Canoe Hire
We offer canoe hire and equipment with simple bank-based tuition at great river locations.Hire 2 person, 3 person or a family canoe for 4 for your very own adventure on the River Great Ouse.
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What is a Canoe?
Canoes are the traditional (Canadian) open boats originally used for load-carrying and exploring Canada’s remote wilderness. We have a large collection of canoes allowing 2, 3, or 4 paddlers to take to the water.
A canoe paddle has a blade on one end and a T piece of grip on the other with paddlers facing forwards. Our canoes vary in design from traditional prospector designs in 16ft and 17ft canoes as well as shorter more stable 14.5ft designs. The larger canoes are more stable, wider, and slower. We also have canoes for sale from time to time.
Our canoe rental fleet involves booking different seating configurations, like a 2 Person Canoe, for a selected time of your choice such as our 1 hour trip, half day and full day on the water. We have temporary seats for children and young people as well as kids-sized paddlers.
Hire a Canoe for a Full Day
Our canoe hire (we also rent paddle boards and kayaks) is based on the River Great Ouse in Bedford. The best way to rent canoes is to book one of our river journeys. Pick your route and craft for a self-guided hire (there and back). If you want to try something a little longer and possibly a bit more challenging then you can opt for a multiday trip with canoe camping options staying at our woodland campsite. Whether you hire a canoe, kayak, double kayak, or stand-up paddleboard you will also find that you can travel at slightly different speeds.
Hire for Large Groups (over 16 people)
You can hire for a large group via our online booking or we can offer a longer river journey to larger groups (minimum of 16 people). They offer a perfect mix of stunning rural countryside and Bedford’s Victorian Embankment. There are a number of different options for paddling and hire on the River Great Ouse. We can advise you on duration and route depending on what the group is looking for, length of time paddling, pace, and of course what you would like to see. These include:
- Bromham to Bedford (6 miles): This starts below the 14th century stone bridge and small rapids in Bromham and flows gently down to Kempston Weir which you need to portage (carry around) and then continues down into Bedford and its historic Victorian Embankment. Paddlers usually stop by the Longholme Boating Lake and café.
- Bedford to Great Barford (7 ½ miles): This part of the trail starts near the Butterfly Bridge on Bedford’s Embankment opposite Russell Park on the lower river. Paddlers then paddle down to Cardington and postage past Cardington Lock, onto Castle Mill with another portage (carry around) before arriving at the final Lock at Willington. This part of the trail passes through the Bedford River Valley Park and the Danish Camp, Riverside Café. This section of the trail ends at Great Barford next to the Anchor pub and the bridge above Great Barford Weir
- Great Barford to St Neots (8miles): Great Barford to St Neots is another particularly rural and scenic stretch of the river. The water here is crystal clear with a few reeds rippling in the lazy current. The trail passes the back of Wyboston Lakes, the old Mill at Eaton Soccon, and heads into St Neots riverside town. The trail either ends at the Ambiance Café next to the town bridge or further downstream at the River Side Campsite where many of our paddlers chose to camp over.
Longer river journeys include:
- Bromham to Great Barford (13 ½ miles typically about 6-7 hours)
- Bedford to St Neots (14 miles typically 7 hours)
Sophie (Fun 4 Young People)
Michael (Goldington Academy)
Gemma
Matthew
