Paddleboarding spots in Somerset

This slipway serves the Canal and River Trust moorings and boatyard at Bathpool, a hamlet in West Monkton parish on the northeastern edge of Taunton, on the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal. The canal here runs close to, but separately from, the River Tone, which also passes through Bathpool a short distance away.

Watchet Harbour slipway

This slipway sits within Watchet Harbour on the Bristol Channel, where Somerset Council charges a fee to launch a kayak or paddleboard. The harbour pairs a tidal outer basin with a marina impounded behind a cross wall and tidal gate since 2001.

West Street slipway, Watchet

This slipway on West Street gives access to Watchet Harbour on the Bristol Channel. The harbour's eastern basin was impounded behind a cross wall and tidal gate in 2001 to create a leisure marina, while the outer harbour stays tidal and dries at low water. Somerset Council charges a fee to launch a kayak or paddleboard here.

Watchet Harbour slipway

This slipway sits on the harbour wall at Watchet Harbour, a tidal basin on the Bristol Channel where Somerset Council charges a fee to launch a kayak or paddleboard.

Firepool Slipway

A concrete slipway on the River Tone at Firepool in Taunton, close to Firepool Lock where the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal joins the river. The redeveloped Firepool area has become a recognised launch point for paddling trips downstream from the town centre.

French Weir Close Slipway

A free public slipway with a paving-stone surface on the River Tone at French Weir Close in Taunton, a short walk downstream of French Weir Park. The stretch lies within the 0.8-mile section of the Tone in Taunton that retains a statutory right of navigation.

Tangier Way Slipway

A slipway on the River Tone at Tangier, between Firepool and French Weir Park in Taunton, close to a footbridge and the site of a former lock and weir. The riverbank here was restored as part of works recorded by OSM contributors.

Porlock Weir beach slipway

This unserviced slipway lies on the shingle beach east of Porlock Weir harbour on the Exmoor coast, launching onto Porlock Bay and the Bristol Channel. OpenStreetMap notes the surface as smaller shingle over larger rocks, not continuous down to mean low water springs because of shingle drift, and recommends pneumatic-tyred trolleys. Porlock Bay dries over a roughly 9 metre tidal range, so launching is easiest close to high tide.

Porlock Weir harbour slipway

This slipway sits in the small tidal harbour at Porlock Weir on the Exmoor coast, opening onto Porlock Bay and the Bristol Channel. The bay has a tidal range of around 9 metres, so the harbour dries at low water and paddling is best timed to roughly 1.5 hours either side of high tide.

Combwich slipway (Otterhampton)

This slipway lies close to the hamlet of Otterhampton on the edge of Combwich, launching onto the tidal River Parrett as it curves around Combwich Reach toward Bridgwater Bay. The stretch carries a wide tidal range and the surrounding banks form part of the Parrett's estuarine mudflats.

Combwich slipway (Riverside)

This slipway sits on Riverside in Combwich, a village on the west bank of the tidal River Parrett where the river runs through a stretch known as Combwich Reach on its way to Bridgwater Bay. Combwich has been used as a small river port since Roman times, and paddlers can expect the large tidal range typical of the upper Bristol Channel.

Blue Anchor slipway

Blue Anchor is a seaside village on the Bristol Channel, within the civil parish of Old Cleeve. A cobbled slipway at the eastern end of Blue Anchor Beach gives access to the shingle-backed sand beach, with free roadside parking and toilets nearby. The Bristol Channel here has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world, so mud and a fast-rising tide are a factor once the water is out.

Minehead put-in

This slipway, marked on nautical charts as a small-craft facility, sits at Minehead Harbour on the Bristol Channel below North Hill. Somerset Council charges a fee to launch a kayak or paddleboard from the harbour.

Minehead put-in

This slipway lies on Quay Street at the southern approach to Minehead Harbour on the Bristol Channel, below North Hill at the western end of Minehead seafront. Somerset Council charges a fee to launch a kayak or paddleboard from the harbour.

Minehead put-in

This slipway sits within Minehead Harbour on the Bristol Channel, below North Hill at the western end of Minehead seafront. Somerset Council charges a fee to launch a kayak or paddleboard here.

Middlemoor Sports Lake

Middlemoor Sports Lake is a purpose-built, 20-acre watersports lake at Middlemoor Water Park near Woolavington on the Somerset Levels, opened in 1989. The privately run centre is built around waterskiing, wakeboarding and a cable wake system, with a licensed clubhouse overlooking the water.

Langport put-in

This put-in lies on the River Parrett just east of Langport town centre, near Whatley, within the 7.6-mile non-tidal stretch between Oath Lock and Thorney Mills that the Langport River Project reopened with new pontoons and canoe steps.

Langport put-in

This put-in sits on the River Parrett's north bank in Langport town centre, near Bow Street, on the stretch of non-tidal river reopened for paddling by the Langport River Project.

Huish Episcopi put-in

This slipway sits on the River Parrett at Huish Bridge, near the Tannery in Huish Episcopi on the eastern edge of Langport. The Langport River Project restored the slipway and added a car park and amenity area here for canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and trailboats.

Huish Episcopi put-in

This is a slipway on the River Parrett's south bank at Langport, opposite the town centre, part of the 7.6-mile non-tidal stretch between Oath Lock and Thorney Mills reopened for paddling by the Langport River Project.

Hawkridge Reservoir

Hawkridge Reservoir is a 32-acre Wessex Water reservoir on the edge of the Quantock Hills near Spaxton, built between 1960 and 1962 to supply drinking water to Bridgwater. It is now managed mainly for trout angling, with public rights of way around the site giving views over the water.

Harewood Farm put-in (Brompton Regis)

This slipway on Wimbleball Lake, a South West Lakes Trust reservoir on Exmoor, lies on the north shore near Harewood Farm and the village of Brompton Regis. Bringing your own paddleboard or kayak requires a self-launch permit and third-party insurance through the lake's activity centre.

Harewood Farm put-in (Brompton Regis)

Harewood Farm put-in (Brompton Regis)