Lessons

A guided lesson to practice the paddling skill of your choice. Choose to take out a kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard with our professional coaches. Contact us via our contact pa…

Level: Grade 0 - This means it is a flat paddle and should be within most people’s abilities.

Thursday, Saturdays and Sundays
one to one or small group(contact us for options)
From £79

09.30 or contact us if you want to inquire for a different time slot
Duration: 2 Hours with 90 min coaching and 30 minutes to practice

Book in for one to one coaching sessions with expert professional coaches. Contact us for your specific coaching needs whether it is a charity challenge, racing, or honing a skill. From novice to expert paddlers we can help you develop progression and core foundations whether in canoe, kayak or on a SUP.

What's Included

Craft
Buoyancy Aid
Bank Based Briefing
Dry Bag
Paddles
Helmet
Professional Coaches
Activity Equipment

We also have some back support for those with back problems

What else we can provide on request

Hire of Wetsuits
Hire of Drysuits

A guided lesson to practice the paddling skill of your choice. Choose to take out a kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard with our professional coaches.

Contact us via our contact page if you want to book a lesson with one of our instructor team midweek as we usually have availability

Requirements

Suitable for ages 12+ Anyone under the age of 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult 21 years and over.

Timings

1.5 hours tuition to develop your skills + 30 minutes to test out what you've learned.

Included

Craft
Equipment
Buoyancy Aid
Dry Bag (if needed)
Instructor

What you will need to bring?

Bring comfortable clothing such as gym wear, shorts, a t-shirt or wetsuit, along with a pair of water shoes, or old trainers. Bring a towel and a change of clothes. No special equipment or clothing is required.

Location

Kempston Outdoor Centre

We have the perfect river location for paddlesports such as canoeing, kayaking and SUPs on the River Great Ouse, at Kempston Outdoor Centre near Bedford. It is well situated just 30 minutes from Milton Keynes, an hour North of London and half way between Cambridge and Oxford.

Lesson Details

These sessions are deisgned to help participants improve skills, fix bad habits and receive guidance from our qualified coaches to develop their skillsets.

Here at Canoe Trail, we have one of the largest fleets of canoes, kayaks, and SUP’s in the country including a range of different shapes, formats, and designs. We offer coaching for all abilities, including a range of British Canoeing courses. We have a range of paddlesport courses, If you need a bespoke course such as a group introduction to bigger moving water or expedition training then please contact us. We can also provide specific tuition and coaching for: Basic Sea Kayaking Skills / Kayak Racing Skills / Canoe Racing Skills / SUP Fitness and Core Skills / Expeditions Training / Rescues and Ropework.

Reviews

When out on the water with Richard Harpham, he was fantastic at teaching and made it really easy to learn. I am a complete novice and this was virtually my first time in nearly 15 years that I got in a kayak.

After around 1 hour of teaching, I learnt how to get into the kayak, basic turns for left and right, reverse moves left and right, managed to slalom through wooden poles normally used in competitive sport. You also learn what things to look out for on the river: how deep it is, wildlife, fisherman, other boats and teaches you the correct etiquette.

The way Richard teaches is easy and if you listen, you will have a very enjoyable time. He likes to get to know you a bit and was great to talk to. If your not quite getting something, he was very good at explaining how to do it a different way.

Richard let me go off on my own and practise what I had learnt for the rest of my session. I managed to go near to Cardington Lock and then back to base where I was extremely knackered but felt amazing at the same time. The river is a great location to learn. It’s peaceful, everyone I saw or spoke to was friendly. The water is really calm. I now look forward to booking on for my explore qualification and to buying my own equipment at some point in the future.

-- Richard

My partner and I booked a 2-1 session last weekend with Richard. We had a fab time with 2 hours completely personalised to meet our needs and lots of great advice. Would highly recommend, excellent instructor and lovely location!

-- Emma

Hire FAQ's

What's the difference between a kayak and a canoe?

If you're not sure of what each craft is, then read our guide here.

Are the trips guided?

There are no guides or instructors needed for hire. This is simply a hire where you paddle out and back to our launch point. We recommend our preferred route, however, you are free-range and able to explore the river.

What if it rains?

Unless you hear from us then your booking will run on the day agreed. Canoe Trail runs watersports, paddling, and adventurous activities throughout the year with people enjoying the river and our woodland campsite during the different seasons. On rare occasions (it only happens a couple of times a year) we may move or change your booking. This will be in freak weather conditions such as extremely high river flows in spate or during heavy storms with lightning. You can read our full FAQ here.

How does the booking process work?

We use a live booking system that will assign you the relevant craft and resources. Once you have confirmed your booking date, it is not then transferable and non-refundable in the same way you book an airline seat. Bookings are to be paid in full at the time of booking and are non-refundable. There will be no refunds for early returns, poor weather, or non-usage as per our general terms & conditions.