Having taken a week off to enjoy some time with the family, it made sense to take advantage of the fantastic weather by getting the children active outdoors in some way. The suggestion of paddling on The Mere in Ellesmere went down well so, with 5 boats on the car and neoprene on the kids, we headed to enjoy some time on the water.

I find that the kids like to simply mess about in boats, and out of them! Consequently, any instruction is infrequent as they learn from personal experience and trial and error. It’s actually really interesting to watch them on the water, trying new things out. Their focus is always on having fun, but it’s amazing how much they learn without meaning to.

Today’s session also gave me a chance to practice some of the things I learnt on my recent 3* sea kayak training in preparation for next weekend’s assessment. I’m getting there, but things could always do with being a bit more fluid and efficient.

For those of you that are relatively local, it’s worth pointing out that The Mere is available for private paddlers, but permission does need to be obtained first. Feel free to drop me a line if you would like details.