This week’s discussion point from me is about paddle staycations. The world as we knew it has changed and while we reset and readjust, for the time being at least, many of us are choosing to stay nearer to home for our weekends away, short mini-breaks, and summer holidays spent with the kids. As paddlers, we’ve always valued the outdoors but perhaps now, following various periods of movie-worthy global lockdowns, these restrictions on our liberty may just have given us the drive and curiosity to explore and discover what’s on our doorsteps instead of jetting off abroad.

With thousands of miles of waterways and other blue spaces right here in the UK, there’s never been a better time to pack up our craft, gear and paddles, and experience and enjoy the best of British! From flat water to white water, cruising canals to adrenaline filled rapids, exploring the Norfolk Broads to the Great Glen, the Llangollen Canal or the Tryweryn to the River Teifi and everywhere else in between – there’s so much to be explored!

Are you planning a paddle staycation? Heading to a regular spot or somewhere completely different? Tell us about it!

No stranger to staycations? What and where would you advise for those considering embarking on one for the first time? What top tips and recommendations would you give them?

Struggling for ideas? Tell us what you’re hoping or looking for and let our paddling community guide you to creating a truly great British staycation!

Thanks to Tyn Cornel Camping for the photo of their campsite by the Afon Tryweryn.