Frequently Asked Questions

Most guests have either never done it before or have done it once or twice, either as a kid, or on holiday somewhere.

You do, however, have to have a moderate fitness level.

Guest experiences on previous trips have demonstrated that if any of the following applies, these trips are not suitable.

1. A BMI of 26 or over.

2. Weigh 102 KG (16 Stone) or over.

3. Take a size 47 (UK 13) shoe or over.

4. Have very little upper body strength ( your partner won’t be able to cover for you ).

Maybe check out ‘ Sit-on-Top ‘ boats instead.

A moderate fitness level is required, especially upper body.

If you are regularly active in any sport and / or a regular gym goer , then you’ll be fine.
Please don’t think that one partner can cover completely for the other. They can’t, they’ll tire very quickly.

There is no set route as it will very much depend on the conditions and the groups ability.

Wherever we go, it will be scenic.

Old trainers, socks, jogging bottoms or leggings, T-Shirt, ‘ Mid-layer ‘ top or light fleece.
Waterproof jacket & trousers ( Waterproof trousers are very useful as a barrier against drips from your paddle ).
If it’s a cold day, a beanie hat is great, as are gloves. Woollen gloves are not great when wet.

A bottle of water each, any medication required. Strap for glasses.

Spare clothes in the unlikely, but possible, event of a capsize ( these can be left in the car as spare fleeces & waterproofs are in each boat ).

Regards bringing a phone, we take a waterproof camera out with us and will email the photos to you. If you still wish to take your phone, we have waterproof, floating cases you can borrow, but there are no guarantees. It’s a lake !

Yes.

When I’m not in Italy mangling the language or in Oz visiting family, I run one trip a day instead of two or three.

The Lake District is beautiful at all times of year and a lot quieter in the winter months.

Both are great.

Generally a kayak has a deck and is propelled by a double bladed paddle.

A canoe ( also called an Open boat or Canadian canoe ) usually has no deck and is propelled by a single bladed paddle.

The boats we use are Sea Kayaks. They are long and stable, especially the doubles.

Yes.

These are reserved for people with quite a bit of experience.

If you are a solo participant, we can have a chat about whether you share a double with myself or you go in a single.

The doubles are more stable and you have more power working together.

No.

As the person in the back can more easily see the person in the front, they decide what happens and when.

Usually, if

1. The more experienced, or

2. The more confident, or

3. The more decisive person goes in the back, you’ve chosen the right way to do things.

If the dynamics isn’t working, or you just fancy swapping around, there’s always a beach handy to do so.

Not very likely but it’s always a possibility. I’ll cover prevention & what to do if it happens in the brief.

There have been 11 capsizes in the 9 years I’ve been running these trips in The Lakes.

There have been hundreds of trips.

7 were big men in singles.

2 were big men in doubles.

2 were female / male partnerships.

6 foot 7 inches. 203 cm.

Waterproof trousers are very useful as mostly your legs will get wet from the drips off the paddle. I’ll show you how to minimise this in the brief.

A waterproof jacket & a beanie hat are great if it’s raining.

Inflatables are good if storage at home is tight. Their disadvantage is they tend to be a struggle in a decent wind.

Sit-on-Tops are maybe a good bet if you are nervous about sitting in a kayak or if you are on the large side. Some are excellent, some not so much.

Usually yes. The only exceptions to this are for the 1.30pm trips on weekends in June, July & August and on Bank Holiday weekends ( including the Monday ). Then please park in the village and walk the few minutes down to the centre.