West Pennine have a small but active Model Yachting section who sail mainly on Thursday mornings in the gully to the N.E. of the reservoir. The section is affiliated to the Model Yachting Association as the Ashton Quays Radio Yacht Club and organizes races for the Northern District of the M.Y.A. The main class sailed at Watergrove is the International One Metre but any other model yachts are welcome. There is no Model Powerboat operation permitted at Watergrove. The M.Y.A. have an active website which is available to all at http://www.mya-uk.org.uk, details of club contacts can be found under the club entry for Ashton Quays and the Commodore, David Stewart can be reached This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Anyone interested in any aspect of Model Yachting is invited to visit us on a Thursday morning, you will probably be given the chance to control one of the models but be careful, this sport is addictive! Above is the scene as it was on Sunday 6th March 2011. Model yachting is normally done in the bay to the left, but winds were light on this day and there were no windsurfers out, so the model yachters had the water to themselves. This was February 2013 and a Force 4 Westerly wind. It looks less here and perhaps it was in the bay, but as the yachts reached the point they met the full force of the wind.

Stand Up Paddleboarding

Use our Contact Us page for advice on paddleboarding at Watergrove reservoir. 

For many years West Pennine Windsurfing Club has allowed its members to canoe and more recently to paddleboard, especially on days when there isn't enough wind to windsurf. We recognise the club is under-used at such times, so have recently decided to welcome people to visit for the day, or join for the year, to do other activities such as stand-up paddleboarding and canoeing. Be aware please, it may not always be possible to visit in light winds, as most of our members are windsurfers and won't often be there at such times to let you in. However, if/when you join you will get a key and can then come up anytime you wish in daylight hours. And of course, if/when we get more SUP and canoe members, that will help access for future visitors to pursue these activities too.

When planning to visit, please text the Secretary or other contact (see Contact Us page) to get the code for the combination lock on the gate at the bottom car park by the dam. We change this code regularly. You should also look at the Shoutbox on our website to make sure other people will be present on that day (or until Covid recedes, you will need to use our booking system instead). You can visit for the day, but you'll need £2M third party insurance cover (probably included if you have household insurance but please check) and you'll be asked to pay £10 for a day ticket. You can get up to 3 of these in a year and then you would need to join. We deduct any day tickets purchased in a year if someone subsequently becomes a club member - now £125 for an individual and £180 for a family. Under 16s join for free, but a parent must be at least a social member, which is £35. Please contact Darren, our This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., with any membership enquiries. We have a handful of storage spaces currently available if you decide to store your kit at the club - £50/year. Please bring some bottled water, as you shouldn't drink water from taps in the clubhouse at present.

Here are a few photos that we'll add to as the year goes on - click.

Please don't paddle too near the stone valve tower in the SW coner of the reservoir (bottom left in the screenshot below). Also, our lease doesn't allow us to go up the channel in the NW corner at all. This is a Nature Reserve and we get complaints if people venture up there, as it could separate young waterfowl from their parents. You can see both areas on the screenshot below and Andy Whale has marked the 1.3 mile perimeter route he paddles with his partner.

You may find the weather links on our website useful when planning a visit. xcweather will show you the predicted wind speed every few hours for the next few days and you may prefer it when the wind is less than about 12mph. We have a webcam and an anemometer mounted on the clubhouse to show you the actual conditions. There's a Met Office link on our homepage too.

Some useful links:

SUPNorthWest is an active group on Facebook. It's a good place to look to arrange visits to new places, meet others and buy and sell kit.

Stand Up Paddleboarding tips and safety advice from the RNLI

Video - Learn to SUP in 5 minutes

British Stand Up Paddleboarding Association