Canoeing at Calvert Devon
What is canoeing?
Canoeing involves propelling a hollow and long canoe through the water with a paddle. The sport uses paddles with a handle at one end and the ‘blade’ at the other. Canoeing can be done solo or with others in the same canoe.
You may have seen people canoeing on lakes, meandering down rivers, exploring sea caves, or tackling rapids. Here at Calvert Devon, our canoeing sessions take place on a calm reservoir with safe, stable, and adapted canoes, so everyone, including people with disabilities, can take part.
Between spring and autumn, we use Wistlandpound Reservoir to host canoeing sessions. There is a specialist pontoon (with hoists) to access the boats, plus a boathouse to gear up with buoyancy aids.
With our specialist equipment and adaptable canoes, everyone can enjoy this activity and relish the joys of floating over the water. To keep everyone extra safe, we connect two canoes together, stopping them from capsizing.
Customisable modifications can be made to the seats in the canoes so that people of all abilities and disabilities can enjoy the physical, mental, and social benefits of these sessions.
Your canoeing session
Click on each step for more information on what you can expect from a canoeing session at Calvert Devon…
1: Get ready
- You will meet your instructor at your allocated meeting point
- Your instructor will take you down to the boathouse – where we keep the buoyancy aids that must be worn throughout
- The boathouse is accessed via an accessible zigzag path that runs from the main centre down to the reservoir
- It’s a 5-minute walk, but an accessible buggy can also be used if needed
2: Learn how
- Before moving onto the pontoon, there will be some safety instructions from the instructor
- Once you’re kitted up, your instructor will take you to the jetty, where they’ll help you into your canoes, including hoisting and setting up bean bag chairs if needed
- Once settled in the canoes, the instructor will begin showing you the techniques you’ll need for the session
- Then it’s time to launch onto the water for your first taste of paddling, whilst the instructor jumps into their boat
3: Have a go
- What happens on the water depends on your group’s abilities but as a guide…
- The first part of the session involves learning how to work as a team to get your boats moving, perfecting your paddling
- You will be asked to canoe around the water by the instructor, and race against the other boats
- Then games and other exciting canoe-based activities can be introduced
- About halfway through the session, your instructor will give everyone a break, and provide you with hot and cold drinks to enjoy over some wholesome conversation
4: Finish up
- Finally, canoe back to the pontoon and back onto dry land
- You’ll put away your paddles, place the buoyancy aids back in the boathouse, and head back up to the centre along the path (or use the instructor-driven buggy if needed)
Canoeing equipment
There are a range of small but significant changes we can make to the canoes to help with accessibility…
Support seat
- Aquabac is a postural support system for seated balance assistance
- It’s ideal for our sessions as it provides security, support, and padding
- It features a bilateral quick-release system for the extra safety of those using it
- It is customisable to meet specific individual needs
- Equal Adventure designed this piece of kit, and has been successfully used in diverse adventure activities for over 15 years
Low bench seat
- This wooden slatted bench-type seat sits low in the canoe and offers back support for the user, along with the flexibility to move and paddle
Beanbag
- It’s as simple as it sounds: this is the ideal option for guests who would benefit from a moulded seat
- We put a beanbag inside the canoe and help the user into it, which could involve using one of our jetty hoists
- An added benefit is that we can also change the angle at which the user is sitting, whether they want to be more reclined or upright
Dipper hoist
- This hoist can be used by our qualified instructors or by qualified guests to help those who are wheelchair users get from their wheelchairs into a canoe
- The hoist has a weight limit of 14 stone
Yes! We leave no one out, and no matter what, we do everything we can to ensure you can enjoy the canoeing experience in a way that suits you and keeps you safe.
The Calvert Devon instructors use the term ‘challenge by choice’, which ensures that while you’re taking part and given challenges along the way, you ultimately always have the agency and control over your own limitations.
Our staff are there to keep you safe and build your confidence, even if this means accomplishing a simpler version of the activity.
For canoeing, this can involve changing the equipment or games within this session to be simpler or more challenging, depending on your needs.
Our canoeing activity takes place at Wistlandpound Reservoir, which is a 5-10 minute walk down a zigzag path from the main centre.
A buggy driven by the instructor can be used if needed.
Our instructors have an internal training programme to deliver this activity and make the session accessible and challenging.
Established and essential governing bodies, such as the Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres (AHOEC) and the Activity Activities Licensing Authority (AALA), monitor instructors and the centre as a whole.
Your safety is our priority. If the winds are too strong or if a storm is forecast for the day you are supposed to be canoeing, we will decide whether the session runs. Since strong wind is the deciding factor, the session can run as planned in rain, so it’s best to bring waterproofs, or we can provide some.
If the session is cancelled, you will be given an alternative activity, and we will do our best to fit canoeing into your schedule elsewhere (weather permitting).
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