Canoe Trail

Canoe Trail is an award winning watersports and adventure company providing outdoor activities, expeditions, outdoor learning and tourism activities for a wide range of customers.   For young people that involves outdoor activities, qualifications and games as well as making friends, emotional literacy through our partner Inspired Life CIC, having fun and building life skills.

Our wide range of activities are tailored for  the group, weather and conditions and general learning objectives. We currently provide :

• Bushcraft activities, 
• Stand up paddle boarding,
• Kayaking and canoeing,
• Indoor climbing wall, and bouldering 
• Team  Challenges, 
• Outdoor high ropes, 
• Woodland activities
• Archery and airguns,
• Axe throwing, 
• Duke of Edinburgh
• First aid and other NGB qualifications, 
• Campcraft including outdoor cooking
• Coaching paddling courses
• Overseas expeditions and paddling trips

There activities are delivered and tailored to provide customers with opportunities to enjoy outdoor spaces, the rivers and nature in our rural and urban areas. We aim to share our passion for the great outdoors, develop technical skills and also offer softer benefits such as improved resilience, wellbeing and fitness.

Canoe Trail is a market leader holding a wide range of accreditations and awards including:

• Our woodland was voted Top 52 things to do in the world by Lonely Planet Magazine
• Canoe Trail featured in the Top 3 UK destinations for SUP micro Adventures in Red Bull Magazine
• The company featured in the Times and Daily Telegraph four our paddling trips ad expeditions
• We have also featured in Wanderlust, on Huffington Post as well as Bushcraft and Survival Skills Magazine and Paddler.
• We have held the Trip advisor Certificate of Excellence for many years
• Canoe Trail is a Delivery  Partner for Paddler UK, the NGB, National Governing Body
• We are the Duke of Edinburgh Approved Activity Provider (AAP) and also approved for Combined Cadet Force CCF 
• The company has featured on BBC1, Local Radio, ITV and many other media outlets.

Governance and Assurance 

Canoe Trail also holds :

• Adventure Activities Licensing Authority AALA licence 
• Learning Outside the Classroom LoTC Quality Mark and Adventure Mark badge holder 
• IOL - institute of Outdoor Learning member
• Our staff hold a wide range of NGB (National Governing Body Qualifications)

Our company has grown organically by offering a wide range of activities and programmes including :

Tourism

Helping put Bedford and River Great Ouse on the map as a paddling and green adventure destination with hire of SUP, canoes and kayaks from 1 hour to multi day trips with camping. There is a large target market within short drive times of our base at the Kempston Outdoor Centre. 

Duke of Edinburgh Activities 

Canoe Trail offers bronze, silver and gold expedition training and assessment to hundreds of young people each year.

Expeditions and trips

We offer a wide range of trips and expeditions from simple one day courses to overnight camping, river trips to multi day expeditions in Scotland, Wales, England and also bucket list destinations such as Canada helping people progress and improve their skills

National Events

Canoe Trail run a wide variety of activities for national events such as the Camping, Caravan and Motorhome Show, Bushcraft Show and the Outdoor Expo. We are respected and booked as experts in our field. 

National Governing Body Courses and qualifications 

Canoe Trail help provide qualifications for adults, young people and schools in specific outdoor disciplines such as paddlesport.

Adventure school holiday club including holiday activities and food programme 

Our Adventure School holiday club and school programmes has won multiple awards and provides outdoor activities for over 4,500 young people per year. The HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme is delivered for Bedford Borough as a core programme engaging a large number of young people in funded activities.

School Days, Curriculum Activities and Youth Camps

Canoe Trail run a range of school activity days, sports and physical activity sessions to support curriculum, NGB course and qualifications and enrichment activities. We are often asked to support schools with life skills and confidence raising elements as part of alternative curriculum studies.

Stag , Hen parties and corporate team building  events 

Canoe Trail offers team building events for stag and hen parties as well as corporate clients and sporting teams.Our long list of corporate clients includes RSPB, EasyJet, Wilmot Dixon ,Ordnance Survey , Uber. 

We have also worked with a wide range of sporting team including Cambridge boat race team , Bedford Blues RUFC and  Team GB Olympic hockey squad.