Leisure

As one of Yorkshire's biggest landowners, Yorkshire Water take care of 72,000 acres of stunning countryside and invite you to come and explore it.

Whether you fancy a gentle stroll around a reservoir, a bike ride with the family, a bit of pony trekking or an afternoon's fishing or sailing, there's plenty to choose from.

Opening up our land for you is part of our Blueprint for Yorkshire, our plan to take even better care of our little part of the world.

See the information below to select your activity - from downloading walking and cycling routes to finding the region's best sailing spots.

Walking Routes

There's no excuse for staying indoors when you've got the amazing Yorkshire landscape on your doorstep.

Whether you fancy a gentle stroll around one of our picturesque reservoirs or a more adventurous hike then there's something for you.

Download our policy on usage of our land and waters

Activities for children

Show the kids that nature can be fun as well as educational - we've got plenty of activities for them when visiting our reservoirs.

These activities are great for them to do by themselves, but we're sure you'd have a good time if you get involved too. The adventure pack is a brilliant way to get the kids into the fresh air and enjoying our land.

Download Activity Pack

Fishing spots and prices

Recreational and sport fishing are fishing primarily for pleasure or competition. Recreational fishing has conventions, rules, licensing restrictions and laws that limit the way in which fish may be caught; typically, these prohibit the use of nets and the catching of fish with hooks not in the mouth.

The most common form of recreational fishing is done with a rod, reel, line, hooks and any one of a wide range of baits or lures such as artificial flies. The practice of catching or attempting to catch fish with a hook is generally known as angling. In angling, it is sometimes expected or required that fish be returned to the water (catch and release). Recreational or sport fishermen may log their catches or participate in fishing competitions.

All the information you need about fishing on our sites and the prices can be downloaded on the right hand side of the page.

Stop the spread!

Are you unknowingly spreading invasive species on your water sports equipment and clothing?

Invasive species can affect fish and other wildlife, restrict navigation, clog up propellers and be costly to manage. You can help protect the water sports you love by following three simple steps when you leave the water. Find out more here.

Reviews of our recreation sites

As part of our promise for this year, we spoke to over 400 visitors at four of our recreation sites to understand what they thought about the site they are visiting.

The results were overwhelmingly positive, with 96% of visitors satisfied with our recreation sites.

Researchers spoke to customers about their experiences at each of the following reservoir sites: Digley & Bilberry in Holmfirth near the Peak District, Inbirchworth on the boundary of South and West Yorkshire, Cod Beck near the village of Osmotherley in North Yorkshire, and Tophill Low near Watton in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Visitors were particularly satisfied with the beautiful scenery, the tranquil surroundings, and the wildlife. The sites were thought to be great for dog walking, and Tophill Low was specifically praised as a good site for bird watching.

Our Catchment and Recreation Manager, Geoff Lomas, said: ‘We're delighted to discover how much visitors enjoy their experience. Over the years we've put a lot of effort into making the land around the reservoirs accessible for everyone. We've created new paths, reduced gradients where possible, widened paths to allow pushchairs and wheelchairs to pass and created resting points so views can be enjoyed to the full."