Which location will you choose?
Helford River
Trevassack Lake
Our Helford River
The Helford River is where it all began. We started running our charitable youth sailing courses on the river in 1997 and still proves a popular site for young sailors today. The Helford River will always be where the core of our sailing activities happen, the charity taking local school groups there from Easter to October. During the summer, CST Experiences also offers paid courses for children and adults as this site is greatly suited for those who are looking for a bit more of a challenge and adventure in a beautiful setting.
The natural environment of the Helford bring sailors from far and wide, such is its beauty. Most of this is down to the inaccesibility of the shore, with narrow access roads and limited parking. There are no changing facilities on these sites, so sailors have to make sure they arrive fully dressed and ready to go!
Our licence extends from Tremayne Quay out to the mouth of the bay and we have several key points along the shores that we use for teaching, depending on the group and the weather conditions. Mostly, we launch from the north side of the river, at our base next to the Ferryboat Inn on Helford Passage beach. Here we share a ‘shed’ named Ursula’s Boathouse with the local gig club and it is our main meet-up where we store kit and do theory.
Our pickup points are marked in red on the map – the south side is dependant on tides so we try to pick up from the sailing club, but at low tide you may need to walk along the shore to one of two designated points.
Porth Saxon beach is our main teaching beach – but we have others in away from the open sea we can use depending on the winds – one of the things children in particular enjoy most about their time on the river is the powerboat ride from pickup to teaching destination!
Our HQ at Trevassack Lake
Children’s Sailing Trust fundraised to build their new headquarters at Trevassack Lake, transforming an abandoned and naturally-flooded Serpentine quarry into a fully accessible watersports site. It was developed to make watersports available to those with limited ability, being a sheltered and calm spot with plenty of facilities. The setup makes the lake especially perfect for anyone who feels slightly anxious or for those with accessibility requirements. As the lake is sheltered, you can get out on the water in most weather conditions, any time of year.
At Trevassack, we have changing facilities (including official Changing Places faciltiies), hot showers, free parking and a lakeside cafe to watch your children learn to sail or have your well-deserved hot drink after the course!
Currently there is no walk around the lake, but there are Natural England pathways on the downs up above the quarry, a great place to run the dog so they can sleep it off under the table lakeside.
