Introduction to moving water and rivers
Introduction to moving water and riversThe River Lune rising on the north side of the Howgill Fells turns south and runs to the east of M6 motorway, passes Kirkby Lonsdale at Devil's Bridge and eventually meets the sea at Lancaster. Devil's Bridge is one of our most popular venues for a day's canoeing. It is easy to get to with free parking, a large picnic area and usually a 'Butty' van. Most of the time, it offers both sheltered and moving water for beginner's and those with some skills. Sometimes, in wet weather, the river conditions are unsuitable for beginners, but may be good for advanced paddlers. In particular, Devil's Bridge offers a good introduction to moving water- ferry gliding, breaking in and out, and safety practice. There are successively stronger eddies as you move upstream which allows beginners and those with some skill to learn progressively and safely. A day on the Lune is designed to introduce people of all ages to 'Canoeing in Comfort'.
Your BCU qualified coaches will provide you with high quality personal instruction.
A day's example programme will depending on
weather and river conditions and would include the following as an example.
An introduction to your guides, other paddlers,
your safety and your equipment.
There will be lots to learn: how
to 'Canoe in Comfort', looking out for each other and other water users, sitting and
kneeling, paddle strokes, trimming your boat, rafting up, what to do if you fall in, how
to get a canoe to go in a straight line, how to turn, how to go sideways, communicating
with your partner, when to stay and when to go, river language, blending in with the
environment, making drinks, where to find access information, ferry gliding, the
importance of edging your canoe, breaking out and breaking in, surfing, and more.
A suggested list of equipment required:
Remember it's easy to cool down, much more difficult to warm up. More advice at the time
of booking will be given.
| A sense of humour | A spare sense of humour in case the first one gets wet. | Check List |
| Clothing suitable for canoeing | Warm outdoor clothing which dries quickly, if it gets wet. E.g. walking gear is OK. AVOID cotton. | |
| Fleece- warm top and bottoms. | ||
| Sun hat, or warm hat and gloves. | ||
| Over trousers | ||
| Cagoule | ||
| A change of warm clothing | And a reasonably waterproof bag, if you have wet clothes. (We provide waterproof barrels). |
|
| Spare clothes | Always play safe and have spare. Don't forget sleeping clothes. |
|
| Swimming costume | Handy if you want to swim. | |
| Footwear | Some footwear is essential. Wellies are suitable, trainers/sandals also. | |
| A medical declaration | These are confidential and must be completed at booking. | |
| Treat o'clock | Something edible to share | |
| Personal needs | Sun block, etc. | |
| Personal Medication e.g. inhalers | ||
| Equipment | A mug for tea/coffee/juice, etc. | |
| Please avoid bringing | Valuables, documents or other items liable to damage by water |
Itinerary Example : day session 6hrs starting @1000hrs ending @1600hrs. - includes doubles canoes, buoyancy aids, helmets, paddles, instruction, but is exclusive of personal insurance and travel to Devil's Bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria. Costs depend on the number in the group, the number of coaches needed, the number of canoes required, activity location, etc.
Please note that a condition of booking is the acceptance that Jinaka Canoe Guides liability to clients is limited to the reimbursement of any money paid directly to Jinaka Canoe Guides. If it transpires that you are unable to attend after you have paid, with our agreement you may find someone else to take your place and transfer your place to them.
Your Guides
Paul Lethebee and Jim Davis enjoy the pleasures that travelling and playing on water
brings. Paul and Jim have many years of experience of living and working in the
countryside and both live in the Yorkshire Dales. They hold coaching qualifications
awarded by the British Canoe Union covering the skills required for journeying on open
water in canoes and frequently work together. Individually they also have other skills in
mountaineering, caving, kayaking, sea kayaking and sailing as well as a good knowledge of
things like plants, birds, fish and rocks. Paul and/or Jim will be on hand to coach you in
canoeing skills, pass on country skills and respond to your questions and suggestions,
without being intrusive.
Travel: You would normally use your own
arrangements to travel to the activity site.
Documents/valuables: We do not think there is any
reason for you to bring documents or valuables with you. Please leave anything unnecessary
at home.
Health: A confidential medical questionnaire must
be completed, returned and received prior to a booking being accepted. Whilst there will
be a first aid kit, we would recommend that you pack any personal medication that you may
require.
Safety and Emergency Procedures relevant to our
activities have been identified and are available prior to booking. They will be
introduced and/or practised at the relevant times.
Itinerary: Any proposed itinerary is an outline
which will be followed subject to environmental factors, the most obvious of which is the
weather. Your safety is paramount. Within this outline, we can be flexible and adapt the
day's activities according to personal and group decisions. You will be encouraged to
paddle with different partners and in different canoe positions.
Skills: Canoeing is an activity that is suitable
for all ages. It provides a mode of transport that is ideal for observing and enjoying
nature. Canoeing uses more coordination than strength so there will be no need for you to
have anything other than a reasonable level of fitness. There are many skills that will be
demonstrated and used throughout an activity/journey, some of which are canoeing skills
while others are related to living with nature. A key objective for an activity/journey is
to see how comfortable we can be and we shall be exploring skills that contribute to this.
It is not necessary for you to have any water skills prior to an activity/journey.
However, it is important that you will be able to be comfortable sitting in a canoe for
from a few minutes up to an hour and a half at a time, as well as be calm in the event of
an involuntary swim. We avoid getting wet as it is unnecessary, but unplanned swims do
happen. If you have any doubts about this, you should reconsider the
appropriateness of canoeing.
To make an enquiry, please send us a message and we will
reply to you.
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