buy one and plonk it in the canal/river/sea and paddle away?
I thought it might be a fun way to get some upper body fitness but don’t want to have to shell out on licences or launch fees etc.

Linky

That took me literally seconds.

plop_pants this coming weekend 😉

Seriously though, no licence needed (at present) just common sense.
Best to get some sort of training or join a local canoe club though.

Seriously though, no licence needed (at present) just common sense.

Not sure that’s accurate.

Seriously though, no licence needed (at present) just common sense.

Not sure that’s accurate.

What are you referring to? The license bit or the common sense bit?

😕

EDIT: Some places insist on a permit to paddle on the waters under their authority. Very few people bother to get them.

The license bit.

You do need a license to paddle

http://www.canoe-england.org.uk/membership/waterways-licences/

Just noticed that it was posted as first post lol

Seriously though, no licence needed (at present) just common sense.

You are supposed to have a boat licence if you take a kayak on any navigable inland waterway. This however is only a few percent of the actual waterways. There is a map available from McHamish’s link which shows the permissable waterways. Canals are generally OK.

I believe tidal stretches of water (obviously this includes the sea itself) are fair game though.

Admittedly I’m no expert but after a quick search the links suggested that ‘no license’ possibly wasn’t accurate.

I’ve contemplated getting a kayak myself, and fortunately I’m near a section of the Thames where you can pootle about to your hearts content.

Crikey, looking at the BW map there’s very limited access in Kent, just a bit of the Medway. I was hoping to use the local canal (Hythe, where there is already a commercial canoeing facility for day trippers).

i bought a kayak and do kayaking in it and will get a license when someone asks me to. probably.

I initially thought the OP meant a license as in a driving license but for kayaking.

However, the BCU site is misleading. You don’t need a license to paddle on all inland waterways, just the ones on the BW map. Also, all the rivers with kayaking access agreements that I’ve spent years kayaking on in Sussex and the South West are not on the BW map.

You can also freely canoe along the tidal stretches of most rivers (although you may be required to pay harbour dues on some).

To paddle on the sea costs nowt.

If you thought that access to places to ride was difficult and walkers a bit annoying- just wait until you try to ask a fisherman about access to many of our upland rivers.

I bought a sit on top two seater and just plonked it on the sea in sussex, great fun. Not cheap after you’ve bought all the kit though. They tend to hold they value quite well according to ebay.

iv odley been looking at a basic single person lightweight one there about 250 in tescos direct lol thers lots of places that i used to go to when i was with the adventure scouts and fully enjoyed it just need a car to trasport it …
do u think u could fit one on a bike trailer? 😆

If you fancy some ace sea-kayaking, with a great instructor (who also loves biking), click HERE

(Blatant plug for my mate’s kayaking business)

I’m moving house, the new house will come with a canoe. I’m goung to try it (it’s been a while) if I like it I will carry on regardless if I don’t and anyone wants a cheap canoe let me know.

When I looked into this I was needed to take a test on a Kayak
IE capsizing and turning etc.

Having Kayaked for a few years I would say learn how to use one at a club first. Some local pools run a course over 6 or 10 weeks. The other advantage of this is going out with people with more experiance. Plus they will take you out and show you some good routes etc.

It’s great fun but if you can’t read the river you can easily get into trouble in a fast flowing water. You might drop into nice calm water but it might not stay that way. You need to be mind full of where you get in and out too, some land owners along the river may object.

Depending on where you intend to paddle you may need a license so you will have to do that research yourself.

River access in England/Wales is sketchy. If a river has access its out of fishing season in most cases. Start Nov – Eof March

For a canal a licence is needed – It used to be included as part of BCU fees

Lots of advice to be had here –

http://www.unsponsored.co.uk/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi

Join a club, use their kit, learn with qualified instructors. Falling off a canoe and hitting your head has more chance of death than falling off your bike and hitting your head.

you need to be sure that the water has absolutely no current, you would be much better off with someone who knows what they are doing

if there are maggot drowners even known to go there, avoid it. they make ramblers look inclusive, I’ve known anglers threaten cyclists who ride on the towpath for disturbing the fish….

River access in England/Wales is sketchy. If a river has access its out of fishing season in most cases. Start Nov – Eof March

Except most of us now take the “cheeky trails” attitude – only more so, as the best researched legal stuff I’ve seen suggests we do actually have a right of access on most normal rivers. As for canals, you do officially need a licence, but I feel obliged to point out that I’ve never put my BCU sticker (which comes with a licence) on my boat, and never been challenged, though obviously it depends where you paddle.

I’d always recommend getting some skills training at a club first though.

If you are really serious about canoeing (kayaks are for Innuits) Move to France, you can go where you want, when you want and no one will hassle you but they will charge your family when the pull your bloated body from the river.

Licence – noun, a thing; e.g. “I have a driving licence.”

License – verb, to do; e.g. “The magistrate licensed my pub today.”

I know it’s the internet, but please…

…can I have a canoe..?