3-Day Wye Valley Canoe Adventure (Min 6)

Description

The Wye River valley is bursting with life and vitality, its beauty unspoiled and waters clean and clear. Three days meandering gently downstream gives you the opportunity to sink into the exquisite scenery and rhythm of the river. The River Wye and surrounding area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This trip has a real expedition feel to it, and you will come away feeling like you have had an adventure. We begin at Glasbury, just north of the Black Mountains, where we’ll meet and load the canoes with everything we need for our journey on the river. We travel several miles each day through changing scenery; flat stretches interspersed with  small rapids (nothing too scarey!). Camping on river beaches and banks along the way, the pace is relaxed, and there is plenty of time to  swim, play, and rest…

Minimum group size 6 people

What you need to bring: Space in the canoes is limited so you will need to be relatively economical with what you bring along. Each person will be provided with a sixty-litre watertight barrel into which all their kit (including sleeping bag/matt, food, cooking gear, clothes etc) must fit. Please be aware, because of space, smaller children may be expected to share a barrel with their parent(s) or sibling. To give you an idea , the 60 litre barrel has about the same capacity as a good size rucksack.

Tents will not have to be stored in barrels but should be well wrapped in bin liners and sealed with gaffer tape. Even better, put the tent into a large ‘dry-bag’ if you have one. 

The correct base layer is especially important for you to keep warm and comfortable.

Sleeping bag – in compression sack to maximise space in barrel. You can buy compression sack/straps from a camping store. Thermal sleeping mat.

Warm base-layer underclothes x 2 (non-cotton thermals are ideal – Helly Hanson is a good make, and Amazon is a cheaper place to buy than the camping shop). Cotton is useless at keeping you warm once it gets wet. Merino wool is the best but it is expensive.

Enough socks/underwear for 4 days. Tee shirts x 3. Trousers x 3 – don’t bring jeans for canoeing as they are uncomfortable and not good in wet weather. Jeans are ok to wear around the camp. Best trousers for canoeing are loose fit. Wool Jumper/fleece x 3. Rainproof jacket and trousers. Shoes that can get wet – ie old trainers/wetsuit boots. Don’t use Crocs as they are very slippy on the river bank! Change of footwear for evening – crocs ok. Swim suit, Sun hat, sun block – hopefully you’ll need it. Warm hat – hopefully you won’t need it. Toiletries, loo roll, & Towel . Plastic or metal Plate/bowl, mug, cutlery(label them so you know they’re yours). Torch. Insect Repellent. Water bottle. Other stuff – : Binoculars, personal snacks, camera…?

I also recommend that each person brings along a small dry bag to store items such as camera, money. Dry bags are completely water tight and be purchased from a camping or water sports shop for about £7.