The open (Canadian) canoe is synonymous with journeying and bushcraft, creating the idyllic connection between camps, enhancing your time spent in the wilderness and empowering you to take expedition kit effortlessly on the water for your comforts.
One question we are often asked is how to get practical expedition experience of handling an open canoe before an expedition, whether that’s the mighty lake Laberge journeying down the Yukon or the interconnecting lakes of our Swedish canoe and craft expedition.
So here it is! We are delighted to announce the opportunity to join our open water canoe leader qualified instructor for a day with some excellent guidance on undertaking a journey in a canoe on open water.
Our experienced instructor will ensure you have a safe and fun day out on the open water, imparting the skills you need to give you the confidence to get on the open water safely or undertake that wilderness expedition of a lifetime.
Course Registration
When you book a place on this course you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to our registration form so you can complete your details. We must be in receipt of these details as soon as possible after you have booked your place. You will need an order no. to complete the form.
The open (Canadian) canoe is synonymous with journeying and bushcraft, creating the idyllic connection between camps, enhancing your time spent in the wilderness and empowering you to take expedition kit effortlessly on the water for your comforts.
One question we are often asked is how to get practical expedition experience of handling an open canoe before an expedition, whether that’s the mighty lake Laberge journeying down the Yukon or the interconnecting lakes of our Swedish canoe and craft expedition.
So here it is! We are delighted to announce the opportunity to join our open water canoe leader qualified instructor for a day with some excellent guidance on undertaking a journey in a canoe on open water.
Our experienced instructor will ensure you have a safe and fun day out on the open water, imparting the skills you need to give you the confidence to get on the open water safely or undertake that wilderness expedition of a lifetime.
Open Water Canoe Skills Day Course
Open Water Canoe Skills Day Course
Open Water Canoe Skills Day Course
Open Water Canoe Skills Day Course
Open Water Canoe Skills Day Course
Open Water Canoe Skills Day Course
Setting the scene and preparing
We begin the day at Tittesworth Reservoir in the Peak District National Park, where we will greet you and get you kitted out for the day. All canoes, buoyancy aids and paddles are provided. Once kitted we will familiarise ourselves with the canoe and guide you on how to set it up for journeying on open water, utilising environmental conditions to aid your progress.
You will go through familiarisation of the canoe and paddle before showing you how to safely enter and exit the canoe and launch securely for a fun day paddling.
Our instructor will empower you to undertake a series of paddle strokes from bow draws, C-strokes, J-strokes, Pitch stroke, Native American stroke, Skulling draw stroke and many more through the day, as you slowly build your confidence in manoeuvring and placing the canoe exactly where you want it.
Building on the skills
We will employ several journeying techniques to progress in conditions with, against and across wind travel, utilising the environment to help us, from the importance of trim, v-tow, box-tow, rafting, improvised sailing techniques, poling, tracking.
For those that are keen we will cover self-rescue techniques towards the end of the day to give you the confidence that you can deal with it if you need to.
We will stop for lunch on the waters edge so bring a packed lunch and brew with you.
Depending on which course you'd like to attend, you will either be solo or tandem for the full day. These are the same course but you're either solo or share your canoe with one other person. Simply select the relevant date from the options below.
