lock-free stretches of the 22-mile navigable Ashby Canal between Marston Junction and Snarestone.

Zouch slipway (Loughborough Boat Club)

The River Soar runs canalised through Zouch, a hamlet straddling the Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire border, and Loughborough Boat Club keeps a slipway and clubhouse on the Leicestershire side of Zouch Bridge. The Canal and River Trust manages this reach as part of the 24-mile Soar Navigation between Leicester and Trent Lock, and its canoe, kayak and paddleboard licensing scheme applies here.

Bath Yard Basin put-in (Moira)