No not to hire an open/canadian canoe, we give you a safety briefing before you get on the water, but if you are nervous or would like to have one of our professional instructors/guides with you just call 01600 890027 and speak to an adventure assistant, our highly qualified instructors cost £225 per day on top of your boat hire.
For Kayaks and Stand up paddleboards yes we do require that you have had some level of experience for our 9am and 11am river trips before you hire one and go out on your own, again this only applies to self guided, if you have our instructors with you that's cool we will help you and work on your paddling technique whilst on the trip.
We do allow complete novices to have a go at paddleboarding on our 1pm daily paddle about sessions.
Sure, dogs are very welcome in open canoes but not in kayaks or on paddleboards, with canoes you still need to think about, is there room for the dog? in general our 2 person canoes have plenty of room for your furry friend provided you don't bring too much KIT that want to store in the canoe, also consider bringing something like a blanket for the dog to sit on?
No, but take a waterproof jacket (& trousers if you have some) with you in case it rains. Wear loose clothing, if you wear a T-shirt take a long sleeved shirt for any changeable weather conditions. We provide dry bags or barrels so that you can take extra clothes with you. Bring a change of clothes as there is no guarantee that you don’t get wet!
Shoes that you don’t mind getting wet, old trainers or sandals, but not flip flops or crocs please!
4 years old is the minimum age and for self guided trips bear in mind that between the ages of 4-10 the adult to child ratio is 1:1, from 10-18 years old the ratio is 1:2
Meeting times are given for the relevant trip you are doing and we aim to get you on the water within 30 minutes of your meeting time. This allows time to do paperwork, get you kitted out with all equipment, give you a full paddle and safety talk and then launch you on the river.
We ask that you aim to be at the meeting point at least 15/30 minutes before your meeting time to make sure that you are coming to the right place, and do not arrive late.
Arriving late for your allocated meeting time can affect the schedule of trips and mean delays for those who arrived on time and others booked in for the rest of the day, so please arrive on time.
If you arrive too late for your appointed meeting time – you may miss out on going altogether or not be able to go on the trip originally outlined for you.
There is a size/weight limit for fitting of buoyancy aids and safe paddling, the personal limit is 20 stone and/or chest size 50″. There may be instances where persons above this weight will be allowed if they can produce their own properly fitting bouyancy aid and are aware of the higher risk of capsize due to the more unstable nature of the boat with more weight above the gunnels (sides of the boat). Our boats have a limit of up to 40 stone, this is more for even weight distributed below the gunnels, (sides of the boat) i.e. carriage of camping equipment etc.
Yes, we provide buoyancy aids and they must be worn at all times when in the canoe, failure to do so would result in being removed from the river without refund or transport back.
Our attitude to drinking and paddling is the same as drinking and driving, we would not recommend it and if clearly under the influence of drink or drugs you will be removed from the river without refund or transport. We ask our customers to be sensible but ultimately we have the option to refuse or remove anyone we are concerned about.
You will be given a 30 litre barrel for a half day trip and a 60 litre barrel for a day or multi-day trip, you are welcome to bring your own dry bags if you have them.
SELF-GUIDED TRIPS
I'm afraid that you will be required to pay for all canoes booked on the day of your trip. Cancellations made by the customer within 7 days of the first day of hire a charge of 50% of the hire charge will be levied. If cancellation is made within 48 hours of the start of the booking then the hire costs will be charged in full. Cancellation by the Company due to adverse river levels or extreme weather conditions will not be charged and re-arrangement of the booking will be attempted for a later date. Gift Vouchers – cancellations made within 7 days of booking may be rescheduled – but no refund will be given, cancellations made within 48 hours of the start of the booking the voucher will be no longer valid and cannot be reused.
GUIDED / INSTRUCTOR LED ACTIVITIES, TRIPS OR INSTRUCTION
50% Deposit is non-refundable. If a cancellation is made by the customer within 14 days of the event start, full payment will be charged. Whilst every reasonable attempt will be made to deliver trips, Wye Canoes Ltd reserves the right to cancel or modify the trips due to safety considerations and factors beyond our control. Gift Vouchers – cancellations made within 14 days of booking the voucher will be no longer valid and cannot be reused.
Sorry no, you book campsites directly yourselves, most trip pages have campsite recommendations.
For multi day trips we provide everyone with a 60 litre barrel each and for day trips or less we provide a 30 litre barrel per boat for phones, wallets, etc...
Yes we do, our standard protocol is for customers to come to the Wye Adventures Centre in Symonds Yat West and we transport you and your group up river to paddle back to your cars.
We would like you to meet us at the Wye Adventures Centre in Symonds Yat West 30 minutes prior to the start of your trip/session. We ask you to park next door to Wye Adventures Centre in "River Wye Campsite" pay and display field and to walk along the road 100m to WA Centre.
We have canoes that fit either 2 or 3 people, please be aware that every canoe needs to contain an adult for self guided hire and our adult to child ratio is 1:1 for children aged 4-10 and 1:2 for youths aged 10-18.
No, that’s considered trespassing, we need to know where you are staying each night if you have our equipment, there are campsites recommended on the trip pages.
We hire canoes, kayaks and paddle boards from March 1st through to around the end of November, self guided hire is very dependent on weather and environmental conditions. We run guided river trips all year round though.
There are public toilets at Ross (20p) and at Kerne Bridge Canoe Launch (only during main season) and at Lydbrook (30 mins downstream of Kerne Bridge), none of these are guaranteed however, public toilets are closed sometimes for maintenance etc...
Boats very rarely go missing, I think we have lost about 4 or 5 boats in the past 15 years. SUP's and Kayaks are more likely to be stolen due to their saleability but canoes have disappeared before now. During your hire period you are responsible for all the equipment and it's safe undamaged return at the end of the trip. The replacement costs of canoes are around £1500, Kayaks and SUP's around £750 so we suggest using the provided cycle locks or similar and locking the boats to a fence, solid bench, something that would deter the opportunist idiot from paddling off with your equipment. If you don't lock your boats etc up and they do get stolen etc we have no choice I'm afraid but to charge you for the loss as our insurance does not cover the loss.
No it's not a requirement because even if you can't swim and we asked you, you could always lie to us, we just ask you to consider the fact that if you can't swim is it a good idea to go canoeing in the first place? as a self-guided group you need to be very confident that you can look after yourselves as you are personally responsible for your own safety.
Yes, when it’s quiet and where possible we will accommodate bespoke trips, however this is not an option I’m afraid during school holidays, bank holidays, and in height of summer.
Cancellation by the Company due to adverse river levels / extreme weather conditions or events outside their control re-arrangement of the booking will be attempted for a later date, gift voucher issued or a refund. Refunds will be processed within 28 days of date of activity.
