The best way to start is to come to one of our pool sessions, introduce yourself to whoever is collecting the money and they will find someone to show you what to do. Afterwards you can meet the club members in the pub and find out what else we do.
Pool sessions usually run from October to March. If you are reading this in the summer and can’t wait until then you can join one of our midweek evening paddles or email the club and see if anyone wants to go out at the weekend.
There is no set age. You need to be big enough to sit in the boat and hold the paddle, to be comfortable in the water and ideally able to lift the boat (about 12kg) for a short time. A particularly athletic 8 year old might be ok. A 12 year old should be fine. This is a family club and children should be accompanied by a responsible adult, although we are happy for family members (or anyone else) just to watch and enjoy the social aspect of the club so if not everyone wants to paddle that’s fine.
If you want all the latest gear a new boat might be £900 and you would probably spend the same again on paddles, a drysuit and various safety equipment. Second hand alternatives are readily available and considerably less expensive.
We don’t recommend buying everything straight away. You will be able to borrow most things from other club members within reason, which will also help you decide what to get.
When we run activities and weekends away we try to keep the costs low so they are accessible to as many people as possible. Usually the most expensive aspect is travelling to and from the venue.
Great! We run trips away, usually one weekend a month and various other activities from time to time. Take a look at the calendar page and email the trip organiser if there is anything you are interested in.