Open Canoeing or Canadian Canoeing allows a group of people (usually two but can be up to four in a boat) to paddle a large open-cockpit canoe. The other main distinction between an open canoe and a kayak is the types of paddles used; canoes use single-bladed paddles whilst kayaks use a double-ended paddle.
Our canoeing courses mainly take place on the historic rural Bude Canal which weaves up the Neat Valley for almost two miles. This canal provides the perfect place to teach canoeing techniques in a safe and sheltered environment.
For the Canal Canoe Adventure we'll set you up with a Canoe and give you some initial tuition on how to paddle and how to manoeuvre. We'll give you time to practice and then give you a briefing and a challenge map before letting you head off on your own to explore the canal and locate the answers to the challenge's questions. It's great fun for a group or family and will keep everyone involved and entertained (even the pet dog!)
Bude Canal
Camel Estuary, Fowey Estuary
Open canoes are easy to paddle when there are two, three or four paddlers in a boat and as such are great activities for having fun and developing teamwork.
Open canoes are very hard to paddle as a single paddler but developing single paddler skills can be very rewarding. Single canoeing is a very graceful and smooth way of moving through the water and is best done in calm conditions. These skills are part of the BCU one and two-star awards and are required by anyone wishing to become a modern-day paddlesport coach.
We can accommodate a wide range of ages across our canoeing activities but we'd recommend the following minimum ages based on the strength and endurance required for each activity :
Canal-based Canoeing (with up to 4 people per boat) minimum age 8.
Canal-based Canoeing (single paddler) minimum age 12.
Day Trips on local estuaries minimum age 10.
For our canoeing courses, we can provide all the equipment and outer layers, all you need to bring along is a change of clothing - suggestions below. We will provide waterproof cags and buoyancy aids as well as the boats and paddles.
Clothing to wear for this activity :
