How To Plan The Perfect River Trip When Canoeing Going on a river trip with your friends, family or even your colleagues is an exciting prospect, with so many places to go and so many things to see in this country and abroad. Like any trip, to get the most out of your mini voyage you need to adequately plan your time on the river, including your starting location, journey and various other fundamentals to make sure you get the rewarding experience you want.
Below, we take a look at some of our important tips when it comes to planning the perfect river trip when heading out onto the open stretches of water with a canoe.
Pick Your Location – Before you even think about hiring a canoe or setting off, make sure that you pick the area that you wish to head over to and then take things from there. For example, if you wanted to head to the South West then you should look at suitable rivers and find canoe hire companies that can accommodate you and then make a firm decision about where you are off to.
Plan Your Starting Point – Even if you know that you want to canoe on the River Wye for example, you still have to find a point to start from, as you cannot just pitch up in a Farmer’s field and jump onto a river without permission or prior planning. Contact a few local canoe companies that will be able to offer advice and also carry out research on the Internet to make sure that you find the correct starting points to begin your journey.
Make A List Of Things To See – If you want to make the most of your river trip then try to research the area that you plan to canoe through and pin point a list of things you want to do and see. Spending three days just paddling along the river could be boring for some, so trying to break the trip up by find exciting new things to see and do can make your trip that little bit more special for the whole group.
Look At Accommodation – You need to make the decision about where you are going to stay on your trip because if you do not plan this aspect of the journey then you could be in trouble. If you are going to camp then make sure you find spots that are suitable and areas where you have permission and if you are looking at hotels or B & B’s then make sure you find ones that can accommodate you and your equipment.
Who To Go With – A good holiday or trip can often come down to the company that you choose to go with, because if there is a large group of you and the mixture is just not right, it could spoil your time on the river. If you have a family then you may decide that your youngest child might just not be up to the trip and if you are worried about them, leave it until you think they will be ok or try to find someone else to stay with them whilst you go canoeing.