By DIVE Staff
Capernwray Diving Centre in Lancashire, one of England’s most popular inland dive sites, has been put up for sale for the second time in two years.
Set within Jackdaw Quarry, a disused flooded limestone quarry near Carnforth, Lancashire, in the north-west of England, Capernwray Diving Centre was opened by Carol and David Hack in 1997.
Originally put up for sale for £3 million in June 2022, the site has been re-listed on the market by a different agency, Savills, this time for an undisclosed sum.
The lake is available to divers of all certification levels and, with purpose-built shallow-water platforms and a maximum depth of around 20m, serves as a popular training site for entry-level programmes as well as more advanced courses. The site is also popular with swimmers and freedivers.
Below the water are a number of attractions for divers, including the sunken wreck of a Second World War Dickens-class harbour minesweeper, a 30m-wingspan Hawker Siddeley 748 50-seat aircraft, two helicopters, several small boats, and a collection of garden gnomes.
The quarry is also well populated by fish, including perch, pike, roach, trout and some very large sturgeon.
According to the new listing:
Capernwray Diving Centre is a well-established national diving centre set within Jackdaw Quarry. The centre also offers open water swimming with a large number of fish. The diving activities are varied and include training platforms, a jetty with two piers for deep water entry, concrete slipway and two training areas with non-slip platforms. There are also numerous underwater attractions including a simulated cave and various aircrafts.
The property also comprises a conference room, shop, restaurant, amenity block and equipment available for hire. Capernwray diving centre sits on a site extending to 24 acres and benefits from planning permission for 19 holiday chalets, as well as a positive pre-application response for nine pods. Externally, there are 250 car parking spaces.
The property is two miles from the J35 of the M6, and can be accessed off Capernwray Road. The site benefits from close proximity to a number of attractions including the Lake District National Park, the Forest of Bowland, the Yorkshire Dales, Ingleton and the Three Peaks. Additionally, the property has been used as a film venue for numerous film and television programmes.
‘This is a unique opportunity to acquire a well-established property in an ideal location for diving and swimming enthusiasts across the UK,’ said Richard Prestwich, Director in Leisure and Trading at Savills.
‘We’re seeing a growing popularity of wild swimming, which is not only music to the ears of those already championing the dopamine rush of wild swimming, but also for landowners keen to find new ways of diversifying and providing social value.
‘With planning permission and positive pre-application for 19 holiday chalets and nine pods, the site will also offer the buyer the opportunity to diversify the existing offering. Given the excellent offering coupled with the great location, we are expecting a high level of interest from a number of potential buyers.’
Interested parties can check the listing on Savills’ website
