Rafting at Calvert Devon
What is rafting?
Rafting is an exhilarating outdoor activity involving navigating bodies of water in an inflatable raft.
It is also considered a team sport, with those in the raft working together to paddle and steer, using communication skills and building connections while improving fitness too.
Rafting at Calvert Devon is yet another activity perfect for all abilities. Each session is tailored to each group’s needs, offering both instructional activities for skill development and fun games for an all-around experience of relaxation and excitement.
With the use of Wistlandpound Reservoir between spring and autumn and our specialist equipment, everyone can access this activity and relish the joys of this blue space. Our rafts are resilient and sturdy, providing a sensory experience, with the floor partly flexible to allow the water to move underneath.
Your canoeing session
Click on each step for more information on what you can expect from a rafting 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
- Your instructor will show you the boathouse facilities, including the toilets and the storage room, where you’ll be given a buoyancy aid or life jacket (essential) and a helmet (optional)
- Depending on the preference of the instructor and the weather, your safety briefing will either take place here or down by the water
- Once you’re kitted up, your instructor will take you to the jetty, where they’ll help you into your rafts and begin showing you the techniques you’ll need for the session
- The instructor will describe where you’ll paddle first as the fun and games begin
3: Have a go
- Depending on your group’s abilities, you’ll be paddling from checkpoint to checkpoint and taking part in a selection of fun-filled challenges and games
- About halfway through the session, your instructor will give everyone a break, and provide you with hot or cold drinks to enjoy over some wholesome conversation
4: Finish up
- At the end of your rafting activity, you’ll depart the raft, put away your buoyancy aids, return your paddles and helmets and head back up to the centre
Rafting equipment
There are a range of small but significant changes we can make to the canoes to help with accessibility…
Accessible bucket seat
- Useful for guests who need extra back support while taking part in this activity
- It has a 5-point quick release – this means that the user is attached securely into the seat, but can very easily and safely be released in the rare occurrence of the raft capsizing
Support seat
Please note: the picture shows seating inside a canoe. However, this is transferable to the rafts.
- 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
Please note: the picture shows seating inside a canoe. However, this is transferable to the rafts.
- 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
Please note: the picture shows seating inside a canoe. However, this is transferable to the rafts.
- 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 rafting 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 rafting, this can involve changing the games within this session to be more straightforward or more challenging, depending on your needs.
Our rafting activity occurs at Wistlandpound Reservoir, 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 rafting, 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 rafting into your schedule elsewhere (weather permitting).
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