[O]ver 175 tonnes of floating concrete and more than 500 metres of galvanised chain have formed the platform for a new marina at Low Wood Bay on Windermere.
The feat of engineering, thought to be the first of its type on the lake shore, is part of the ongoing refurbishment of Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa, which will become the first world class luxury resort hotel in the area later this year.
The old marina has been stripped down and replaced by the new floating system during a six week project which involved manoeuvring eight separate concrete sections into place, secured by 18 heavy duty anchors. A new bridged walkway connects the marina to the shoreline grounds of the hotel resort.
The new state-of-the-art marina now has 52 berths for boat owners, ten more than before due to a new, ‘stern end’ configuration and the creation of additional mooring space. Each fully serviced berth has its own power connections, lighting and energy consumption meters.
Paul Brown from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues says: “This has been a fascinating project in which to be involved. It took a great deal of skill for the contractors and maintenance teams to work together to get the concrete sections in place, the heaviest of which was nearly 32 tonnes.
“Now that the structure is fully assembled and the boats are in, we have a modern marina which is befitting of the new resort when it fully opens.”
The project included local marine contractor and Newby Bridge based Jetties & Moorings, who inserted the piles for the new bridgehead. A barge from Williams Shipping was used to lay the anchors. Intermarine Ltd designed and supplied the floating pontoons, whilst the Low Wood Bay maintenance team supported the marina assembly throughout.
Low Wood Bay Watersports Centre offers a range of water borne activity including water-skiing, flyboarding, motorboating, canoeing and paddle boarding. The centre is open seven days a week from April to October, with an experienced team is on hand to help get people out on the lake having fun.
Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa’s newly refurbished rooms re-opened after the first phase of construction in April. A restaurant, ‘Blue Smoke on the Bay’, spa and health club facilities are to open in the coming months.
For further information about English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues visit: englishlakes.co.uk
