Holiday activities to do in and from Barrow

Prestwold Hall Race Track offers “the widest selection of driving experiences in the UK”. You can power down straights and take corners at high speed in your choice of car including Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Audi R8 and Porsche. Prices range from £44 to £977 ( but I couldn’t find any £44 activities) and can include professional instructors teaching you skills that you’ve always wanted to learn: handbrake turns, skid control, power slides, brake and turn control, plus over/under steering techniques.
To find out more, Google “Prestwold Hall Car Experience Days”.

Sixhills Jetski Company runs RYA Personal Water Craft one day training courses for £130 per person including a light lunch and refreshments. You can either bring you own jetski or hire a Yamaha Waverunner at an extra £50.
To find more information go to www.sixhills-jetski.co.uk

Barrow Boating provides a very wide range of river-based activities at very moderate prices. Situated in the old Mill Basin at the bottom of Mill Lane, you can enjoy an attractive stretch of the River Soar. Over the summer, owner Frank Reeves is offering a not-to-be-missed £3 river trip for 30 minutes. After the trip, you can enjoy his café facilities indoors or out or something more energetic. There are family rowing boats, hydrobikes (cycling your way over the water), Canadian canoes, pedaloes (can you master the steering?), single canoes and motor boats. If you want to do some fishing, why not hire a rowing boat for 4 hours? For a larger day, you can hire a narrow boat for a full or a half day. The boats take 12 people and you can spend as little as £14 per person for a 9am – 5pm activity. Can’t be bad.
For full details, pick up a leaflet from Barrow Boating or go to www.barrowboating.co.uk

The Boat House at Barrow
The Boat House has some different types of boat for hire: In addition to being able to paddle your own canoe or kayak, you can also hire a punt. These flat bottomed boats are like the ones at Oxford and Cambridge. Learning to wield the pole is quite a challenge and you certainly must expect to get wet if only from the drips that run down your arms. I always enjoyed falling in as the pole got stuck in the mud leaving me clinging on determinedly while the punt carried on its lumbering course. I doubt there is much mud to get stuck in. The Soar is pretty deep. Or try a guided canoe tour that navigates the Quorn loop in a 10-person canoe. You can even order a traditional picnic hamper. Phone 412260 to make arrangements.

Pillings Lock Marina
You can now hire a 6 berth narrow boat that is available for short-break or weekly holiday hire and a Day-Boat which seats 7 and can be hired by the hour. The café-bar is open 7 days per week with breakfasts, lunches and a special evening menu of Modern British Food. Wednesday nights will be a great value BarBQ aimed at families and friends. Sundays will still be the Traditional Sunday Roast too!Pillings Lock may have some other events planned as the summer progresses like music events and possibly even a raft race!…for more details see www.pillingslock.com