March 18th 2012

Our full programme of daily Canoe Trips and Kayak Hire started in April - and with the exception of a couple of windy and wet days we ran daily trips right through the month.  Highlights have included paddling with dolphins in Fowey Harbour, riverbanks flush with primroses, and vibrant greens as the trees begin to come into leaf. Angie's seasonal farm cafe in St Winnow's is now open and so afternoon trips are timed to enjoy her wonderful cream teas and other farm grown produce. Apart from a few chilly and windy days the weather has been a typical Cornish April with lots of warm sunshine interspersed with the odd shower.

Contact us now if you have particular dates in mind especially if they are over the May Bank Holiday or Du Maurier Festival and we can advise on availability - or click here for Trip Dates and Times in 2012.

See you on the river !

Click Here for information on Kayaking in Cornwall

Click Here for Kayak hire prices

March 9th 2012

We are very happy to announce that this year we will be kayaking with the National Trust. We will be running a small number of special departures which will be accompanied by National Trust Rangers who have specialist knowledge of the area – and in particular those parts of the Estuary that are owned and managed by the National Trust. It’s worth reading their description of the estuary ….

 “At high water the long fingers of the sea reach deep into the remote agricultural folds of inland Cornwall, drowning the original insignificant Fowey River and its valley, the true profile of which can only be seen in the upper parts of the estuary at low water. This estuarine landscape is just waiting to be explored...

The estuary was created since the end of the Ice Age 10,000 years ago. Melting ice caused the sea level to rise in excess of 120ft over succeeding millennia, finally reaching its present level after the Roman period. As well as including the bustle of Fowey harbour, the estuary has the quiet reflective creeks of Pont and Penpoll - best explored by canoe. Further inland Ethy Woods atLerryn are a perfect Sunday afternoon diversion. Take a riverside walk past veteran oak trees and enjoy the sound of children playing over the Lerryn stepping stones.”

The trips will be four hours in duration, travel at a relaxed pace and allow time for a picnic lunch along the way (bring your own). Weather permitting, we will travel from Golant village up Penpoll Creek, a hidden gem which we will often have to ourselves, and its varied Estuary wildlife. From here we will paddle along the banks of the River Fowey and into Lerryn Creek and meander up to picturesque Lerryn village. From here we have an optional walk through National Trust woodland to Ethy Point. Time permitting we will then paddle around to St Winnows and visit the historic riverside church which dates back to the 7th Century. We then head back to Golant’s hidden harbour via Woodgate Pill and The Royal Boathouse where Edward VII once entertained his lady friends.

Numbers are limited to 15 with a minimum of 4 participants

Price £40 per adult and £20 for children under 16    

For dates and times see TRIP TIMES 2012.

February 20th 2012

Guided Trips on the Fowey 

Northern River Golant to Lostwithiel

Join us on a new ½ day afternoon route running from Golant upriver to Lostwithiel. Taking in all the best bits of the upper estuary this run gives a huge variety in wildlife and river scenery on the wilder and more remote sections of water. Taking in Wind in the Willows Creek, The Tidal Pool Boathouse, Woodgate Pill and further north the Viaduct Creek at Milltown  (otter habitat if we are very quiet and very lucky). We then enter a protected area of unique Salt Marsh in a long series of narrow S bends very different to any other parts of the estuary as the river sweeps towards the ancient Stannary Town of Lostwithiel. We will return on the other side of the river to Golant with a stop at the tiny and stunning hamlet of St Winnows and the chance for some outdoor refreshments at “Angies” above the church before returning with tide to Golant.

This run will be a very full four hours and is suitable for those with some previous experience of canoeing or kayaking. However, as you are accompanied by experienced guides its perhaps more important that you are fit and active and keen to cover some distance on your paddle.

3hr and Fowey ½ day Trips

Prices for our 3 hour river and ½ day Fowey trips have all been frozen for the second year running and as ever we will be running both Taster and River Trips every day throughout the season.

Full Day Canoeing Trips

We will continue to offer full day trips to private groups or where we can get a small group together, kayaking down river from Golant through the historical port of Fowey and down to the sea and back up to Lerryn and or Lostwithiel on the high tide. Dates and prices for these will depend on numbers but do let the office know if you are interested and we can keep you updated.  

Private Groups / Birthday Parties / Work Away Days  

Maximum numbers have been increased under our license this year for larger parties. We can operate these to suit your group, building in lunch en route, some walking sections or just as much time as you can out on the river - anything from 2 hours to Full day trips. Private groups are just that – it will just be you and your friends so we can make sure that the itinerary and pace suits your requirements. With our new safety boat we can take anything from 6 to 30 persons on a private group trip.

Sit On Kayaks 

Having trialled the new sporty sit on top double kayaks last year we are pleased to announce we have added these to our permanent stock of boats. Double sit on kayaks are slick, fast, easy to paddle and for those wanting to be on their own can be easily paddled from the back solo. They also suit those who feel more comfortable and free on top of the boat rather than sitting in it. The only paddlers these are not suitable for are those with any back problems (though the sit on tops do have good quality seats) and those that are on the heavier side. However we still have a full stock of KIWI 2 sit in kayaks for those in these categories.

Finally looking after those on the guided trips our white Safety Boat Encounter Cornwall has now been retired after 5 years of loyal service and a new larger replacement Encounter Cornwall 3 will be brought into service in March to work the river alongside Encounter Cornwall 2

All Day Kayak Hire - all day hire option from only £25 per day for up to 10 hours. 

Our canoe hire service was more popular than ever and for 2012 from our new base in Golant we can offer even more flexibility for you to explore the river. With options to paddle on both high and low tides you can in theory take in the whole estuary in a day if you're pick the right day and are reasonably fit. For example, you might paddle down to Fowey on the low tide and spend 2 or 3 hours exploring the harbour - perhaps stopping off in Fowey and Polruan. Then slowly kayak back up river on the incoming tide to Lostwithiel via Penpoll, Lerryn and St Winnows and return to Golant when the tide turns again. 

You can get up to 10 hours of paddling with this option, have lunch or an early evening meal in one of the waterside pubs, picnic by the coast, find a sheltered cove for a swim in the harbour mouth and spend time exploring not only the river but the sea caves and inlets at the end of the estuary. With the tide helping you both ways this can be a non rushed but fully occupied day and where you take the kayaks out and back you can do this for the bargain price of £25 . That’s less than £3 an hour ! So pack a picnic and a mask and snorkel and get the best value hire canoeing in Cornwall with a full day out on the Fowey ..

We have frozen our standard hire prices again for the second year running.

New Canoeing Website Pages for 2012

Our canoeing pages have been updated in the last couple of months to cover the new routes and hire options along with pictures of all the options of kayak available to customers.  The new pages will have more information about the wildlife and attractions that can be visited on all the river routes. Our programme of Guided Canoe Trips can be checked online allowing you to see at a glance what is running on what dates throughout the season.

We remain the only company operating Canoeing Trips on the River Fowey with a year round license and the only one with a license to cover all sections of the river. Hope you can join us sometime during the year and if you have any particular requests or questions check out the canoeing pages from March  or just email us now  for help.

January 30th 2012

From 2012 Encounter Cornwall trips will operate guided canoe trips and kayak hire from Golant (on the opposite side of the river to our previous base in Lerryn). Many of our existing trips will operate in reverse and kayak up "Wind in the Willows" Creek to Lerryn with the added benefit of tidal assistance both ways (trips depart before high tide and return after). In addition Golant benefits from easy access to rarely visited Penpoll Creek and the upper reaches of the river as far as Lostwithiel.

Golant also has the major advantage of canoe access to the river Fowey at low tide giving us the ability to run low tide paddles down to Fowey Harbour - once again using the tides to "go with the flow". It also means that all day hire options are possible every day.

Our meeting point for trips is the Fisherman's Arms where well earned refreshments are available at the end of your trip.

January 28th 2012

Running from Wednesday 9th to Sunday 16th May 2012, the Daphne du Maurier Festival of Arts & Literature in Fowey has hundreds of events open to all incuding walks, talks, plays, music and much much more. 

To view the full line up for the Daphne du Maurier Festival, see the events diary,  book your tickets and find out more, visit the festival website now  at  www.dumaurierfestival.co.uk and we hope to see you there !

Anyone wanting to experience more of Daphne Du Mauriers Cornwall whilst staying in the area should consider Encounter Walking's two day Daphne du Maurier Walk.

December 8th 2011

For all the latest news and infomation about events in our local area we recommend you visit

 Best of South East Cornwall covering Looe, Polperro, Polruan, Fowey and Bodmin Moor holiday information  plus comprehensive Eating Out, Attractions and Events guides."

January 22nd 2011

With a well earned break from Kayaking on the River Fowey Encounter Cornwall's staff and safety boats took to the waters on Saturday to help marshall and provide safety support for the annual Lerryn River Seagull Race.

Now in its 23rd year this rather bizarre event involves upwards of 40 boats, surfboards, rafts and canoes on the River Fowey racing in a two leg run up and down the Lerryn creek using ancient "seagull" engines for power.

Plenty of post race arguments and disqualifications were duly settled in The Ship Inn in Lerryn after a riotous wacky race - For more pictures - if you were involved see the gallery on the Lerryn village website at www.lerryn.net

If you want to join in this excellent event next year contact us and we can send you details......

or if you would rather explore the stunning creek without merry hoards of Cornishmen and Women then click here for our Kayak Hire in Cornwall service or read more about our Guided Canoe Trips on the River Fowey

October 23rd 2008

For all of you that return year after year to stunning Lerryn a superb new option that has just been renovated is now available - perfect for canoeing on the Fowey, walking, cycling and exploring the mid Cornwall area.  Lerryn Cottage - sleeps up to 10 persons with loads of room and is perfect for families and groups of friends.

Completley refurbished during 2008 the Cottage is right in the centre of the village with its own garden and decking areas.

Available now for cosy winter breaks  CLICK HERE  to look at the website which has loads of pictures and information and our advice is to move fast if you want to book for 2009 as we expect this will fill up fast.