Canoe Trail has been awarded the coveted Approved Activity Provider (AAP) Status for the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme. We are extremely proud of this new accreditation and believe it to be the perfect fit with our approach to adventure training. Canoe Trail is run by professional adventurer Richard Harpham and the brains behind the operation, his wife Ashley Kenlock. Over the years Richard has presented the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards at St James Palace to lots of deserving recipients and this feels like a great fit with our values.
As you know Canoe Trail operates on the River Great Ouse as our main base but also organize paddling on other suitable rivers for the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme including the River Severn, Wye, Stour and Thames. Our own river is perfect for Bronze and Silver is was voted the 4th best river in Britain and is the 4th longest.(Clearly we along with many of our customers rate it No.1!!). There are a number of great riverside campsites including our own private woodland called Matchstick Wood.
Our approach is to teach a mix of skills to meet the award requirements but also ensure participants are inspired to progress their technical skills and personal adventures. This is something our instructor team are passionate about and the majority of them have experience completing adventures and expeditions in a wide range of locations including Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Yukon, Alaska, Nova Scotia, Africa, New Zealand to name a few.
This is a great endorsement of our work with young people. We have been running the Princes Trust Programme for the past 2 years and have also added a new programme with Barnfield College in Luton These programmes dovetail well with our Adventure School Programmes teaching lifeskills and paddling skills to young people.