Liverpool Watersports Centre

Nothing shakes up the senses quite like a winter dip in the docks. Head to Mariners Wharf for all-year-round aquatic activities at Liverpool Watersports Centre including open water swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing, powerboating, and giant swan pedalo-ing. Go in the warmer months and there’s an Aqua Park too – basically a big inflatable playground in the water.

Funded by charity Local Solutions, the centre aims to make watersports accessible to everyone so prices are very reasonable – it’s £5 for a swim session and £15 for paddleboarding. There’s a cafe (open April-September), changing rooms, lockers and showers.

They do pay and play sessions where you just turn up and hire what you need: paddleboard, wetsuit, swan etc. And there are courses where you can learn how to kayak, paddleboard or sail. This is a seafaring city after all.