BCAB Canoe Award- Training and Assessment

Overview

North Wales offers a picturesque backdrop for canoeing enthusiasts. With serene lakes and gentle rivers, it’s the perfect setting to enhance your canoeing abilities. Our experienced and highly qualified coaches will guide you through the British Canoeing ‘Canoe Award’ curriculum, helping you improve your open canoe handling skills and decision-making for safe and enjoyable outings on the water. You’ll learn to understand how factors like wind and river currents can impact your journeys and what to do in case things don’t go as planned. By the end of the course, you’ll have the opportunity to undergo assessment and develop a roadmap for your ongoing progress.

Objectives

Itinerary

Your journey begins on day one with an assessment of your current skill level at our local lake. Together, we’ll chart your progression for the week. The assessment will be spread across the course, giving you ample time to practice and showcase your skills. You can opt for either solo or tandem canoeing, but you’ll experience both during the course, learning how to apply your canoe skills effectively. While following the course syllabus, you’ll explore other local venues, providing opportunities to soak in the stunning Snowdonia scenery.

* Please note: Itinerary is subject to weather and availability.

What to Expect

To participate, you should have prior experience as either a solo or tandem paddler, depending on your preference for assessment. The British Canoeing ‘Discover’ Paddle award or the old 2* standard is a useful indication of your starting ability.

Experience Required

You should have canoed as either solo or tandem paddler before depending on how you’d prefer to be assessed. The British Canoeing ‘Discover’ Paddle award or old 2* standard would be a useful indication of starting ability.

Note

A fee will be payable to British Canoeing upon successful completion of the assessment. For your comfort and convenience, we provide comfortable accommodation with Wi-Fi and hearty meals. Our friendly and highly qualified staff will support your learning and skill development, helping you formulate an action plan for further growth. You’ll also have access to our extensive range of paddling equipment and clothing for testing out new gear. All you need to bring is your determination and a ‘can do’ attitude – we’ll take care of the rest.

Note: Our instructors will assess any safety equipment you bring with you. If they consider it to be below the required standard, you will be asked to use equipment provided free of charge by Plas y Brenin.