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Grimwith reservoir is situated in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is over 350 acres in area and there is good sailing when the wind is blowing from the west or the east, south west is the prevailing wind direction, which is generally okay. The wind tends to be very flukey if there is too much south or north in it, due to the surrounding hills.
Grimwith is the home of the Yorkshire Dales S.C. (formerly Grimwith S.C.) which is mainly a dinghy racing club . Originally, the club was Leeds S.C. which was formed in the 1960's and sailed at Thruscross Reservoir about 10 miles away. The club moved to Grimwith on a permanent basis in 1995 as it provided a bigger sailing area, better and stronger winds and less problems with water levels. The members had to leave behind the clubhouse, showers, bar, etc., and have since been operating out of portacabins. There are changing rooms and a clubhouse with a galley but there are no showers. The club now has planning permission for a new, purpose built clubhouse with all mod cons.
There have been many difficulties to overcome in order to build the clubhouse from trying to deal with Yorkshire Water, the National Parks Planning Department, the R.S.P.B. and other bird watchers as the banks of the lake are nesting grounds for widgeons and ringed plovers. Because of the breeding habits of these birds, unfortunately, at the present time, there is no sailing from 1st March until 30th April. Hopefully, this will change in the future.
There are probably more board sailors than dinghy sailors sailing on a regular basis. This is partly due to the fact that most of the dinghy sailors race on Sundays which, apart from Wednesday evenings in summer, is the only racing day. Occasionally, there are 'open meetings' taking place which can be Sat/Sun, but this only happens two or three times a year at the most. The dinghy racing does not affect the boardsailors as everyone just keeps out of each others way. Also, many of the dinghy sailors sail boards as well.
Visitors can sail at Grimwith on Saturdays and Bank Holidays (12n - about 5.30pm) and on Sundays (10am - about 5.30pm) from 1st May until 31st October. There should be a support boat on the water on these occasions which is usually taken ashore about 5.30pm. The club is run by members who do 'duties' a couple of times a year and man the support boat. They also have to lock up, etc., which is usually at about 6pm. Visitors are charged about 11 for a days sailing but less after about 3pm. Visitors can not sail at any other time except for windsurfing events which are usually on weekends anyway.
In my opinion, day visitor sailing is expensive but the club is trying to raise money for the new facilities. To do this, more members are needed to qualify for grants, etc. The club used to charge a nominal amount for visitors, who are mainly windsurfers, but many would not join the club and were happy to just pay the nominal fee. Therefore the daily fees were increased and the result was that many of the windsurfers are now full members of the club. The present membership fees are about 125 for one person and 155 for a couple, again not cheap.
Another reason for joining the club, perhaps the main reason, is that the club negotiated with the water authority, using R.Y.A. guidelines, to allow 'Buddy Sailing'.
This means that members can sail at any time (except in March and April at the moment) providing that there are at least two persons using two boards and/or dinghies and are prepared to look after each other should the need arise. Members have their own keys for the gates, clubhouse, galley, changing rooms, etc., so they can sail whenever they wish. Many of the board sailors keep a list of phone numbers and, should the wind be 'blowing', they ring around their colleagues and go sailing. The club have also bought a support surf canoe for windsurfing rescue purposes should the need arise through injury or broken gear. There is plenty of room for parking vans and cars but the shore is rather stoney and is not good for rigging but there are some grassy areas.
Grimwith Reservoir is situated just north of the B-6265 road, which goes from Grassington to Greenhow and on to Pateley Bridge. The nearest village is Hebden, probably a couple of miles from the water as there is an approach road which must be about a mile long.
The surrounding area is very picturesque and is good walking country. It is possible to walk around the reservoir on footpaths. The distance is about 4.25 miles and takes about 1.5 to 2 hrs. There are lots of pubs, restaurants boarding houses, etc., particularly in Grassington, Threshfield, Burnsall, _applet_reewick, Pateley Bridge, depending on how far you wish to travel. Other places to visit in the area are Bolton Abbey, Stump Cross Caverns and Skipton where there are markets and a castle.
Occasionally, Robin Hood Watersports hold demo days at Grimwith and the North Eastern Windsurfers (NEWS) sometimes hold events there.
A local outdoor pursuits centre called Bewerley Park Centre, which is near to Pateley Bridge, also have access to the water and occasionally run basic sailing and windsurfing courses (called the Gybe Scheme). This is usually on four weekends per year (Sat/Sun).
There are no facilities for Kite Surfers so please don't ask.
I hope that this helps.
Ian.
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