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Canoe & Kayak Hire  

Requirements for Hire

The river is safe to paddle and the tidal nature of the river, always moving at different speeds and directions makes it very attractive.  However tidal rivers require good preparation and advice when paddling. We provide all this for you and will fully brief you and vet your journey plans to make sure you have a safe and successful exploration. For this reason canoe hire is restricted to those with recent kayaking experience and is not open to first time paddlers. If you are not sure if you fit this requirement call or email us and we can discuss it with you.

Some areas on the river are remote and the key question to ask yourself is, if you or someone in your party fell in do you have the experience and skills to be able to deal with the situation – getting them and their kayak to the bank safely and quickly. If you are not absolutely confident of this then book onto a guided canoe trip in the first instance. Our staff can assess your abilities, pass on good advice about the river and paddling during the trip and if all looks fine then you can progress to hire alone next time you paddle with us.

If you are part of a mixed ability group with individuals who have the expertise to take care of those with little or no experience, then we are happy to hire to you once we have had a quick chat to establish levels of competence.

Where can we go

We enjoy a legal right to open access throughout the river system so pretty much anywhere on the estuary as long as the tides are right! On occasions we will restrict the lower commercial harbour area if we don’t feel you have enough experience, but in all there are miles of creeks, river and estuary to explore. See the Fowey River Highlights section for details along with the River Fowey Canoeing Map.

Kayaks will be prepared for you to collect at your launch site at an agreed time in Golant / Lerryn / Fowey / Lostwithiel.  (short trips are only available from Golant).  We will then provide you with a large scale OS based river map and give a full safety briefing on the river, including advice on tides and suggested routes for you to follow.

For a small charge, we can offer a pick up or drop off service for you and your canoes for one way paddling trips with the tide to or from Fowey, Lerryn, St Winnow and Lostwithiel.

Remember the river Fowey is a tidal river and if you are only planning a short hire  contact us now with your preferred Kayak hire date. We will then advise you of the tide times to make sure you have the right water for your paddling.

What Equipment Can We Hire ?

We have sit on top and sit in double kayaks (perfect for familes and groups).They are good to hire as theyare very stable and have plenty of space for a picnic or whatever else you want to bring with you. We also have single kayaks, again sit in and sit on top (some with dry hatches). CLICK HERE to see the guided trip pages for details on the type of kayaks available. We provide buoyancy aids, paddles, a mooring rope to secure your canoes when you go off to explore, dry bags if you need them, a river map and of course a full briefing on the river and the tides so you know where to go and what to avoid.

Prices (including all equipment)

All hire includes kayaks, paddles, buoyancy aids, full river briefing, tide times and journey planning. Loan of a river map and any dry bags if required. Collection times on one way trips will be arranged with you before departure.

Canoe Hire Information

Short hire options are only available from Golant - but it's the perfect venue for short paddles. Hire needs to be prebooked so that we can reserve your equipment for you.

Buoyancy aids must be worn at all times.

Anyone hiring kayaks must have previous kayaking experience and will need to advise us of this and of their trip plans. Anyone wanting to gain kayaking experience should join us on our Taster Sessions or guided Canoe Trips.

Under 18's can only use hire canoes when accompanied by parents / guardians.

Canoes can only be used within the Estuary boundaries. The upper and lower limits for our canoe use are the harbour at Fowey and the road bridge at Lostwithiel (our canoes are not designed for sea trips or rapids!) but that gives you many miles of paddling and exploring opportunities in a multitude of creeks, inlets and villages.

Encounter Cornwall supports British Canoe Union policies and guidance including their advice on not canoeing alone.

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