White Water Paddle-boarding on the River Barle.

To start the post Christmas fat burn I decided to take Dave Jackson up on his offer to lend me a board and have a go at white water paddle-boarding.

I have been coaching paddle-boarding on flat water for just over a year now but haven't had the opportunity to see if my kayak/canoe skills on the river were transferable to paddle-boarding.

Dave runs a successful outdoor activity delivery company called Active Adventure South West and has been running paddle boarding sessions to his clients for the last few years. Recently he has been getting more involved with the white water aspect of the sport.

We headed over to Dulverton to paddle a section of the River Barle down to Exebridge. A section I have paddled many time in both canoe and kayak. Attacking this section on a paddle-board adds a new dimension to white water paddle sports. Good water levels are required but more importantly you have to read the river a lot more. Due to the boards having fins, you can get them caught in the shallows on rocks, weed and other strainers. If you are not careful this will pitch you head first over the front of the board. A low stance is also required which tires your legs, using them as shock absorbers from the turbulent water. 

I borrowed a classic 10'6" Red Paddle inflatable from Dave. This board is really a recreational board used on flat water and small surf. It was fast in a straight line but hard to turn quickly. On reflection it could also have been inflated a little more to give the board more stiffness. 

Dave was paddling a board from Red Paddle called the 'Flow'. This board has been designed for flowing water. At 9'6" it is a foot shorter meaning in turns quicker, has a quad fin set up to minimise fin snags and is quite a lot wider. These differences meant the board turned quicker and was more stable.

As you can see by the images, it is a lot of fun running grade 2 white water. Getting wet is definitely part of the daily programme for this sport. I lost count how many times I ended up in the water and Dave had his fair share too!

A great day out trying a new sport. The only issue being i'm now hooked which means more kit to buy!!

Adventure Courses for 8-13 year olds at Kings Hall School - Week 1

This week I have been using Kings Hall School near Taunton as a base to deliver Adventurous Activity Courses for 8-13 year olds. The 4 day course running from Monday to Friday gives young people a taster in lots of different Outdoor and Adventurous Activities as well as a few alternative team games.

We had 11 students on this weeks course and mainly females which is really nice to see in a commonly male dominent course. All the students had a great time, some returning following the Easter Course and some booking on for next week as well. 

Thanks also to Josh, a work experience student from Richard Huish College who worked hard all week sorting kit, keeping an eye on students and joining in the activities.

This weeks programme went as follows:

Monday

AM - "Get to know you" and "problem solving" challenges 

PM - Archery and Alternative Invasion Games

Tuesday

AM - High Ropes at Vivary Adventure

PM - Orienteering and Slack-lining in Vivary Park

Wednesday

AM - Open Canoe trip on the River Tone

PM - Stand Up Paddle-boarding session on the River Tone

Thursday

AM - Bushcraft Session (Shelter Building, Campfire Cooking etc)

PM - Power-kiting and Ultimate Frisbee 

I try and make the programme as flexible as possible so we can change activities depending on the days weather and student input. On our Easter courses we included Mountain Biking and on future courses may include Raft Building, Kayaking and Rock Climbing.

The course is priced at £120 for the 4 days and includes lunch. There are still places available on next weeks course starting on Monday 11th August. If you would like to book your child in please see the poster below for booking details.

King Alfred School 2* course at Wimbleball Lake

For the last two days I have been based up at Wimbleball Lake in glorious weather delivering a BCU 2* course to Level 3 Sport and Public Services students from King Alfred School. This is the 5th year Discover Moor and Active Adventure South West have teamed up to deliver this course. 

Following a taster session at Apex lake in Burnham on Sea, the students spend two days at Wimbleball Lake undertaking a number of training sessions with the hope of achieving a 2* award. Some who have less experience only get to achieve 1* but the whole experience is a valuable one. They are also assessed in line with the Pass, Merit and Distinction Criteria for their 'Skills for Water-based Outdoor Education' module for their respective Level 3 Btec course. 

The students worked through all areas of the 2* award and also had the opportunity to try many different Paddle craft including, closed cockpit kayaks, sea kayaks, sit on top kayaks, Open Canoes (solo and tandem) and paddle boards.

All achieved their 1* with a few achieving 2*. 

SUP on the Exeter Canal

Today I was out working for Bridgwater College alongside Dave Jackson from Active Adventure South West.

As a finale to their Btec Level 2 courses we took the Sport and the Outdoor Adventure students to Exeter for a session of stand up paddle-boarding.

The day consisted of a paddle from Haven Banks to the Double Locks hotel where we had lunch and paddled back to Haven Banks. A few showers threatened but didn't come to fruition meaning the journey was enjoyable for all. Some braver members of the group tested the water temperature while Helen Wheller (College Lecturer) found the bottom of her canoe while passing under a swing bridge.

A really good day to say goodbye to all the students who have now finished their respective courses. Some will be returning in September to start Level 3 courses.