By Eva Best

Is Family Canoeing Right For Us?

After a browse of all our sessions, you're probably asking yourself ‘is family canoeing right for us?’ That’s a great question, and an important one if you want to make the most of precious time with your family. Like any activity in the great outdoors, each session is suitable for a particular customer.

Like any water activity, there is a possibility of getting a little… soggy. If you aren’t comfortable with the idea of falling in then this probably isn’t the activity for you. However, we provide buoyancy aids for all participants, so do join us if you’re happy to become a human buoy for a while whilst our instructors help get you back into your boat safely and efficiently.

We’re not sure that those under 18 months would be much help with a paddle, and our buoyancy aids won’t fit safely, so this activity is for those 18 months plus.

A couple hours without the kids does sound tempting, however we require all those under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult. We think our activities are pretty good, so we don’t want to leave all the fun just to the kids!

Our instructors are highly skilled, but they’re yet to pick up the personal canoe chauffeur award, so we ask all participants to paddle themselves in their own craft. This way, you’re picking up a new skill and building some serious muscle.

We run a no show-offs policy, and this session is much better suited to the beginner looking for a chilled paddle in a scenic location. The river is a tidal estuary, meaning the water is slow flowing and sheltered, so no rapids or white water!

Our instructors are walking Beaulieu River omniscients, so they’ll be highly disappointed that you’re looking to hire out our canoes instead after the hours they’ve spent revising. This is why all our river trips are guided, and of course for your safety too.

Our water activities are a lot of fun, and there's plenty of chances to have a splash and play some games if you wish. However we do have many places of residence on and beside the water, and we don’t want to wake any unsuspecting sun-bathers up. Therefore, most of your trip will be quiet and relaxed. Please save that rendition of Rock the Boat for another time…

This session is for those wanting a taste of canoeing, so the group will cover a shorter distance of the river. So no need to worry about getting tired, running out of water, or needing to catch fish in order to survive - you’ll be done and dusted within 2 hours!

Our activities are perfect for those who like to be well prepared for adventures, as we don’t allow participants to turn up and take part without booking. Our activities can be booked online or on the phone, and we provide detailed instructions on how to get to us and what to prepare for when you arrive.

If you’re up for adventure in any weather condition, then we’re the guys for you. We run our activities come rain or shine, unless we deem the weather to be unsafe ourselves. We do offer our poor weather insurance upon booking, to allow you to cancel your activity up to 5pm the day before giving you plenty of time to check the weather forecast for the following day.

And that’s it! If our script writer has missed anything out, you can complain directly to her - or the better option would be to contact our office by phone or email. Catch you on the water real soon!