Pedalos are the way forward for a leisurely afternoon, but for a better turning circle and some serious rowing, get a boat!
I've flaked so many times on hiring a pedalo (or boat), due to the heat, due to the queues and due to the fear that I'd burn out on the open water and come back looking like a red, salt burned, tanned faced, pirate.
However surprisingly the queue isn't really that long as it tends to move quickly, and you'll find yourself out on the cool water before you know it.
I know it's not punting in Cambridge or Oxford, or rowing in Windsor - but it's surprising not as ghetto and grim as you might think drifting across a lake in central London.
Unless you've rowed before, get a peddle boat (Pedalo), because rowing can very tiring, and unless you know how, it's easy to make a pigs ear of it.
Remember to grab some sunscreen, something to drink (I'm not sure if they allow booze, but we took a thermos full of Pimms and they didn't check), and most importantly some strawberries to eat whilst you're out on the lake drifting and looking at the poor saps on the shoreline!
At £12 per person (adult) for an hour, it's not that expensive too and with up to 4 people per Pedalo, you can get some friends involved too! However bear in mind, there are only two peddling spots!
A great and fun outing for the weekend, it would make a great 'interesting' date idea too. read more