Barrow offers an
enormous variety of sporting opportunities for visitors to the
area. There is no shortage of space or facilities through which
these opportunities can be enjoyed.
Sport in Barrow
Barrow Sports Council
provides more information on clubs and funding in the area, for
people of all abilities, or with disabilities.
Along with Allerdale and Copeland,
Barrow is part of the
Barrow and West Cumbria
Sports Action Zone, set up to help fight deprivation by
providing a sustainable sporting infrastructure that is accessible
to all.
Furness
SSCO is a site dedicated to sport for young people
within the Furness area.
As a spectator, the most popular
local game is Rugby League.
Barrow Raiders Rugby League Football
Club has enjoyed success in the National League over the years
and attracts an enthusiastic following to Craven Park. For the
soccer enthusiasts,
Barrow AFC at present competes in
the Nationwide Conference North.
In the summer cricket is played at
several venues including
Barrow
Cricket Club.
Water Sports
Walney Channel and
the coast of Roa Island are excellent areas for sailing and
windsurfing. There are two sailing clubs
(including
Roa Island Boating Club) offering
regular racing for many classes of boats and sail-boards. The
anchorage off Piel Island is popular with visiting yachts.
During summer months the Port of Barrow has proved a
popular venue for
Powerboat Racing and is the
headquarters of the Barrow Motorboat Racing Club. National
Championship heats for powerboat racing and jetski are managed by
the Barrow Motorboat Racing Club. For race details contact
Ted Walsh on 07766913801.
Fishing
Sea-fishing is excellent from the shoreline around Walney
Island and from Piel Island. Some unique varieties of fish can be
caught a few miles off the coast.
AnglingBarrow
Angling Club and
Furness Fishing Association
cater for and hold the fishing rights in local rivers, tarns and
reservoirs.
Northwest Kitesurfing:
northwestkitesurfing.co.uk.
Cumbria's only registered Kitesurfing School - based on Walney
Island, NWKS teaches kitesurfing to IKO level 2, in no less than
different locations all within the borough.
Sea kayaking trips based from Roa Island/Walney Channel are
organised for small groups by West Coast Sea Kayaking.
Windsurfing: http://www.walneywindsurfing.co.uk/ Information
and galleries about windsurfing on Walney Island, Roa Island and
surrounding areas.
Other Outdoor pursuits: You can
see lots of photographs and slideshows of various outdoor pursuits
undertaken on and around Walney Island at http://www.walneyisle.co.uk/gallery/?path=./OutdoorPersuits/ .
The sports featured include Golf, Kiting, Riding, Walking,
Canoeing, Fishing, KiteSurfing, and WindSurfing.
Sports / Leisure Centres
Park Vale Sports Centre
Located on Walney Island with a
400-metre all-weather
athletics track and
facilities for netball, tennis, hockey, volleyball, rugby and
football, for further information contact Paul Burns (01229)
473543.
The Park Leisure Centre
'The Park'
Leisure Centre is an innovative complex situated in
Barrow Park, the leisure centre offers a number of excellent
facilities, including a 25-metre swimming pool and a free-form
leisure pool with wave machine, flume and water cannons, a
six-court sports hall, climbing wall and a large fitness suite,
(01229) 871146.
Barrow Amateur Swimming
Club is based at The Park Leisure Centre.
Dalton Leisure Centre
Dalton Leisure
Centre is a superbly equipped modern leisure centre
with a 20-metre swimming pool, which includes a giant frog
waterslide, glass-backed squash courts, a multi-purpose gym,
cardio-vascular suite and other sports facilities (01229)
463125.
Hawcoat Park Sports and Social Club (formerly BAE Systems
Sports Club)
Hawcoat Park Sports Club is the biggest Community
Amateur sports facility in the area and is open to
everyone in Furness and the surrounding
area.
The club aims to provide sports and facilities at
affordable prices as well as increasing the participation of local
people both young and old in social and sporting activities. They
aim to provide opportunities for members of the community to learn
new skills and qualifications within sports coaching, sports
development and grounds maintenance.
It has some of the finest pitches in the north west; and the
sporting activities held at the club are archery, badminton, bowls,
cricket, shooting, road running, rugby, soccer, tennis,
snooker and table tennis.
Hawcoat Park
Hawcoat Lane
Barrow-in-Furness,
Cumbria,
LA14 4HF.
Tel 01229 874643.
Activities
Walking
Barrow and the neighbouring island of Walney, offer a selection of
scenic walks. Channelside Haven is the gateway to the "Red Man Way"
a new coastal footpath running along Walney Channel. The Cistercian
Way passes through the Town. Walney Greenway runs along the west
coast of the island from Thorney Nook towards Earnse Bay.
The Walking-Routes web site (
http://www.walking-routes.co.uk/) contains
links to over 600 websites which contain detailed directions, maps
and descriptions etc of an estimated 3000 walks throughout the UK;
some of which are in and around the Barrow area.
It would be of interest to experienced walkers, to
tourists and to those residents simply looking to increase their
level of health and fitness, perhaps in association with the
Walking The Way to Health Initiative.
Cycling
The Cumbrian Cycle Way traverses the Furness peninsula.
The
Walney to Wear Cycle Route Route 20 of the
National Cycle Network Regional Route across the north of England
starts at Sandy Gap beach, Walney Island. There are two route
options, Walney to Wear or the new route Walney to Whitby For
further information go to
www.cyclingw2w.info
Books on walking and cycling tours
are available from the Tourist Information Centre.
Horse Riding
Horse riding facilities are available through Seaview Riding
School:- (01229) 474251 or (01229) 475315.
Golf
Several excellent golf courses are within easy reach of Barrow. The
Barrow Golf Club at Hawcoat (01229) 825444, and the attractive
links course of the
Furness Golf
Club on Walney Island (01229) 471232, both have 18 holes and
are reasonably priced. Furness Golf Centre has a driving range and
a 9 hole course (01229) 465870.
Bowls
There are many fine
bowling
clubs within the town.
Gliding
The Lakes Gliding Club which
operates from Walney Airport, can arrange trial flights for
visitors. These usually take place on Saturday and Sunday mornings
from 10.00 a.m. onwards. For further information (01229) 821935 or
(01229) 837494.
Motor Sports
Off Road Driving
Cumbria All Terrain C.A.T (UK) Ltd of Greengate St. Barrow Tel
01229 835463 has one of the North West's Premier 4X4 driver
training centres featuring landrovers or quad bikes. Bookings by
the hour, half day or full day.
Barrow Borough Council does not accept responsibility for
the content of external web sites.