lake Bala is where I learnt to sail, so i’m always going to be a little biased in any overview but one thing’s for sure. This lake is a superb place to sail thats safe, with easy access and plenty of places to explore.

Bala is a challenging lake to sail in any Northerly winds. You can suffer from shaded areas and catatonic winds coming down off the hills, but these winds tend to be annoying more than anything like dangerous.

In a South Westerly the wind is far cleaner and comes right up the lake, making for a superb day’s sailing.

The waves never get high enough to be an issue, and i’ve sailed here in 45mph+ winds always knowing there’s a lee shore close by.

The lake is deep, 40M+ in some places and it rises sharply at the shoreline meaning plenty of space for your centreboard close to shore. The water can get cold though, especially in early Spring.

The bed here is smooth rocks, almost pebbles, with very little to bother you unless you get close to shore where there can be some larger laying rocks and old fence posts you need to watch out for. 

The best anchor here is a bruce or grapple or tie off to shore if you stop. There’s very little current, but the wind can test an anchor.

2 Luggers anchored at pirates cove, Lake Bala

In the middle of nowhere there’s really only 1 way in and 1 way out of Bala and thats the A494! In summer, you just have to admire the view when stuck behind one of the many tractors or caravans and you also need to watch out for the 50mph average speed cameras that are everywhere! 

Lake Bala Sailing Club and shoreline

There are a few places to gain access to the lake, more if you’re paddling or kayaking.

Bala adventure and watersports club at the North West of the lake is a prime spot to park up and pay for the slipway there, all done via the parking pay machines. At the time of writing it was only £15 to launch a boat which is very reasonable. The slip here is long, shallow and easy to use and i’ve seen large boats like Drascombes and Bayraiders use the slip with ease. The jetty alongside is very convenient to tie up to but watch out for the shallow water and rocks!  This centre can also get very busy in school holidays so you need to dodge lots of people in paddle boars, kayaks or just swimming.

Just around to the North East of the lake lies Bala Sailing Club, which is where I learnt to sail. The 2 jetty’s here (The 3rd one is only for the club Rib use) are for members but you can contact the club and get a day or week pass which gives you access to the clubs facilities. There’s a long shoreline here with usable shallow slipways every 50M or so for dingy launching and the slipways are perfect for larger boats. They’re steeper than the advtenure centre but shallow enough to make solo launching easy.  Each slipway has a jetty by it to tie up to.

About halfway down the East shore lies Lakeside campsite where you can camp almost up to the shoreline. The campsigte gives access to its shorline which is best suited to smaller boats. The campsite gets very busy in the summer so you need to book early.

Finally, across the lake on the southern shore Glanllyn campsite lies with another accessible shoreline for boat launching.  This has much better access for larger boats and has a hard sandy bottom but the water is very shallow here.  The bay is often sheltered but can be exposed in strong Southerly winds.  

The slipway at Lake Bala adventrue centre

There’s plenty to do on Lake Bala. You can use the racing markers in the north end of the lake where there are courses you can time yourself against (see images below).

Or you can cruise about the shoreline admiring the beautiful scenery, stopping off and exploring places. My favourites are Pirates cove, a small bay on the Western shore about half way down, just before you get to the weather station. Just across the way is “Enchanted Forest” which is magical in summer and spring and a perfect spot in the shade to stop and let the world go by.

I also love the southern shore of the lake which is much more exposed and deserted, making you feel like you’re in a mini expedition! 

Not sailing? Then hire or bring your own kayak, paddle board or even motor boat, as long as it’s electrically powered and you can enjoy the lake how you want. 

These are just a few things but i’ll let you explore yourself and unfold the treats Lake bala has for you!

Lake Bala is a wonderful place, especially in the summer when the trees and foliage are in full bloom. It’s almost magical. It’s small enough to explore in a day and has many areas and little sheltered bays to explore, whatever the wind direction, where you can stop for lunch. You may find a cow or sheep come and say hello!

The wind and lake never get too intimidating. Waves never grow too big and the wind, although it can change suddenly in northerlies, never really becomes an issue.

There’s usually someone around and nearby so if solo sailing, then help is usually at hand.

Access to the lake is very good and reasonable in cost and there are plenty of options available.

You can sail Lake Bala in most conditions, of course depending on your appetite and experience!

The lake can get very busy, especially around the Northern end. Be mindful of kids on paddle boards if you’re sailing.

The water can fill up and dry out quite quickly at Bala as the lake is used as a water storage to aid flooding in the surrounding area. This can mean access to slipways is impossible after or before heavy rain. Be sure to check out the web cams at the Sailing club before travelling.

The water quality since 2024 has declined in my view with a lot of algae and muck in it. It’s certainly not the cleanest lake I have used this year.

It’s hard for me to say anything negative about Lake Bala as it’s where I first learnt to sail. The lake and its shorelines will always be a magical place for me.

I love the ease with which you can turn up, sail and always find something to do. Not having to worry about tides, wind or currents at all.

If you’ve never been to Bala then it’s certainly worth a visit and the small village is too with enough shops, pubs and restaurants to keep you happy for a couple of days. It’s certainly a jewel in the Welsh sailing almanac in my view.