There will be the opportunity to meet up with new and old friends and go for an informal paddle if you wish on Friday before the briefing. Maybe grab a surf board or SUP and go get some waves at Woolacombe (a short drive west) or take the short walk to Broadbands beach for a wild swim. We’ll all be there to welcome you into camp and to register from 17:00.

The Friday briefing will be at 20:00. Please ensure you attend this briefing as this is when you will book your Saturday trips. We will have strict maximum numbers, when a trip is full, it is FULL. 

We will of course be at the mercy of the weather and swell as we always are when sea kayaking, so the following are examples of sessions we hope to run and are subject to last minute changes.

Adventure full day options for Saturday could include:

• Mellow sea kayak surfing – ideal for anyone with limited experience and looking to get a bit more confidence in the surf. We’ll look at safe paddling and etiquette in surf zone, skills, techniques and basic rescues. We’ll have lots of rests and long lunch break to refuel – you don’t need to be a super human to enjoy this day.

• Not so Mellow sea kayak surfing – You’ve been surfing in your sea kayak, you love it or you think you love it and you want to do more! We’ll go explore some of North Devon’s exciting surf breaks in our boats focusing on keeping ourselves and others safe in the surf while having a blast. This session will be kept flexible to try and best meet the needs of the group and conditions on the day – but could involve some surf rescue and rolling training/practice.To get the most out of this day you’ll need to have a fairly consistent roll or like swimming.

• Sea Kayak Fishing – In the morning you’ll make your tackle up with Chris, owner of Reed Chillcheater who are based just down the road. Then you’ll head down to the beach and try your luck. You can then cook your catch back at camp on the BBQ or Chris will show you a very cool way to cook your fish using a biscuit tin!   You’ll need to be happy sitting in your kayak in roughish water without holding on to your paddles for support. If your not sure check with us before heading out. 

• Coastal Cruising  – Ideal if you’re looking to cover a bit of ground and explore some of the fantastic coastline, watch wildlife and just relax and enjoy yourself. Lots of opportunities to get out and stretch your legs and there is a high certainty of an ice cream stop…or two! A rough idea of distance would be approximately 10 – 15 km. 

• Not so mellow coastal trip – Weather permitting, we’ll go and explore some of the more rugged and inaccessible parts of the Exmoor and North Devon Coast. You’ll need to be happy sat in your boat for a few hours at a time and we may very well encounter tide races, surf and rough water. A rough idea of distance would be approximately 20+ km.
   
• Getting to grips with Rock hopping – where the sea meets the land is one of the most exciting places you can be in a kayak. We won’t go far but we’ll have lots of fun exploring caves, gullies, cliffs and rough water. A great opportunity to learn how to enjoy this dynamic environment as part of a team safely and responsibly. You’ll need to have some basic rescue training and be happy getting back in your boat with assistance. 

• Rock hopping extravaganza – the goal? Have as much fun as possible exploring every rock, gully, cave, pour-over, wave and cliff. We often paddle 10km in a 2km (as the crow flies) section of coast, it’s that good! Sharing a team approach to safe rock hopping principles, you’ll need a reasonable set of rough water rescue skills including a reliable roll and a sense of adventure

• Getting to grips with Coastal Sit on Top Kayaking – You’ve got a Sit on Top kayak or you’re thinking of getting one and want to get into more exciting environments, then this session is for you. You’ll have an opportunity to explore an amazing stretch of coastline with caves, gullies and arches as well as learning about keeping safe on the water.

We will of course be at the mercy of the weather and swell as we always are when sea kayaking, so the following are examples of sessions we hope to run and are subject to last minute changes.

Adventure full day options for Sunday could include:

• Coastal Cruising – ideal for anyone with limited experience and looking to get a bit more confidence in the surf. We’ll look at safe paddling and etiquette in surf zone, skills, techniques and basic rescues. We’ll have lots of rests and long lunch break to refuel – you don’t need to be a super human to enjoy this day.

•  Not so Mellow sea kayak surfing – You’ve been surfing in your sea kayak, you love it or you think you love it and you want to do more! We’ll go explore some of North Devon’s exciting surf breaks in our boats focusing on keeping ourselves and others safe in the surf while having a blast. This session will be kept flexible to try and best meet the needs of the group and conditions on the day – but could involve some surf rescue and rolling training/practice.To get the most out of this day you’ll need to have a fairly consistent roll or like swimming.  

• Mellow coastal trip – Ideal if you’re looking to cover a bit of ground and explore some of the fantastic coastline, watch wildlife and just relax and enjoy yourself. Lots of opportunities to get out and stretch your legs and there is a high certainty of an ice cream stop…or two! A rough idea of distance would be approximately 10 – 15 km.  

•  Not so mellow coastal trip – Weather permitting, we’ll go and explore some of the more rugged and inaccessible parts of the Exmoor and North Devon Coast. You’ll need to be happy sat in your boat for a few hours at a time and we may very well encounter tide races, surf and rough water. A rough idea of distance would be approximately 20+ km.

• Getting to grips with Rock hopping – where the sea meets the land is one of the most exciting places you can be in a kayak. We won’t go far but we’ll have lots of fun exploring caves, gullies, cliffs and rough water. A great opportunity to learn how to enjoy this dynamic environment as part of a team safely and responsibly. You’ll need to have some basic rescue training and be happy getting back in your boat with assistance.  

• Rock hopping extravaganza – the goal? Have as much fun as possible exploring every rock, gully, cave, pour-over, wave and cliff. We often paddle 10km in a 2km (as the crow flies) section of coast, it’s that good! Sharing a team approach to safe rock hopping principles, you’ll need a reasonable set of rough water rescue skills including a reliable roll and a sense of adventure! 

• Traditional Greenland Paddling Skills and Rolling – Greenland paddling and rolling has seen a recent upsurge in interest over the past few years, come and find out what all the fuss is about…the first half of the day you’ll go on a journey looking at how we use the Greenland stick to paddle efficiently and effectively. The afternoon id your opportunity to try out some of the 37 or so Greenland Rolls…no surprises, it will also help improve your euro blade roll. 

Channel UK Events CIC is a not for profit organisation whose mission is to get people outside and active but also give them an active focus outside of life’s day to day responsibilities that lasts year-round.  Be that, getting fit to run your first 5km off road event, riding your bike once a week so you can complete the Exmoor Explorer or in this case be inspired to explore new places, meet new people and be part of your own sea kayak adventures and the wider paddling community…so you’re helping us do that…thanks!

Sea kayaking is super cool everyone knows it…everyone it seems that is over the age of about 35. We’ll be using some of your money to subsidise or give away free places to local people under the age of 23 to hopefully inspire them and show them that sea kayaking isn’t just aqua rambling and something you do when you get too old to paddle white water. We’ll also be looking to engage with people with mental health issues and economically disadvantaged local people from the Bideford area and sort them out with a ticket to the get together and membership to the excellent and very active Bideford Canoe Club. Incidentally any money from boat hire goes straight to Bideford Canoe Club. 

You’ll be supporting local young people into employment. – North Devon and Exmoor has some of the country’s worst social mobility rates. We are trying to tackle this by providing year-round apprenticeships with our parent company Channel Training that will equip them with the skills they need to either set up their own local business, progress to further education or work across the globe as professional outdoor instructors. They will be there at the weekend, have a chat with them find out about how the scheme works and what it does for them.

We’ll obviously need to give the campsite some money for having us and quite a bit goes to looking after our guides, most if not all are giving their time for free this weekend and in the preparation for this weekend.

It’s going to be a great weekend we hope you can make it!