Adult Introductory Courses
All our adult beginner courses for 2026 are now full. If you would like to be the first to hear about next year’s courses, please fill in the form to register interest.
PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER FOR A RESPONSE – VERY OFTEN YOUR BEGINNER COURSE EMAIL DIVERTS TO SPAM!
Please note, we do currently have a waiting list, so it’s best to get your name down well in advance.
The course cost is £90 and includes use of equipment. Beginners should be changed and ready to go by the start time please.
Our boats:
Reading Canoe Club is one of the most successful racing clubs in the country, in both marathon and sprint.
As a consequence, the club’s beginner kayaks are more streamlined and less stable than you might experience with a regular commercial operator. This means there are some limitations, governed by the size of the boats, that you need to be aware of before you sign up:
- There is a paddler weight limit of 110kg
- The maximum width of our cockpits at the hips is 39 cm (not as small as it sounds!)
- Unfortunately, we have no stable club boats which can adjust comfortably for a paddler taller than 190 cm or an individual who may be shorter but with extra-long legs
If you wish to visit the club to assess the suitability of the craft for you, please just let us know.
The kayaks we use for beginners (and for marathon and sprint) are described as open cockpit boats, meaning that one’s knees are not inside the boat. This means that in the event of a capsize you fall out of the boat quickly, easily and safely. They are less stable at first than the commercial sit-on-top style, but much faster once the balance and basic forward stroke are mastered.