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Adventure Activities
From £15
1 Hour

Air rifles and range shooting for beginners and groups of all ages offers a fantastic chance to...

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Adventure Activities
from £15
1.5 Hours

Kempston Outdoor Centre

Kempston Outdoor Centre is an outdoor activity centre nestled on the banks of the River Great Ouse. Run by Canoe Trail, the centre has a fantastic array of outdoor activities and facilities including watersports, range activities, showers and changing rooms, an indoor climbing wall, bushcraft and a high ropes course.

Kempston Outdoor Centre is the home of Canoe Trail, our multi award winning family run business offering courses, tourism and hire through to school activities, corporate team building events and British Canoeing courses and qualifications. Kempston Outdoor Centre is run as a partnership between Fusion, Bedford Borough Council and Canoe Trail providing access to safe and fun activities for local people and the surrounding community.

Canoe Trail has a passionate team of highly qualified professional instructors in multiple disciplines and over 150 canoes, kayaks and Stand Up Paddleboard's (SUP’s); climbing, archery and bushcraft facilities. Trips to our private wild camp woodland launch from the centre, as well as paddlesport lessons, courses, and trips.

Canoe Trail hold a wide range of accreditations including Learning Outside the Classroom, Adventure Mark, Adventure Activities Licensing Authority Accreditation, Duke of Edinburgh Activity Provider, Combined Cadet Force Approved Provider and are a British Canoeing Gold Delivery Partner.

Kempston Watersports Hire

Choose from our hire options below. You can book canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. We will provide all the necessary equipment for the day, including suitable canoes, paddles, basic map, waterproof dry bags, buoyancy aids, trolleys and waterproof tops.

Kempston Hire
From £38
Hire available all week 5 Hours

You start at Kempston and paddle downstream through picturesque river meadows with lots of...

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Kempston Hire
From £17
Hire available all week 1 Hour
Kempston Hire
From £27
Hire available all week 2 Hours
 
Frequently Asked Questions

Can I park at Kempston Outdoor Centre?

There is limited parking at the site, but you can park at Kempston Mill, which is FREE, however, please check for a parking meter just in case. Once looking at the river turn RIGHT to walk along the riverside path, through the trees for 5 mins to the bottom gates of the centre. The gate is on the right with a Canoe Trail logo (there is a slipway to the river on your left).

Is there coach and minibus access?

We have a small car park at the centre suitable for mini bus drop off or parking. Coaches and buses can drop off and pick up but need to park elsewhere.

Is the Kempston Outdoor Centre suitable for schools?

We host many schools and youth groups for outdoor activities and team building exercises.

We are also an accredited Duke of Edinburgh provider, and can organise both hiking and paddling expeditions.

Can I host a birthday party at Kempston Outdoor Centre

We host both childrens and adults parties at the site.

You can see our children's birthday offerings here and adult offerings across the site, with our canoe and camp offerings, our stag and hen packages, our craft hire offerings, and much more.

Can you book large groups?

We have hosted activities for up to 150-160 young people at a time. For larger groups we recommend splitting the students into smaller groups linked to our activity ratios 1:8 for water and 1:10 for land so generally work with 16 to 20 in smaller groups. For larger bookings we often split the activities between our woodland site and kempston Outdoor Centre to provide a more personal and tailored learning experience.

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