A couple of months back now, County ran an adult watersports day for leaders, unit helpers and anyone else over eighteen who wanted to have the fun that the girls get to have. A week or so before this story opens, the Brownies and Guides had a day each (it’s too far for my Brownies … More County Rangers watersports day
My county has got into the habit over the last few years of running watersports days for the girls. Brownies tend to have a shorter, easier day as an introduction and the Rangers tend to get something more interesting so that your day gets upgraded as you move up through Brownies, Guides and Rangers – … More County adult leaders watersports day
A couple of weeks ago now, it was the Great Big Paddle Parade. It was my first time so I don’t know exactly what it is but this year it was a parade that departed Torquay, picked up batches of paddlers from two beaches and finished with a photoshoot and lunch afloat in a cove … More The Great Big Paddle Parade: the worst paddling decision I ever made
Last summer I had a paddling overnight adventure. I’d not forgotten the beautiful night nav by sea kayak in October 2021 but the company hadn’t run that again. They did, however, have a slightly bigger adventure available and I thought I might do that. We’d have a night paddle by kayak, bivvy in the woods … More An overnight paddle adventure
I didn’t plan to buy a paddleboard. I’m a kayaker, not a SUPper, although I have been known to go out on a SUP or canoe for a bit of variety. I like a Sunday morning canoe paddle followed by an ice cream and there’s something about the simplicity of SUP that I find pleasing … More I bought a paddleboard
This was my fourth time out on a SUP and by now I realised that maybe I would benefit from actually having some formal tuition. There’s a certain amount of trying things out yourself but to be shown how to do it properly by someone who knows what they’re doing is invaluable. So I booked … More My first SUP lesson
At this point, I’ve had a little go at stand-up paddleboarding – and to be honest, discovered that I can’t stand up. Both times have been on Poole Park Lake, which is fairly salty, linked to the harbour on the other side of the railway line, fairly small and pretty shallow. I suspect it’s not … More SUP on a really deep reservoir
I might have got quite into paddling the next summer but that was the summer of 2020 and we all know what happened there. But during one of the phases of “you can go out and do things but still keep 2m away”, I realised I could hire a paddleboard and go out on Poole … More Poole Park in the plague
A week or so later, I took my Rangers out paddling for the first time. I don’t know why I’d never done that or why I suddenly had the idea to. There was a local Ranger leader working at a watersports centre and so off we went. We started with kayaking and then moved on … More Paddling with the Rangers
Bumblebee Paddles 