Canoeing the Wye - with kids!
Camera used: My old GoPro Hero 4 - old skool, but still cool!!
Those who know me well know I am usually at my happiest when near a body of water somewhere, especially if my loved ones are with me. I've done a lot of canoeing in the past, and have often dreamt of the day when I'd be able to take any future kids out on the water with me and my husband. This was that time, and it really was a dream come true! Some of our best friends who have the same age kids as ours had a voucher to use with Canoe the Wye, and invited us to join them (thanks team P!!)...
The guys at Canoe the Wye were fantastic! They included the kids wherever they could, making them laugh and feel a real part of the experience. The safety measures were spot on, from ensuring they had the right sized buoyancy aids on, hard helmets to be worn at all times, and then finally rafting up the canoes making them literally impossible to capsize. We felt extremely safe at all times doing this adventure with the little ones, even tumbling over some gentle rapids that you come across now and again! The youngest a child can be with Canoe the Wye is 4, and we think that was perfect. Our 4 year olds paddled their little arms off for the whole route, never getting bored or irritable. We obviously made sure we took a lot of yummy snacks on board with us too...!
We did the half day trip from Kerne Bridge to Symonds Yat (8 miles/13km total). The weather was incredible, it was sunny and warm with a cool breeze (which often caused giggles whilst it blew us off course!). We were driven in a minibus from Symonds Yat where the centre is based, to Kerne Bridge for the start of the adventure. Kerne Bridge is a fantastic launch area, with a beautifully restored vintage fire engine, which is now The Paddle Cafe. They offered a huge variety of hot and cold drinks, baguettes and other very lovely looking lunch options, plus cakes and ice creams. Everything you could need for a day by or on the river! We were keen to get onto the water when we arrived as we weren't sure how long the paddle would take with kids, so we didn't actually get to sample any of their delights this time. We will be back though, even if it's just to visit the Paddle Cafe and watch people getting in and out of the river whilst we yomp on something scrummy!
We were assisted the whole way down to the water by the guys at Canoe the Wye - they helped us and the kids safely into the canoes, then we waved them goodbye and were off! The Wye Valley is just breathtaking. I thought the Wye was looking really good the day we were there - loads of wildlife, clear water, crops of water-crowfoot poking out of the water (a very good sign!), countless ducklings and breeds of water fowl, and lots of leaping salmon making huge splashes all around us! It was just beautiful.
The route took us around Symonds Yat Rock, which is famous for many reasons, including its population of peregrine falcons (we didn't see any this time!). After 4+ hours of paddling, the kids were ready to leap into the river at the end of the route to celebrate and cool off for a bit! We've paddled with most of the canoe companies in the area, and can honestly say that Canoe the Wye is our favourite 🤩
Canoeing the Wye with kids was super easy (with huge thanks to Canoe the Wye!!), they all had such a fun day and keep chatting about their watery adventure with us 👌🏼 They also keep asking when we can go again... hopefully it won't be long!!