Joining the club!
Would you love to try kayaking or are you already a pro? We run sessions that cater for everyone! If you want to join our club, or are just interested to find out more about what we are doing this year, email us at plymcanoeandkayak@gmail.com and we will add you to our email list!
About
We are UPSU Canoe and Kayak Club, thriving ever since 2005. We have built a reputation over the years for providing something for everyone no matter what your interests or ability. We are a friendly club with a sole purpose to get our members out and about as much as we can whilst offering training and a safe environment to learn new skills and of course meet new people. We also offer some of the cheapest trips of any water sports club and unlimited free training sessions so what are you waiting for, sign up today. The cost to join us is only £40!
Here's a video showing who we are (link).
By becoming a member, you gain the ability to join us on our fantastic trips and all our weekly sessions. Our trips include a variety of kayaking disciplines and we actively encourage our members to gain qualifications, if you are interested in gaining a specific qualification let us know and we’ll try to organise it for you!
Weekly Sessions
- Free pool sessions at the Life Centre - qualified instructors / coaches will run sessions to include games, learning to roll, practising rescues, learning and developing kayaking skills and much more. These sessions are great to learn in a warmer and safer environment so are perfect for anyone nervous about learning to kayak. These sessions take place at 5-6pm and 6-7pm every Sunday during term time.
- Wednesday afternoon/evening sessions - typically at Mountbatten Watersports Centre but there are plans to explore other flat water locations and potentially some tasters in white water, sea kayaking or racing. These sessions provide a perfect opportunity to develop skills, explore the area and even gain/work towards qualifications. These are dependent on weather and coach availability but we will aim to run as many as possible throughout the year. All sessions run at Mountbatten will be a small fee of £3!
Trips
Are you looking for an exciting twist to your boring uni life? We’ll be offering many exciting trips including:
- White water - with some of the best rivers in the England right on our doorstep we are one of the best placed universities to offer white water in the UK
- Overnight trips (including a freshers trip 12/13th October, a returning members trip 26/27th October and collaborations with other clubs)
- Flat water trips / journeys - we plan to explore some of our beautiful local waterways
- Sea kayaking trips - we plan to take members out on the sea to explore our local coastline and potentially areas around Cornwall and Exeter
- Surf kayaking tasters - we plan to run a few taster sessions for members to try out surf kayaking with an experienced instructor
- Race kayaking taster (19th October)
- Charity kayaks (potentially even a 24 hour kayak!)
- Night kayak for Halloween (30th October)
We aim to keep all trips as cheap as possible but there will be a small fee involved with transport and accommodation if applicable. All trips are subject to demand and weather.
Socials
We run weekly socials with an even mix of sober and drinking. For more information, check out our instagram @plymouthunicanoeandkayak
We also have an amazing Christmas meal each year, with prizes for various achievements, this is always good fun and a massive turnout! Then we have a summer meal with prizes to round off the year!
Social membership is just £12.50 but only allows you to attend kayak socials.
Freshers
- Come see us at freshers fair to find out more information
- We'll be running FREE taster sessions at the life centre and Mountbatten taster sessions for £3
- Freshers trip in October for all those who’ve become member (flat water / white water)
Worried about joining?
- We have a friendly team of instructors who are there to support you
- You can take it at your own pace, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do and we will build up skills and confidence slowly before going onto the sea or river
- We run weekly sessions in a swimming pool to develop skills and confidence before going out onto open water
- We are accommodating of anyone who may need any extra assistance or support in order to participate in the activities we run, just speak to one of our friendly committee members
- Don't know how to swim? We will be running a few sessions throughout the year with a swim instructor where you can learn. We also have buoyancy aids that you can use at pool sessions if you can't pass the swim test to assist you if you do fall in the water
- Any more questions don't hesitate to get in touch via our email or Instagram :)
We can’t wait to see you on the water!
UPSU Canoe and Kayak Club :)
Useful Links:
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups
Facebook Page: UPSU Canoe and Kayak Club
Instagram: @plymouthunicanoeandkayak
Email: plymcanoeandkayak@gmail.com