After nearly £4.7 million of Lottery funding for the renovation of Gunnersbury Park and the house, this summer- Boating has returned on the Boating lake at the park.

The boating lake has been restored as part of the Gunnersbury 2026 project, the lake was drained, the fish all moved to the fishing pond at the far end of the park. Also, the bank and a boat pontoon have been restored which has meant that pedal boats have made a welcome return to the park.

On first impressions, it’s a great addition to one of the best parks here in West London. So on a hot August afternoon I decided to take my family for a picnic to Gunnersbury Park and as a treat, take Grace onto the boating lake and have a go.

This is what I thought…

Getting in

The pedal boats cost £7.50 per boat for 30 minutes( as of 2026). Each boat can sit 4 people.

There wasn’t much of a queue to hire a boat, in fact just 1 family in front of us. There was 3 other boats already on the lake. The member of staff asked me to read the rules and then sign a paper which says I agree to the rules of the boating lake.

Me and Grace was then given Life vests each to wear. These are mandatory for all boat users. Nice and clean and not. Smelling of. Sweat! We climbed aboard our Pedal Boat- Number 6 intact. We was shown how to steer the boat using a simple handle, steer left to turn right and steer right to go left. As simple as that!

Also sharing the boating lake with us was a mixture wildlife birds. Swans, Ducks, G. eese and other amazing birds.

But just how deep is the boating lake I hear you ask? The lake isn’t that deep it’s approximately 4feet (1.22 m) deep in the center of the lake.

Whilst pedaling around the lake with the other pedal boats doing laps around the lake and dodging the birds, there was a mixture of people hiring out the boats, quite a few families having fun on the water, a few girls had also hired a boat out, screaming at each other to turn the other way as they managed to avoid steering into the ducks bobing on the water. I also noted a nice lover up teenage couples getting rather friendly on their 1st date.

In general there was a good atmosphere on the lake.

The verdict.

I loved boating on the lake and I would go back again. Grace really enjoyed being on the water but found it hard to pedal and the chairs are fixed, and she couldn’t quite reach the pedals. The boating lake was not overly crowded and you have a sense of relaxation and fun.

I would definitely recommend these boats if your visiting Gunnersbury Park in Ealing.

*Please Note (Information from 2018): This post was originally published in 2018 when the boating lake first opened. While the lake remains a wonderful feature of Gunnersbury Park, details such as pricing, specific boat availability, and opening hours are likely outdated. Unfortunately, the boat operators do not have their own website for easy checking. We strongly recommend checking the official Gunnersbury Park website or contacting the park directly for the most current information before your visit.*