Reading Canoe Club

Reading Canoe Club is a volunteer organisations run by its membership and managed by its committee. It's focus is to provide kayaking and canoeing to Reading and the surrounding area. There is no commercial remit and we are looking to develop paddlers and our sport. We appeal to people for whom canoeing is not just a summer activity.

Our novice activities and programs run from spring to autumn, after which you should be able to join the main club activities that take place all year round.

Introductory Courses
Our qualified and experienced volunteer coaches will run a series of 6-week introductory courses for juniors and for adults. The aim of these courses is to give you an appreciation of the sport and the basic skills and knowlege that will set you on your way to a lifetime of enjoyment on the water.

Adult Novice Introductory Course - 6 weeks - fee £40
This course will run on Tuesday evenings, meeting at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. The courses will be run by Martin Lomas Martin Watson and Mark King. This course is for adults (ie. those aged 18 or over)
Course dates:
Course One : April 21 - May 26 * this course is now full
Course Two : June 2 - July 7 * this course is now full
Course Three : July 14 - Aug 18 * course fully booked - however we will operate a waiting list in case of cancellations


Junior Novice Introductory Course - 6 weeks - fee £30
Saturday mornings 11am:
This course is suitable for juniors aged 8 or over and will run on Saturday mornings starting promptly at 11am. The courses will be run by Brian Greenham.
Course dates:
Course One : April 18 - 30 May (no session May 16)
Course Two : June 6 - July 11 * this course is now full
Course Three : 18 July - Aug 22

Thursday afternoons 4pm:
This course is suitable for juniors aged 8 or over and will run on Thursday afternoons starting promptly at 4pm. The course will be run by Brian Greenham.
Course : June 11 - July 16

In all cases we reserve the right to assess course members and if the course is deemed unsuitable for them we would do our best to recommend an alternative option and will refund the fee pro-rata for unused sessions.

Due to the nature of the sport conditons are sometimes such that it would be unsafe to go out on the water, and under those circumstances our coaches will do their best to either provide an alternative session or reschedule.

Our courses include temporary membership of the club for the duration of the course, and a condition of joining is that you agree to abide by the Club Rules and Policies (which can be found on the RCC website in our "the club" section). It is hoped that you will go on to become full members of the club on completion of the course.

Booking onto a course
All of our courses are limited to 8 paddlers per intake - so book early to avoid disapointment. Download a course application form here and email the completed form to us (our email link is on the "find us" page) or post to Reading Canoe Club, The Warren, Caversham, Berkshire, RG4 7TH

Adult Come And Try It sessions - fee £5
Our adult coaching team will continue to run "come and try it" sessions on Saturday mornings at 11am. There will be a fee of £5 per session, and you can attend a maximum of three sessions, after which you must either book onto a six week course or take out full membership of the club. You do not have to book for these sessions, just turn up. We will do our best to accomodate everyone but there is a limit on numbers, so arrive early to secure your place.

Over 10s Fun Sessions
Our fun sessions for the over-10s run on Thursday evenings 17:30 to 18:30.
Free to club members, non-members may attend up to three sessions at a fee of £5 per session after which they would need to become members.
There will be a maximum of eight boats / 12 paddlers per session, although this might be reduced if the conditions are unfavourable. No booking required, but please bear in mind that the session size is limited. Priority will go to club members. Adult members are welcome to join in, and would be additional to this number but must go through a basic safety procedures test with Nigel beforehand

Under 10s Fun Sessions
Our fun sessions for the under-10s run on Monday evenings 17:30 to 18:30 and Thursday evenings 16:30 to 17:30.
Free to club members, the charge to non-members is £5 per session. There will be a maximum of six participants per session, although this might be reduced if the conditions are unfavourable. No booking required, but please bear in mind that the session size is limited. Priority will go to club members. Youngest participant will be 6 years + (the coaches have discretion to decide whether the activity is suitable for the child.)



Frequently asked questions:

What should I bring and wear?
Do I need to be able to swim?
Do I need any specific equipment?
I haven’t paddled for ten years?
Do I need to be fit?

What should I bring and wear?
While canoeing, it is important that clothing protects the body but does not restrict movement. Clothing that gets heavy when wet, like jeans and woollens, are unsuitable. Wetsuits are mostly unnecessary. For the majority of conditions, layers of light, fitted clothing that will dry quickly when damp are most suitable. Thermals are ideal. Beginners should bring:
Shorts or leggings.
T-shirts and thin long-sleeve tops.
Cagoule or other short light windy-proof top.
A change of clothes and a towel

Do I need to be able to swim?
It would be an advantage to be able to swim 50 metres but this does not necessarily prohibit those that cannot but please inform the instructor if you are a weak or nervous swimmer. Being onfident in and around water is more important. You will be expected to wear a buoyancy aid for most activities, and we do ask that you be capable of swimming 50 metres in canoeing clothing with the aid of a bouyancy aid.

Do I need any specific equipment?
We have everything to get you started : boat, paddles and bouyancy aid.

I haven’t paddled for ten years?
Come along to an Open session on Saturday and see what you can remember, and this will tell us whether you need to do an intro course or whether you can join the club straight away.

Do I need to be fit?
Not especially, however it is a great way to get fit if you want!

TIPS FOR NEW PADDLERS