Pushing the Boat Out

Canoeing and kayaking.

More people in Britain paddle than sail. This section follows it the way the rest of the site follows sailing: short news summaries with a link to the source, reviews of the boats UK paddlers actually buy, written from the makers' own specifications and plainly marked as such, and a short list of where to start.

Reviews

The first reviews are being written.

Our reviews are desk reviews: specifications, prices and claims come from the manufacturer's published pages (linked in each piece) and from named independent reviews. We say plainly when we have not paddled a boat.

News

Paddling · 19 October 2026
Ash Dykes paddles 700km of the Congo Basin by inflatable kayak
The Welsh adventurer launched on the Sangha River on 8 October, bound for Mossaka in the Republic of Congo, posting daily to an audience of millions.
Paddling · 19 October 2026
Inside the tests a buoyancy aid must survive before sale
Paddling Magazine visited the Salus factory in Ontario to watch life jackets burned, soaked and loaded with 350lb — and found certification costs tens of thousands of dollars.
Paddling · 19 October 2026
Lakeland Canoe Club brings the Paddling Film Festival back to Kendal
The club staged the 2026 World Tour Paddling Film Festival at Brewery Arts in Kendal on 14 October, its eighth year of hosting the touring programme.
Paddling · 19 October 2026
Paddle UK tells clubs to rework risk plans as weather patterns shift
A new Paddle UK information sheet says historic river flows and seasonal weather windows can no longer be the sole basis for safety planning, and sets out mitigations for heat, spates, blooms and ticks.
Paddling · 19 October 2026
Volunteers clear 250 tonnes of floating pennywort from the Lee Navigation
Paddle UK and partners ran a summer of community clean-ups on the River Lea, part of a project that has cleared 22.5km of waterway since 2025.
Paddling · 19 October 2026
Waterside Festival takes 49 afloat at Goring Gap
Forty-nine people facing mental health difficulties tried paddleboarding, canoeing and rowing at Sport in Mind's fourth Waterside Festival, hosted by Goring Gap Boat Club near Reading.

Where to start

  • Paddle UK (the former British Canoeing) for membership, which includes the waterways licence for most of England and Wales, and its Go Paddling site for places to paddle and clubs.
  • Canoe Wales, the Scottish Canoe Association and Canoeing Ireland for the other home nations.
  • Safety: the RNLI's kayaking and canoeing advice (buoyancy aid, a means of calling for help, check the weather and tides, tell someone) and HM Coastguard on 999 at sea.
  • Tides and weather for coastal paddling: our Time and Tide app covers 605 UK tide stations and the shipping forecast.
  • Clubs and launch points: the UK & Ireland map shows RYA-affiliated clubs, many of which run canoe and kayak sections, and every marina and harbour.