No experience is really necessary, but having at least one person with some knowledge or experience would be a help and if you are concerned then why not check out your local canoe club to get a little practice in?

A basic level of fitness is required, although you spend the day sitting you will be using muscles you don’t normally use and there is always a bit of lifting of kit and boats at the start & end of the day.

A deposit secures your date, with nothing to pay until March 1^st 2022.  You can then choose your instalments, with full payment being made no less than 4 weeks before your trip.  Please check our T’s & C’s for full details.

Yes, as long as they are well behaved, you will be passing through livestock areas, so you do not want them running off on their own as they may not find a friendly welcome from the farmer.

Also consider the dog’s weight, i.e. a big dog, you will notice in the boat if it starts to move around. 

We  highly recommend taking a dog buoyancy aid if you are taking your dog.

You will be glad to hear we don’t force you in anyway to continue nor to complete to the end point. 

We will be flexible enough to be able to pick you up at an arranged spot, whatever the reason.

Children need to be 14 years old to take part and count as one of the two persons in a boat.

Each boat will only take 2 persons

But you can have as large a group as you like, hiring multiple boats.  As long as it’s two to a boat, this allows for safe loading of kit and that each boat is also self-contained, should they fall behind for any reason.

With the usual caveat that Canoeing is an assumed risk sport.

For the most part the River Severn is a sedate river meandering along most of the way.

There are a few hazards along the way, but these are easily recognisable and are clearly highlighted in our safety briefs. 

Most of the hazards become dangerous at higher river levels that we would never send you out on, none the less we highlight these and give direction.

You will be fully briefed (all details will be given to you before-hand & verbally reinforced on the morning of depart) as to any hazards and how to deal with them along the way. 

We only send you off if it’s safe to do so, and we will be in contact if we felt the conditions were going to change and make it unsafe to continue.

We also remotely track your boat as an extra safety measure.

This can be one of peoples biggest worries so we try to put your fears to rest: 

Firstly we hire these exact same canoes out thousands of times every summer and our capsize rate each session can be counted on our hands, & are mostly caused by people messing around & wishing to fall in.

It’s worth knowing that when your boat is loaded up correctly with your camping stuff this creates a low centre of gravity in the boat, which means it’s actually harder to tip over.

You will be demonstrated on how to get in & out safely

Worst case if something did happen then…

The type of open boats we use, when you capsize in them you fall out in such a way your hair will barely get wet i.e., you’re not underwater

Your buoyancy aid will start to do its thing if you’re out of your depth, keeping your head out of the water. 

Take a second and get your bearings.

Then stand up or swim to the nearest bank.

Everything is covered more in depth in our safety briefs prior to & on the day. 

We are a small business based in Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Canoe Hire, owned by Nigel Conway, British Canoeing Coach & Advanced Leader/Guide for 30 years, with over 20 years coaching and guiding experience on the River Severn.  It is Nigel that is responsible for the safe operations of the Big Severn Adventure.

Established in 2016, we currently put around 10,000 people annually  out on the River Severn on our hires which range from an hour to full and multiday hires.  Our knowledge means we can create a bespoke experience for you and your group, provide individual support and ensure your trip goes smoothly in all the stages.  If you have any questions at all please get in touch with our office, we’ll always do our best to get back to you as soon as possible for further info.