Sporting venues, clubs and activities in Barrow and Furness.
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 and Furness
Barrow Borough Sports Council is the strategic body supporting sport and physical activity in the Barrow Borough. Its members include the Borough and County Councils, local schools and colleges, professional and amateur sports clubs and other agencies which support sport and physical activity in the area.0
The Sports Council is supported by a multi-agency Sports Development team. This team works together to implement the Barrow Sports and Physical Activity Strategy.
Rugby League has traditionally been a popular sport on the area. Barrow Raiders Rugby League Football Club compete in the Kingstone Press League 1.
For the soccer enthusiasts, Barrow AFCat present competes in the Vanamara National Football League.
Sport in Cumbria
Active Cumbria is one of 49 county sports partnerships (CSPs) covering England, and is focused on helping people and communities across Cumbria create a sporting habit for life. It is a network of local agencies committed to working together to increase the number of people taking part in sport and physical activity. CSPs develop sports programmes and policy at a community level on behalf of various stakeholders including Sport England, Youth Sport Trust, DCMS and Local Authorities.
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 jet ski 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.
Angling: Barrow Angling Club and Furness Fishing Association cater for and hold the fishing rights in local rivers, tarns and reservoirs.
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
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 water slide, glass-backed squash courts, a multi-purpose gym, cardiovascular 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.
The club is located in Hawcoat Lane, Barrow-in-Furness.
Hawcoat Park
Hawcoat Lane
Barrow-in-Furness,
Cumbria,
LA14 4HF.
Tel 01229 874643.
Web site: http://www.hawcoatpark.co.uk.
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.
Self Guided Walks in your own time - St. George's Walk, Heart of Barrow Walk, Channelside Walk, Walney Walk Leaflets available from The Dock Museum or Tourist Information Point. Several tourism walking leaflets are available online for Download.
The Walking-Routes web site ( http://www.walking-routes.co.uk/) contains links to over 600 web sites which contain detailed directions, maps and descriptions 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.
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) creates new rights of access (Rights to Roam) to certain areas of land defined as Mountain, Moor, Heath or Down land, and to registered Common Land.
The Countryside Agency was given the task of preparing maps of this Access Land for the whole of England. The new public rights of access are now all in force throughout England. Allerdale is part of the Agency's "North West" area.
www.naturalengland.org.uk gives up to date information on the new rights of access and the maps published so far can be viewed on the Natural England web site using the open access map search. The site also includes information for land owners and managers in their frequently asked questions section.
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 http://www.cyclingw2w.info/
The Pearl Izumi Tour series held a stage in Barrow in 2014 and 2015.
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 Dunnerholme a unique 10 hole course.
Bowls
There are many fine bowling clubs within the town.
Gliding
The Lakes Gliding Club which operates from Walney Airfield, 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.