With the summer almost upon us, there can be no better time to go paddleboarding. Whether you are a total beginner who has seen others do it and wants to try it, or have had a bit of a go and want to do more, now is a great time to buy paddleboard equipment.

From the board and paddle themselves to the wetsuit and water shoes, setting yourself up with all the gear is essential to get the most out of your time on the water. If you are not yet a seasoned boarder, you may spend nearly as much time in the water as on top of it at first, but you can gradually build up your skills.

An important question for anyone who wants to spend a lot of time on the board this summer is where to go. There are many great options, not least our local expanse of water at Langhorse Lake, but as you may take trips and holidays around the UK, it is worth knowing about other top spots to go to.

There are plenty of lists out there suggesting where you should take your board. Country Living lists 17, including England’s two largest lakes, Windermere and Ullswater. Rutland Water offers a large but artificial lake in the Midlands.

Glencoe is the top coastal tip for Scotland, while there are two Isle of Wight coastal sites, Compton Bay and Freshwater Bay. The south coast offers sites such as Bournemouth Bay, Sennen Cove in Cornwall and Cuckmere Haven in East Sussex. Burgh Island in Devon offers a tidal island experience.

English river sites range from Richmond in London to the Wensum in Norfolk, Wye in Herefordshire, and the Tay in Scotland.

Curiously, it only names one Welsh location, the Mawddach Estuary (if one ignores the fact that the Wye forms part of the border with England). Thankfully, other listings mention more places in Wales, with The Independent suggesting Anglesey as the best place for night-time paddleboarding, as you can sometimes see phosphorescent plankton in the sea.

The Independent also name-checked some of the same places as the Country Living list, like the Tay and Glencoe, with these having the best accommodation options for families and budget travellers respectively.

Outdoor Master has a list of no fewer than 25 great places to go. This list also includes some familiar names - Cuckmere Haven, Burgh Island, the Tay, Wye and Ullswater are all in there, as is the Mawddach Estuary once again.

So too are other Welsh sites like Cardiff Bay, Bala Lake, Black Rock Sands at Porthmadog and the Pembrokeshire coast from Stackpole Quay to Barfundle Bay.

Quite apart from the fact that multiple lists name-check the same locations, the fact that there are so many locations named highlights the huge array of places where there is great paddleboarding to be enjoyed. Indeed, these lists may just scratch (or splash) the surface.

That’s why now is the time to get yourself equipped, either to try some of these recommendations or discover another superb boarding location for yourself.