Ardingly Reservoir
Ardingly Reservoir
4.5
Bodies of WaterNature & Wildlife Areas
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles36 reviews
Excellent
19
Very good
13
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
2

Shazza754
Crawley, UK2,121 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021 • Couples
Paddle boarding
What a fun sport to try , had some much fun and managed to stay up ! Staff were very friendly and helpful giving you tips how to stand up , £15 for a hour very good value we will be back
Written 12 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Susan P
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Friends
A scenic walk but a few things ruined the overall visit for us. Despite a few signs saying “Dogs on leads” every dog we saw was off the lead. I don’t mind if the dog is recall trained and stays close to their owner (though the signs should not be ignored) but the majority were not. A few dogs were completely out of control and one was running through the woods where I had seen a deer not long before. Some of the dogs were soaking wet so had obviously been in the water which to get to you have to go past a gates that say private! There was litter and dog mess on the paths. I heard someone complaining about the muddy paths but I didn’t mind that as I had boots on. There were also a few groups of very loud children swimming in the reservoir which I didn’t think was allowed and they were disturbing the people who were fishing. Not exactly a relaxing walk but I will return in the winter when it’s hopefully quieter.
Written 1 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SPD20191981
London, UK1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021
I am keen to introduce my three young children to outdoor water based activities, so I phoned the Ardingly Activity Centre for advice to work out what was possible given their ages. I had no fixed ideas about when or how, just sooner rather than later was my preference. We have just purchased a camper van so it was about trying out new compatible activities.

The centre was not available when I called so I left a message. I eventually received a call back from the owner, who was very cold and blunt, and seemingly annoyed that I was seeking advice rather than using the online booking facility. I was told firmly that they had migrated to an online system as they were sick of having two people man the phones answering queries daily (hopefully those two people are employed elsewhere).

I am absolutely fine with things that are not possible but I had to work very hard to try and work out a suitable plan of attack. I asked if anyone was available for private hire and got a stark "no" followed by silence - no follow on to suggest there may in the future or that group lessons may be available etc.

In the interests of politeness I let that go and then moved onto talk logistics in the absence of a tutor, given the ages of the children, to try and work out whether my wife and I could hire one kayak or two and how many kids were allowed on board.

Again, very negative... started with can't be done with the youngest of the three kids... no problem, so I tried to usher the conversation to what was possible with the older two.. suggesting my wife staying on the side-lines with the baby whilst I rotate with the two older children.

The first response was only myself and one child were allowed in a kayak and if I were to swap between the two, it would be a pain to get the children in and out of the life jackets on rotation. I suggested we just put them both in life jackets at the outset (they are different sizes given age gaps anyway). I was rather rudely told that would result in one of my children hogging a life jacket.

Eventually the owner recognised his own dismissiveness and conceded that having both the older two children in life jackets from the get go and then rotating could work. Phew.

Separately, I also suggested that my wife would be fine on the side-lines with the baby as she has not got any experience and got a very blunt "well, it's not that difficult". That was literally the tone and extent of the response on that.

By that point I started laughing out of embarrassment and when he asked why I explained that I had phoned to motivate my children in a new venture and had ended up becoming demotivated myself. I wish I hadn't said anything. The fault was, apparently, my subjective feelings rather than his attitude. In fact the owner had self-justified his approach as legitimate expectation management, and my dislike being linked to being unrealistic on a bank holiday weekend.

I tried to explain, politely, I had no expectations of when or how, I was just trying to work out a plan to introduce my kids to this … instead I was receiving an "its all too difficult", dead-end and unhelpful dialogue. I said a little helpfulness, optimism and realism were not mutually exclusive.

Despite this, I was met with non-sequiturs about being "unrealistic" and a defensive "I have done this job for thirty five years" and had lots of happy customers, we should agree to disagree etc. It was my feelings that were at fault and his subjective interpretation meant there was no objective truth in the feedback he had requested.

Some owners cannot do enough to engage new custom/enthuse potential recruits - this owner couldn't do any less, isn't interested in feedback he requests, however well put, and will default to self-justificatory non-sequiturs and years served. You would have thought the owner would have developed some degree of self-awareness/desire to pass on skills to the next generation. Unfortunately not if it requires anything non-standard or outside of the online booking system.

The owner had no use for the feedback he requested, so hopefully it is helpful to his customers.
Written 28 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sawmillbloke
Burgess Hill, UK247 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2021
Generous car park although not immediately easy to find due to poor signposting through what appear to be the grounds of Ardingly school. Not clear why there is a stipulation for dogs to be on leads - not necessary and anyway few comply. fences next to fields with sheep are very poorly maintained. Path itself is poorly maintained and was still very muddy in parts - some attention is lacking as this means the route must have been practically impassable in places throughout the winter months. Looks like a budget issue.
Written 29 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nicole Sensier
Hove, UK8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Friends
I went with 2 friends around a month ago and it was quiet, yet so lovely and tranquil. All of us thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the owner couldn’t have been more helpful.
Written 8 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Clare
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020 • Friends
A lovely place for walks. Enjoyable for dogs. Plenty of benches. Scenic. Gets muddy on the path after raining. Best wear wellies. A must for those that love walking.
Written 2 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SaraSaraSaraSara
9 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
No staff on hand at the jetty to advise and assist you getting on and off the paddle board. Just dangerous.
Written 23 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Amberleyadrian
Burgess Hill, UK486 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
Nice views over the reservoir- plenty of people enjoying doing water sports, walking round and having picnics. Also can do different walks from here inc to the Ouse valley viaduct. Big car park with plenty of spaces & little shop next to water sports hire place.
Written 8 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RealDS
London, UK497 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Solo
Seeing as Covid has limited our options for travels abroad, I did some research on some outdoor spaces that are within an hour of London on the A2. This was one of the places that came up & honestly it is the best thing I have found in a long time. It reminds me how many hidden corners of the UK there are. Ardingly reservoir is one of the most breathtaking places I’ve come across in the Southern Hemisphere of the UK. There is the option to do water sports but I’m I’m under the impression that you have to bring your own canoe, jet ski etc

If you have a day to spare and it’s sunny, go!
Written 17 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chrisdodd4
London, UK399 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2020 • Solo
Following on from visiting the nearby Ouse Valley Viaduct ( please read my review if you got a few moments spare ), we moved on to Ardingly Reservoir.

Parking again as at the viaduct, please be patient and you will get a space.

As you make ya decent down the wooded path, you feel your transported to a world or peace and quiet.

The whole walk around the reservoir as the guide says can take up to three hours so if your fit and healthy that will take up most of your day, we decided to amble around, I would say we make it a quarter of the way,passing private fishing areas and members relaxing, I don’t know something about water makes you feel at ease.

We found a seat, which they are few are far between so bear that on mind also, to stop and admire the reservoir, before making our way back along the same we had gone down, up the incline back to the car.

So in summary, the reservoir is well worth a visit but don’t take my advice, I Ardingly touched the surface.
Written 13 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Ardingly Reservoir - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Ardingly Reservoir

Ardingly Reservoir is open:
  • Sun - Sat 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM


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