Playing on the rapids

Although recreational canoeing is undoubtedly popular – especially with beginners – there are numerous ways to live it up in a canoe once you’ve dipped your paddle in the water.

Canoe Slalom

If you’re really up for a white water challenge and fancy your chances on a race course, then canoe slalom could be the thing for you.

Imagine sitting at the top of a slalom course in a boat weighing less than 20 pounds while 40 cubic metres of water thunder past you every second…still keen to try it? Right, canoe slalom is one of the most popular watersports in Britain – fun to watch, as well as participate in. What’s more, as a nation we’re not that bad at it; we’ve churned out world champions and even brought home Olympic medals.

The aim of canoe slalom is to complete a course marked by ‘gates’ down river rapids. A ‘gate’ is two poles suspended over the water which you negotiate either downstream or upstream. You must not touch any of the gates, and you must complete the course at top speed.
Canoe slalom

White Water Rafting

You and five others are perched on an inflatable dinghy and racing towards a roaring set of rapids. What do you feel? An addictive rush of adrenaline or an overwhelming desire to be elsewhere? If it’s the former, read on.

White water rafting is one of the most exciting watersports on offer today. It was developed in the USA more than 200 years ago as early pioneers braved the rapids of the Grand Canyon. Today, rafters are equipped with hard hats, life jackets and an instructor capable of shouting directions above the thunder of the water. Nonetheless it’s not without risks – and you’re guaranteed a drenching. This one’s for the adrenaline junkies!
White water rafting

Canoe Polo

Once you’ve mastered the art of paddling and canoe-control, sports fans may wish to try their luck on the Polo pitch.

Canoe Polo demands excellent paddling skills, speed, teamwork and of course, hand-eye-ball co-ordination. Two teams of five play against each other to score goals in their opponents net, which is suspended two metres above the water. The ball can be either thrown by hand or, impressively ‘flicked’ with the canoe paddle.

A number of canoeing clubs practice Polo – either in a large pool or along a flat stretch of river.
Canoe polo

River Bugging

Imagine sitting back in a one-man blow-up arm chair while you plunge down white water rapids. Inflatable chambers positioned behind and beside you ensure that staying on top of the swirling waters is nothing more than child’s play. In fact, being buffeted against rocks as you surf down river is not unlike a fairground ride on the dodgems.

River bugging was all the rage in New Zealand in the late 1990s - clearly the Kiwis have so much white water that they have to constantly invent new things to do with it. The sport came over to Scotland just a few years ago, and Scotland remains the only country in the Northern hemisphere which is able to offer river bugging as a commercial activity.

Marathon

Well the clue is in the title. Canoe Marathon events demand strength, stamina and skill. Distances range from a few miles to more than a hundred miles, but local and/or novice events are more likely to be around the four or eight mile marker. Classes can be dependent on age, gender or type of craft – and there are opportunities to race in both single and double kayaks/canoes.
Canoe marathon

Sprint Racing

Another self-explanatory one! In a similar vein to track sprinting, canoe sprint racing takes place over distances of 200m, 500m, 1000m and 6,000m. Rest assured, you don’t need to tackle any rapids for this discipline; races take place on flat water in special racing kayaks and canoes.
Canoe sprint racing