Monmouth Canoe FAQ’s

We strongly advise against consuming alcohol whilst on the river, no alcohol to be carried on our transportation or in the canoes. If stopping at a pub please keep alcohol to a minimum. Keep alcohol for when the activity has finished. Please respect your local environment and other people enjoying the river.

IMPORTANT – each child under 14 should be supervised 1 to 1 with an adult.
A canoe must have at least 2 people in it.
The maximum is 4 – which is 2 adults with 2 children under 12 years.
When there is a family of 5 with 2 adults and 3 children under 12yrs we would give you two canoes rafted together to make a stable craft.  Large family group bookings canoes would be rafted together in pairs.
We can advise you on what the suitable comibinations would be.

Please advise the Centre of all non-swimmers.

Yes our canoeing river trips are highly family-friendly, depending on the age of the children and specific river trips. we can provide trip and boat information. Always ask Monmouth Canoe Centre for advice as we can raft two canoes together for families.

If booking one canoe two adults must be present for children under 14years unless you are booking two canoes that can be rafted together.

4 years. Please speak to the Centre for advice if you have younger children.

Please see our information on the different boat types.

Wear clothing that is suited to outdoor pursuits, that are light quick to dry and items that repel water rather than absorb water. Waterproof tops are a must for any weather conditions for full details on what to bring/wear please see our what to bring/wear guide http://www.monmouthcanoe.co.uk/useful-info/what-to-bring-wear/

You can average at speed of 3.5 miles per hour over a long day with breaks. A head-wind could make this much more difficult so it sensible to not set your goals to high just in case.

• 10-15 miles is a comfortable distance,
• 15-20 Miles is challenging

for greater distances we recommend multi-day hire with stops overnight.

There is a size/weight limit for the fitting of buoyancy aids and safe paddling, the personal limit is 20 stone, chest size 50″. Make the Centre aware if you think anyone in your group may go over this limit as buoyancy aids will need to be fitted correctly. There is a high risk of capsizing due to the more unstable nature of the boat with more weight above the gunnels (sides of the boat). Maximum weight for all people in one boat approx. 40 stone

Canoes: Sometimes they do, always be prepared, they are stable but people get caught out, take a spare top and leave a change of clothes in the car.

Kayaks: kayaks are more prone to capsizing than canoes, suitable experience of using kayaks on rivers is a must.

No, we don’t allow fishing from the boats, at campsites you must have an EA rod licence and permission from the riparian rights owner.

Yes, we provide dry barrels with the canoes and dry bags with the kayaks. We do not guarantee these, so don’t take electricals unless you have your own suitable watertight container. Taking Mobile phone is highly recommended, although ensure it’s protected from the water.  Any items taken with you or incurred losses are at your own risk and not covered by our insurance.

Yes but please limit the number of dogs to 2 per group booking, they must be well behaved and kept under proper control at all times. We do not supply Buoyancy Aids for dogs. You also need to consider how a dog may affect the stability of the canoe. At no time should a dog be tied to a canoe that is either in or out of the water. Respect the local wildlife and livestock in the surrounding fields if you stop off and check with campsites