No prior canoeing experience is needed. Most guests are complete beginners. It helps if one person in your pair has done a little paddling, but it is not essential. We host your launch with a clear safety and paddle briefing, keep daily distances sensible, and check in as you go. If you want a bit of extra confidence, a short taster at your local canoe club can be useful but it is not required.

A basic level of fitness is enough. You will spend a lot of time sitting in the boat, but paddling uses muscles you may not use every day and there is some lifting of boats and barrels at the start and end of each day. If you are comfortable walking a few miles and carrying light camping or overnight kit, you will be fine. We can shorten or lengthen days to suit your comfort.

No, you do not have to pay everything at once. A deposit secures your date, with the remaining balance due closer to launch. For most trips the balance is due around forty days before you set off, and for fixed date Solo Traveller trips we use a slightly longer window. If you would like to spread the cost, talk to us and we can agree a simple staged payment plan that fits your timings.

Yes, dogs are welcome as long as they are well behaved and under control. You will paddle through farmland and livestock areas where wandering dogs may not get a friendly welcome, so good recall is important. Larger dogs can unsettle the canoe if they move suddenly, so think about size, weight and where they will lie in the boat. We strongly recommend a dog buoyancy aid to keep them safe and make recovery easier if they end up in the water. Plenty of our guests paddle happily with small and medium dogs.

That is completely fine. This is your adventure, not a race or a test. If weather, energy, time, or anything else means you want to finish earlier than planned, we will agree a safe exit point and arrange a pickup that works with roads, bridges and access. We will never push you to do more than feels comfortable.

Accommodation is not included by default. That keeps things flexible and lets you choose your own style and budget, whether that is riverside campsites, simple guest houses or more comfortable hotels. We provide up to date information on places along the route so you can plan nights that suit you. On some Shropshire Special dates we also offer an accommodation add on where we arrange your stays for you and you pay the room costs directly.

Children must be at least fourteen to join a multi day trip with us. They count as one of the two people in a canoe and should be confident around water, happy wearing a buoyancy aid and able to take part in shared paddling and carrying. Younger children can still enjoy shorter guided paddles through other local providers, but our longer journeys are designed for teenagers and adults.

Each canoe is set up for two people. Groups often travel as a small fleet of canoes, with friends or family paired up. Two in a boat keeps the load safe, makes the canoe easy to handle, and means each pair can make small decisions on pace, rests and photo stops without affecting the whole group.

Canoeing is classed as an assumed risk activity, but the stretches of the River Severn we use are mostly calm and gently meandering. We monitor river levels and forecasts and only launch when conditions are suitable. Before you set off, we give a clear safety briefing and highlight any known hazards, portages and weirs. During the trip we ask for daily check ins and we track boats by GPS as an extra layer of support. If conditions change, we will update you and, if needed, adapt the plan.

It is a common worry, but genuine capsizes are rare. We use stable open canoes and keep a sensible loading plan so the boat sits low and steady in the water. If a capsize does happen, you fall out beside the canoe, not under it. Your buoyancy aid keeps you afloat while you take a breath, gather yourself and move to the bank. Your main kit is packed in dry barrels which help with stability. We walk you through exactly what to do during your safety briefing so that, if the worst happens, it feels like a simple drill rather than a drama.

Big Severn Adventure is run by Nigel Conway, based in Shrewsbury. Nigel is a British Canoeing coach and guide with more than thirty years of river experience, including around twenty years working on the Severn. He previously ran Shrewsbury Canoe Hire, launching thousands of day trips each season, and now focuses on multi day journeys that blend safety, river knowledge and the simple pleasure of time on the water.