Having spent Wednesday afternoon climbing with a group from Concord College, it was great to meet up with them again as soon as this afternoon for something a bit different. After being land based last time, we ventured onto the water at The Mere in Ellesmere in canoes for a couple of hours. I found myself waiting for them for a time, while they struggled to find somewhere to park. Clearly the mid October sunshine had brought everyone out to make the most of it, before Winter starts to take grip.

After a few preliminaries, such as fitting buoyancy aids and helmets, we had a bit of a mess about on dry land first of all to warm up and get the blood pumping. Then, after a quick safety brief, we managed to get the canoes onto the water without anyone getting wet and gave the group chance to figure out what to do with the paddles. For most people, the basic idea comes naturally, so it’s often worth allowing them to explore it for themselves before chipping in with little tips.

All the sessions that I’ll be doing for Concord College as part of their Mountain Sports Club this year are based around the aim of enjoying a breadth of experiences rather than skills development. As a result, the session comprised of a balance of journeying, basic skills, games and a few fun challenges towards the end of our time on the water.

One challenge that seemed to capture their imagination, was the concept of paddling a canoe over the top of another. It sounds like a ridiculous idea, and probably is, but it’s great fun! It involves a bit of teamwork and paddling in a slightly precarious position, but gives a real sense of achievement if you manage to pull it off without falling in. They did so well at it, that the idea of paddling over 2 canoes in one go was soon voiced and successfully completed. In fact, they even managed to get a canoe across the top of 4 others at one point – quite an achievement!