Example Tour/Event

Spend the day exploring some of the Great River Ouse. The starting and finishing point is at Bedford Embankment. Choose from kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddleboards

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

Hire available weekends
Min 5 People
From £40

4th May and 6th May
Start 9:45 am and finish at 15:00
Duration: 5 Hours

From: 04 May 2024
To: 05 May 2024

Available March - October. Out and back trip, so you can go as far or as little as you like. Pack a picnic and even some swimming togs to make the most out of your day on the river.

Options: Choose from canoes, kayaks and paddleboards when booking

What's Included

Craft
Buoyancy Aid
Basic Map
Bank Based Briefing
Dry Bag
Paddles
Helmet
Professional Coaches
Guiding
Water
Cooking Kit
Your Campsite
Camping
Guiding
Food and Meals
Certification Fee
Activity Equipment

What else we can provide on request

Trolley by arrangement
Waterproofs
Hire of Wetsuits
Certification Fee
Wood for campfire (or BYO)
Campfire Grill
Luggage Service
Tipi Tent
Hire of Camping Kit
Water
Dutch Oven/Cookware
Professional Coaches
Guiding
Cooking Kit
Camping
Food and Meals
Hire of Drysuits

Route Description

You can set a leisurely pace, all you have to do is be back by a certain time, and you can paddle as much or as little as you like in the time given. With the flexibility that this trip brings, you can pull over almost anywhere along the riverbank for a picnic game or even a swim to make the most of your day. This river trip is fantastic for a manageable river journey, at a leisurely pace. It starts on Bedford’s Victorian Embankment at a local café before heading off to explore Bedfordshire’s rural countryside by canoe or kayak or SUP. The river banks are teeming with wildlife with birds of prey, herons, the occasional grass snake, and flitting electric blue kingfishers. You can choose between 2 sections of the river to paddle, either heading upstream to Kempston Mill or downstream to Cardington Lock, where there is just 1 portage point, where you can enjoy a picnic on the edge of the country park, before setting off again. Dogs are always welcome - if you have a particularly large K9 friend, please give us a call and we can provide you with a wider boat to give you the best chance of staying dry!

This paddle will begin from Longholme Island at the Boating Lake and Café, which is situated on the stunning Victorian Embankment in Bedford. You will see the site of the Victorian Boat Slide when you start, now converted into a water turbine for generating green electricity. Once on the water, your journey will take you downstream on the lower river, passing a little island (you can pass it on either side), before passing under the road and pedestrian bridge, about 500 metres from the start. On warm days people often report seeing turtles sunbathing in the trailing branches of the Willows on this stretch of water.

As you pass under the old railway bridge you will see the ‘Pyramids of Bedford’, which houses the Oasis Swimming Pool. 400 metres later you will see the New Cut (waterway) branch off the main river on your left. Access to this bit of water is restricted. As you round a bend in the river you will see the entrance to Priory Marina (housing some beautiful narrow and wide beam boats as well as one of George Clarkes Amazing Spaces creations). The river then opens onto a long (500 metres) straight wide stretch, a hotspot for swans and geese. You are now paddling on a loop around the Priory Country Park, which is a popular green space and lake.

As you make your way around the bend on your right there are large moorings and waterfront gardens. You will see a small weir on your left shortly followed by the Barns Hotel on your right and then a larger weir on your left which marks the Cardington Artificial Slalom Course, a white water feature. Continuing down the river a few hundred yards is a river lock and sluices. You will see large green buoys across the river, marking Cardington Lock, paddle up to them and there is a portage area on your left (with an upturned canoe sign). Once you have lifted your boats out of the water you have a chance to stretch your legs and have a picnic on the riverbank. When you have refuelled, put the boats back on the water and make your way upstream, finishing back the Archimedes Screw (water turbine) inlet.

Tour Plan

Day 1

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Day 2

Frequently Asked Questions

Custom Question 1

Custom Answer 1

Custom Question 2

Custom Answer 2

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 few 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.

Are estimated durations for the trips accurate?

We have operated on this river for many years and have built up experience of how long it takes people to paddle each route. Our times allow the average time and we have graded all of our trips to further help you choose the right one for you (Slow, Medium, or Hard). Even our Hard trips will be easily achievable for those who are relatively fit and paddle at a steady rate. Please note if you think that you will not make the pick-up time, please call us immediately as you may have to be picked up at a later time.

How many people can I fit in a canoe?

Canoes come in different sizes, and in our fleet they vary from 15ft to 17ft. Our 15ft canoes are smaller and lighter offering easy manuoeavrability with 2 seats one in the stern and one in the bow. Our 16ft canoes are confgured with either 2 or 3 seats allowing them to carry 3 passengers or 2 adults and 2 smaller children. Our larger 17ft family canoes either have 2 or 3 seats and we have temp seats to extend the capacity ot 4 people.

Can I launch my own craft?

You can launch your own craft on the River Great Ouse from various locations including Kempston Mill, Bedford Embankment and Great Barford. Be courteous in your parking and launching being aware of other river users, boats, rowers in Bedford and fisher folk. You do need a river licence to paddle on the River. When hiring Canoe Trail covers your water access and licence. We dont allow third party launching from our centre unless it is part of a larger hire group or private booking.

What is the best course to learn to kayak?

The best course to learn to kayak is our new Intro to Paddlesport Kayaking course which is broken down in 3 levels (3 x 3 week programmes), Level 1 - an intro to kayaking with foundation skills including forward paddling, turning and steering with a Paddle UK Start Award, Level 2 is more progressive with edging, combination strokes, sideways movement in a kayak, Level 3 is the next step up into white water with moving water and journeying in a kayak, this element of the course will include using our white water training facility, paddling at Bromham with simple rapids and learning to paddle journeys effectively. Alternatively you can book private lessons to work on specific skills or techniques.

What are the golden rules for learning to SUP?

The golden rules for learning to SUP are of course lengthy but simple top tips can really help. 1) ensure your board is inflated correctly and the right size for you 2) wear a buoyancy aid as personal floatation 3) understand leashes and in particular quick release leashes where there is a risk of snagging 4) learn board position and skills kneeling as well as standing to determine best position on the board 5) Stand up on the board with the paddle at 90 degrees across the board with feet in a strong and stable position, keep soft knees and legs to reduce wobble 6) where you look will improve your stance and balance so avoid looking down at your feet and board 7) the paddle is your stabiliser so use it to balance when engaged with the water 8) learning to SUP paddle if you need to adjust your stance then put the paddle vertical in the middle of the board to make a tripod with your feet and shuffle your feet about 9) Learning to use your weight to drive the paddle into the water by semi squatting and ensure rotation from your supper torso to paddle efficiently 10) express yourself, learn to do tail spins and step back turns. Wear a smile.

Can I do a SUP expedition?

Yes we do offer SUP trips and expeditions. You can paddle without guides (free range) down to our woodland campsite for a paddle and camp trip (This trip was voted top 52 things to do in the world by Lonely Plane and voted Top 3 destinations for a SUP micro adventure by Red Bull Magazine). We can also organise many of our current trips and expeditions as SUP trips for private groups including the Jurassic Coadt, Norfolk Broads, River Stour and even the Great Glen Canoe Trail. We would need to discuss

What are the best canoe and kayak expeditions for a beginner?

The best expeditions for canoe and kayak are ones that allow you to safely develop white water skills and progress without jumping in at the deep end. For example if you have been paddling on flat water then try paddling something at the lower grades such as Grade 1 and Grade 2 as opposed to something more technical. It is often hard to learn new skills when completing longer journeys and or wild camping. Tackling trips and expeditions with professional guides and coaches helps speed up the learning process (learning curve) and achieve the journey safely, learning in bite sized chunks. Canoe Trail selects a range of expeditions to help paddlers progress from novice to more intermediate skills where our canoe and kayak coaches provide white water coaching, campcraft and support to act as the 'hand rail' for our customers. Examples of great intro trips for beginners are the Norfolk Broads and Stour Paddling Trips, The Jurassic Sea Kayak Expedition and the River Tweed Canoe Expedition. Intermediate trips include the River Spey and River Tay and Best of Wales Paddling Trips.

Can we pick different locations for our DofE?

Yes it is possible to select different destinations for our Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions, as a school or organised group then we offer a wide range of destination for our expeditions including the Great Glen Canoe Trail, River Spey, River Tweed, Algonquin Park (gold destinations) and River Tweed, River Trent, River Nene, River Great Ouse and River Stour (silver destinations) and River Great Ouse, Norfolk Broads, River Nene and others (Bronze destinations). Different locations further afield or smaller group sizes for other destinations will incur additional charges.

What does an Open DofE expedition mean?

An Open Duke of Edinburgh Expedition means it is open to all participants as opposed to a closed group such as Scouts or School groups who already know eadh other . An open DofE is a great way to access DofE if your school dates dont work for you or your school doesnt offer the DofE.

What size of parties can you offer?

Canoe trail can flex the size of birthday parties at Kempston Outdoor Centre to allow larger parties by adding a second group and increasing the number of instructors scheduled and working. We offer two formats, a mini, smaller group sizes, and a full party, ranging from 8-15 participants. Each party is designed to be fun with lots of opportunity to tackle different challenges, play games and make memories. If you need to invite more young people for a bigger party then select 2 groups for example eg 2 x 8 =16. Our group sizes are designed to fit alongside instructor ratios to keep with safety protocols and best practice. Dont forget as a company we run large school bookings up to 250 participants so we are used to bigger groups. we do of course split groups down to smaller ratio sizes for specific activities.

What sort of childrens birthday parties do you offer near Bedford?

Canoe Trail offer many different birthday party options in Bedford at Kempston Outdoor Centre with a range of unique outdoor activities including a watersports party, SUP Safari party with stand up paddleboards, a bushcraft party, indoor and outdoor climbing

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.

Location

Bedford

Example Tour/Event Gallery

This is the description for the gallery.

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