BELOW IS BRIEF PIECE ON GETTING STARTED AND WE HAVE LISTED SOME TALKS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO NEWCOMERS TO GIVE YOU A TASTE OF WHAT YOU CAN EXPERIENCE.
As with any new sport, to get started you need some basic equipment and someone to show you the ropes. And there’s no better place to find these than your local canoe club. Clubs provide a safe, fun and friendly environment in which to learn, and most will have equipment you can use and qualified instructors to help you get to grips with the basic skills. Canoe clubs are also great for meeting like minded people and many organise river trips and special ‘come and try it’ sessions for newcomers. The best way to find your nearest club is via the Internet, by visiting the UK Canoe Club Directory or the BCUs club pages. www.bcu.org.uk
Activity holidays and specialist courses are also a fantastic way of immersing yourself in the wet and wonderful world of canoeing and kayaking. Under the guidance of expert coaches you can learn the basic techniques that will enable you to become self-sufficient and enjoy a lifetime of adventure on the water.
The term ‘touring’ encompasses just about any journey by canoe or kayak. It could be an afternoon jaunt on your local lake, or a three week island-hopping expedition in Indonesia. The choice is yours. The one thing all tours have in common is that they are non-competitive and take you on a journey. Your journey can take you wherever you want, wherever there’s water Touring by boat is like touring by any other means of transport in that you are purely there to enjoy the scenery. But travelling by boating means you are going slowly enough to take it all in and savour every moment.Touring is perfect for a holiday, alone or with friends and family. You can grab a picnic and head off with no particular destination in mind, or pack your camping gear and paddle for several days or weeks, living just on what you can carry in your boat. You need only basic paddling skills but the possibilities for enjoyment and adventure are endless.
Any general purpose canoe or kayak will be fine for touring, certainly to start with. But if you are planning extended trips or want to paddle regularly, you could invest in a specifically-designed touring boat. This is a cross between a general purpose boat and a sea kayak, being very long and stable. It is designed to make fast forward paddling almost effortless and therefore is not particularly manoeuvrable. Many touring kayaks have built in waterproof hatches for easy access to your stored gear, and a deck lines that will hold a map. You will also need a paddle and a buoyancy aid, and a helmet if you’re planning to include any white water sections in your tours. For multiple-day tours, you’ll obviously need camping/sleeping gear and sufficient waterproof storage for it all.
Canoeing has always been popular with children. Once you’ve dragged them away from the TV or their computer games, they’ll become addicted to splashing about and having fun with their friends and discovering new talents. And you’ll have the piece of mind of knowing they are keeping fit and getting plenty of fresh air in a safe and fun environment. And once you’ve got the kids hooked, canoeing becomes a fantastic activity for the whole family to enjoy together.
Equipment designs for young people have come a long way in recent years and now you can find almost any product in smaller sizes. There are specialist boats for kids, as well as buoyancy aids, paddles and clothing.
A Taste of Salt - Sea Kayaking of the Coast of Scotland - Gordon Brown
Trips and Tips for the intermediate Sea kayaker - Nigel Dennis
Have Kids: Will Travel Paddle! - Samantha Forrest
Sit on Top Kayaks Safety & Rescue for Beginners - Derek Hairon
Fresh Fish and Icebergs - Leo Hoare
Fishing from a Sit on Top Kayak - Getting started - Terry Jackson
Warm Water, Vin Rouge, and easy Rivers - Pete Knowles
The web has a huge range of information, here are just a few Paddlesport specific to help you out
www.playak.com
Freetstyle and whitewater info and resource’s
www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk
Guide to UK rivers
www.songofthepaddle.co.uk
everything for the open caneoist
www.rainchasers.co.uk
water levels