Paddleboarding spots in West Yorkshire

This slipway launches onto the River Wharfe in Wetherby, close to the town's riverside walk and Wilderness car park, with a weir nearby where a former watermill once stood. The Wharfe's statutory public right of navigation runs only from the weir at Tadcaster downstream to the River Ouse, so the Wetherby stretch upstream of that falls outside it.

Yeadon Tarn put-in (Leeds)

Yeadon Tarn is a park lake at Tarnfield Park in Yeadon, home to Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre, which runs public stand-up paddleboarding sessions and Paddle UK Start courses alongside sailing, kayaking and canoeing.

Upper Rotcher put-in (Kirklees)

This concrete slipway launches onto the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Slaithwaite, on the stretch known locally as Upper Rotcher. The Canal & River Trust manages the waterway, and a waterways licence is required to paddle here.

Stanley Ferry put-in (Wakefield)

This slipway is part of Stanley Ferry Marina on the Aire and Calder Navigation, a canalised waterway that crosses the River Calder nearby on the Stanley Ferry aqueducts just north-east of Wakefield. The Canal and River Trust, which manages the navigation, requires a waterways licence for canoes, kayaks and paddleboards launching here.

Silsden Reservoir put-in (Silsden)

Silsden Reservoir lies above the Cringles area on the edge of Silsden, close to the reservoir's dam. It was originally built as a Yorkshire Water compensation reservoir to replenish the River Aire and is used mainly for fishing.

Ripponden put-in (Calderdale)

This slipway sits on Green Withens Reservoir, an upland Yorkshire Water reservoir on Rishworth Moor above Ripponden, part of the Booth Wood and Ryburn reservoir group that supplies Wakefield, Dewsbury and Huddersfield. A Scout-run watersports centre operates at the southern end of the dam.

River

Otley put-in (Leeds)

This slipway gives access to the River Wharfe at Otley, close to Ilkley Road. The Wharfe's navigation status is disputed rather than settled in law: below Tadcaster weir it carries recognised public navigation, but rights on many upstream reaches, including through Otley, remain contested between landowners and paddlers.

Moor End put-in (Calderdale)

This slipway sits on Mixenden Reservoir, a Yorkshire Water supply reservoir northwest of Mixenden village near Halifax. No club or public watersports information could be found for this reservoir.

Lower Edge put-in (Calderdale)

This slipway launches onto Freeman's Cut, a still-water channel off the River Calder at Brighouse that OpenStreetMap records as used for water-skiing. No further information on public paddling access to this stretch was found.

River

Kirkstall put-in (Leeds)

This canoe put-in sits on the River Aire at Kirkstall, near Kirkstall Valley retail park and Kirkstall Abbey. Leeds Canoe Club is based on the riverbank here, and the Canal and River Trust manages this navigable stretch of the Aire between Leeds and Haddlesey weir.

Ponden Reservoir put-in (Stanbury)

This slipway launches onto Ponden Reservoir, a Yorkshire Water compensation reservoir in the Worth Valley near Stanbury, below Haworth. Yorkshire Water lists High Adventure as the watersports tenant offering canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding and sailing here.

Howden Grange Farm put-in (Silsden)

This slipway reaches the Leeds and Liverpool Canal near Howden Grange Farm, on the edge of Silsden. The Canal and River Trust manages the towpath and channel along this stretch.

Helme put-in (Kirklees)

This slipway sits on the eastern shore of Blackmoorfoot Reservoir, a Yorkshire Water supply reservoir near Meltham and the hamlet of Helme. A public footpath promoted by Yorkshire Water runs along this side of the reservoir.

Hebden Royd put-in (Calderdale)

This slipway is at Hebden Bridge Marina on the Rochdale Canal, next to the Hebden Bridge Visitor and Canal Centre. The Canal & River Trust manages the waterway and requires a waterways licence to launch here.

Reva Reservoir put-in (Hawksworth)

Reva Reservoir is a small hilltop reservoir above Hawksworth, on the moor between Guiseley and Ilkley, run as a scout water activity centre. The Wharfedale District Scouts and Guides use it for sailing, kayaking, canoeing, rowing and paddleboarding sessions, with priority booking for scout groups and limited availability for outside organisations.

Folly Hall put-in (Kirklees)

This slipway is at Aspley Marina in Huddersfield, on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal close to its junction with the Huddersfield Broad Canal. The Canal & River Trust manages the waterway and requires a waterways licence to launch here.

Doe Park Reservoir put-in (Denholme)

Doe Park Reservoir sits beside Denholme and hosts Bradford Council's Doe Park Water Activities Centre, which runs sailing, canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding sessions. Yorkshire Water, which owns the reservoir, prohibits general public swimming and paddling outside the centre's supervised activities, citing cold water shock and underwater machinery.

Dean Head put-in (Kirklees)

This slipway launches onto Scammonden Water, a reservoir created in the 1960s when the Dean Head valley was flooded. The M62 motorway crosses nearby at Scammonden Bridge, and a sailing club has operated from the reservoir's old vicarage, though it is not among Yorkshire Water's currently listed watersports tenants.

This slipway sits on the lake at Pugneys Country Park, a former sand quarry between Wakefield and Crigglestone that now doubles as a flood-storage basin for the River Calder and a nature reserve. Wakefield Council, which manages the park, no longer permits water sports there following a 2023 review that prioritised wildlife over recreation.

Bingley put-in (Bradford)