This illustrated guide will help you plan your journey along the River Spey, one of the UK's classic canoe and kayak touring rivers. The river may be navigated from Loch Spey to Spey Bay, and here this is divided into seven sections. These can be paddled as single day trips or combined into multi-day adventures. Each section is described in detail and includes agreed access points, local attractions, plus accommodation and camping options. To help you plan your trip there are also eight suggested multi-day itineraries, which range from three to five days.Whether you opt for a five-day expedition or a scenic day trip, here you will find all the information you need to prepare for your journey. There is advice on equipment, food and safety, as well as information on wildlife, wild camping and navigation skills. The River Spey is a stunning river that should be on every paddler's tick list and this guide will help you to make the most of your journey.

Kayaking is a tremedously wide-ranging sport. You can go for a leisurely paddle on your local pond, travel down a river or experience the thrills of white water. It is trully a sport for life. This lavishly-illustrated, clearly-written guide will have you out on the water fast - and in safety. It covers how to get started, the equipment you'll need, launching, how to control the boat, basic manoeuvres, what to do if you capsize, the Eskimo roll and rescue procedures.

This revised and updated 2nd edition is an illustrated guide to some of the finest tours of Scotland's waterways. Wild lochs, placid canals and broad rivers, as they can only be seen from a canoe or kayak.Eddie has chosen his favourite twenty-five inland touring routes and described them in great detail. The routes are beautifully illustrated with numerous colour photos and maps. The selected routes are suitable for open canoes, sit-on-tops and touring kayaks. Many of them can be tackled as a single voyage or a series of day trips, with campsites en route. The journeys are all accessible but highly varied, taking place on inland lochs, sheltered sea lochs and rivers (of an easy nature, up to grade two).A wonderful book for planning voyages and inspiring dreams, or sharing your experiences with others.

This title includes full-sized plans for 8 canoe designs, most of which are the author's own adaptations. The step-by-step directions are accompanied by more than 100 photographs and illustrations. Covering everything from safety in the boat to shop repairs, Gil Gilpatrick thoroughly explains the whys and shortcuts learned from his experience in the shop and on the water. A Maine guide, he uses his own canoes and tests their performance on the challenging Allagash River every summer. It includes full-sized plans for 8 well-proven canoe designs, most of which are the author's own adaptations. Step-by-step directions for building a canoe from start to finish are accompanied by more than 100 photographs and illustrations.

One summer, writer and musician, Jasper Winn set himself an extraordinary task. He would kayak the whole way round Ireland - a thousand miles - camping on remote headlands and islands, carousing in bars and paddling clockwise until he got back where he started. But in the worst Irish summer in living memory the pleasures of idling among seals, fulmars and fishing boats soon gave way to heroic struggles through storm-tossed seas ... and lock-ins playing music in coastal pubs. Circling the country where he grew up, Jasper reflects on life at the very fringes of Ireland, the nature and lore of its seas, and his own eccentric upbringing - sprung from school at age ten and left free to explore the countryside and its traditional life. Charming, quietly epic, and with an irresistible undertow of wit, Paddle is a low-tech adventure that captures the sheer joy of a misty morning on Ireland's coast. As the sun breaks through, you'll be longing to set off too.

The bestselling guides to Britain's canals and rivers for over 50 years. This established, popular and practical guide covers the canals and waterways in Wales and to the south of Liverpool. Contains essential information for walking, cycling, canoeing and paddleboarding. Covered in this guide are: Caldon Canal, Llangollen Canal, Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, Neath & Tennant and Swansea Canals, Montgomery Canal, Shropshire Union Canal, Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, Trent & Mersey Canal, River Weaver. The detailed Ordnance Survey (R) maps clearly show the location of essential features such as locks, towpaths and boating facilities, as well as pubs, shops and restaurants in the area. There are comprehensive navigational notes and descriptive text on the history of each canal, and on local services and places of interest, for which postcodes are included - ideal for use with sat-navs. Useful information for canoeing and paddleboarding. In print for 50 years, the Collins/Nicholson guides to the waterways have always been a vital part of journeys along Britain's canals and rivers. These bestselling guides are designed for anyone and everyone with an interest in Britain's inland waterways - from experienced boaters to those planning their first boat trip, as well as walkers, cyclists and visitors.

Welsh Canoe Classics is an illustrated guide to some of the finest tours of Wales' waterways. Scenic lakes, broad estuaries and whitewater rivers, as they can only be seen from canoe or kayak. Eddie, Adam and Wilf have chosen the best inland touring routes which are described in great detail and illustrated with numerous colour photos and maps. The selected routes are suitable for open canoes, sit-on-tops and touring kayaks, and include seven whitewater trips. Many of them can be tackled as a single voyage, others as a series of day trips with campsites en route. The journeys are all accessible but highly varied, travelling along lakes, estuaries, rivers and canals. This is a wonderful book for planning voyages and inspiring dreams or sharing your experiences with others.

"English Canoe Classics" is an illustrated guide to some of the finest tours of northern England's waterways, from the North Tyne in Northumbria to the Shropshire Union Canal in the West Midlands. Scenic lakes, placid canals and broad rivers, as they can only be seen from a canoe or kayak. Eddie and 'Wilf' have chosen the best inland touring routes. They are described in great detail and illustrated with numerous colour photos and maps. The selected routes are suitable for open canoes, sit-on-tops and touring kayaks. Many of them can be tackled as a single voyage or a series of day trips, with campsites en route. The journeys are all accessible but highly varied, taking place on lakes, sheltered coastline, rivers and canals. A wonderful book for planning voyages and inspiring dreams, or sharing your experiences with others. Eddie Palmer bought his first kayak over 50 years ago. It was a wood and canvas one in which he set out to paddle rivers in his part of middle England and Wales. Since then, he has kayaked and canoed extensively in the UK, Ireland, western and eastern Europe, the USA and Canada and southern Africa. His passion over the past few years has been for long-distance canoe-camping. After a competitive career in slalom and whitewater racing, he still paddles whitewater. Eddie is a Board Director of the SCA and is the co-author of Scottish Canoe Touring, author of Scottish Canoe Classics and co-author of Irish Canoe Classics (all published by Pesda Press). Nigel Wilford has been involved with canoeing for most of his adult life, paddling throughout the UK, mainland Europe, Canada, USA and New Zealand. Born in northwest Leicestershire, his first canoe experience was on the gentle River Soar. Not long after, he moved to Yorkshire to attend university. The enjoyment he found while paddling the rivers of the northeast firmly established canoeing as his activity of choice. In 1991 he joined the British Canoe Union's coaching service, helping others to improve their canoeing or to become better coaches. Nigel has held various roles within the BCU including Local Coaching Organiser and English Whitewater Safety Coordinator. He is a BCU Level 5 Coach and member of Team Pyranha.

This is a fully revised and updated 2nd Edition, first published as River Wye Canoe and Kayak Guide 2016. The Wye is one of Britain's finest paddle sport touring rivers, and offers something for every kind of paddler. This guide provides the information and advice you need to plan your own Wye journey, whether it's single or multi-day, whitewater or sedate cruising. The author, Mark Rainsley, has divided the river into 15 sections, which are described in detail with distances, grades, access points and campsites. These sections can be paddled as single day trips, or combined into multi-day adventures, and there are suggested itineraries for both white water and touring expeditions that range from 3 to 5 days. To help you plan your journey there is advice on equipment, safety and access, as well as information on wildlife, culture and landscape.

The ultimate guide to paddling whitewater in the western Carolinas, Carolina Whitewater has guided paddlers to the best creeks and rivers in the Tar Heel and Palmetto states for over 30 years.Detailed creek and river profiles include: Topographic-based maps Shuttle directions Gauge locations Kayakers and canoeists will find expanded and updated information for the classic rivers, like the Nolichucky, Nantahala, and French Broad, as well as for several new steep runs, such as Rockhouse Creek, Hurricane Creek, the Gragg Prong, and Big Hungry River. You'll also get vital information on clubs and organizations, state water trails, and national and scenic rivers. Waterway data for each run includes: Class of difficulty Length of the run Time to paddle Water level needed to paddle Permits required (if any) Gradient of each run Ratings for scenery David and Bob Benner have been paddling the Carolinas for decades. David resides in Morganton, NC. Bob Benner is retired and also lives in Morganton.

In the heartland of America rise the Ozark Mountains, teeming with cascading, free-flowing streams. Situated astride the Missouri/Arkansas border, the Ozarks represent a canoeing and kayaking wonderland. Still a comprehensive, accurate and readable guide, but now with a new design and format, "A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to the Ozarks (formerly" Ozark Whitewater) catalogs the varied rivers of the region. Inside are updated descriptions of all the classic rivers, including the Buffalo National and Little Missouri, as well as exciting new reports of today's steep creek runs: Bryant, Turkey, and many others. This guide is the definitive sourcebook for Ozark river sport.

"Outstanding. Its combination of historical material, maps, photos, and travelogue brings the fur trade era alive. Seldom has the past and the present been brought together so successfully." -George Melnyk, University of Calgary "The reader is exposed to hundreds of points of interest, historical rock paintings, landmarks, campsites, local histories, and folklore...[the book] will tell any canoeist or adventurer almost all they need to know." -James Winkel, Saskatchewan History An invaluable resource for paddlers preparing to face the challenges of Canada's old fur trade highway, Canoeing the Churchill is also an exhilarating trek into the past for the "armchair voyageur." With routes for both beginners and experts, Canoeing the Churchill provides practical "on the water advice" for the entire 1,100 km route--from Methy Portage to Cumberland House. Canoeing the Churchill "will introduce the beauty of the north and its rich cultural heritage to readers from all parts of the world." -Keith Goulet, Cumberland House Cree Nation

Began as a collective effort by members of the West Virginia Wildwater Association in 1965, Wildwater West Virginia emerged as the preeminent guide to whitewater in West Virginia. Now part of a new series and a new name to boot, A Canoeing Guide to West Virginia continues this legacy, guiding boaters of all abilities to over 120 of West Virginia's rivers, creeks and streams. The result of combined knowledge of hundreds of paddlers, this book gives paddlers all the information they need to paddle rivers safely and confidently: At a glance information helps boaters pick rivers to match their ability and current weather conditions, while river descriptions, gauge and shuttle route information provide additional critical information. More than an encyclopedia of mountain rivers and hydrologic data, Whitewater West Virginia is also a collection of experiences and an introduction to some of the most amazing geography in the east. Destined to ride in the dry bags and glove compartments of paddlers nationwide, this book continues to set the standard for all paddling guidebooks. Some of the rivers profiled include: Gauley River, North Branch of the Potomac, New River, Cheat River, Tygart River, Waites Run, Red Run, Roaring Creek, and Keeney Creek.

From the Mersey to the Solway and the Isle of Man in the West and the Humber to Berwick in the east, 'up north' is described to us in the author's own inimitable style. Industrial areas and the wilder landscapes are described with the same care and attention to detail. The result is a wealth of varied sea kayaking voyages to suit all tastes and abilities, from easy sheltered paddles to testing offshore passages and everything in between. In addition to the usual important information needed to plan a trip, recommended cafes, pubs and chip shops are strategically located to provide sustenance at the end of your trip. Detailed tidal information also allows the book to serve as a valuable inshore pilot for water users such as anglers, windsurfers and sailors. Jim started paddling in any old kayak he could muster during the school holidays. He has since paddled (and swum) many of the exciting white water rivers of England, Scotland and Wales, as well as many of those in the French Alps. A passion for sea kayaking combined with an interest in writing and photography, brought about the first comprehensive guidebook to the Welsh coast, for sea kayakers. His first publication ("Welsh Sea Kayaking" co-authored by Andy Biggs) is a great success and has already gone to a reprint.

"Canoeing and Kayaking New York" includes descriptions of 50 of the best trips on New York's dozens of rivers. Along with runs for both experienced paddlers and novices and profiles for both over-nighters and short, round-trip day paddles, this book contains all the information necessary for a safe, enjoyable trip. Kevin Stiegelmaier combines information about tides, river gauges, GPS waypoints, and maps with personal anecdotes, historical trivia, and descriptions of local plants and animals, sprinkled with a touch of humor.

This is the first book on the subject published on this side of the Atlantic, with our different fish species, techniques and approach. The book is aimed at the angler who has taken up or is curious about kayak fishing. Experienced kayakers will also benefit from Andy's kayak fishing wisdom. Topics include: Choosing your fishing kayak and equipment. Practical tips on modifying your kayak and installing a fish finder. Kayaking with confidence and staying safe at sea. Seamanship; tides, weather and charts for anglers and kayakers. Using handheld GPS and VHF radios. Fishing skills; top tips on anchoring and 'downtiding' from your kayak. What to fish for; Andy's tips for catching your favourite fish. And more, including freshwater fish and wreck fishing.

At last, a guidebook covering some of Scottish paddling's best kept secrets. Scotland is a world-class sea-kayaking destination, the Scottish Islands being rightly famous for the standard of paddling they offer. The North and East Coasts don't have as many sheltering islands as the West and there is always some sort of swell, but they will richly reward your efforts to explore their hidden nooks and crannies - stunning cliff and coastal scenery, numerous bird colonies, and fascinating fishing villages each with their own history and character. Forty-five journeys from Cape Wrath to Berwick upon Tweed are described in a way that is both inspirational and informative. Details of launching and landing sites, tides and potential hazards are provided and the coast is described in exquisite detail. This means that it can also be used as a kayaker's 'pilot' for any journey they might wish to undertake in this area. It follows the successful format of other Pesda Press sea kayaking guides, presenting the information in a user-friendly fashion and making good use of maps and colour photographs.

‘Brilliant, clear, and humane’ Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love ‘Miraculous and hopeful’ Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here ‘Quietly profound … belongs on the shelf next to Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild’ New York Times Riverman: An American Odyssey uncovers the story of an extraordinary man and his puzzling disappearance, and paints a picture of the singular spirit of America’s riverbank towns. ‘The peace of mind I found, largely alone, on that white-water mecca convinced me that life was capable of exquisite pleasure and undefined meaning deep in the face of failure. The experience itself is the reward.’ Dick Conant On his forty-third birthday, Dick Conant, a golden boy who never quite grew up as those around him expected, stepped into a homemade boat to embark on a journey despite a gathering snowstorm. Among his possessions was a Gideon Bible and biographies of Einstein and Bismark. It was the beginning of an all-consuming odyssey by an unconventional man into the watery arteries of America, a journey to the unreported margins of society. He was to spend the next twenty years canoeing thousands of miles of rivers and their innumerable smaller tributaries, from one end of the country to the other. ‘I can, and I will!’ he said. And then, in 2014, he disappeared. Not long before Conant’s upturned canoe was found in a brackish North Carolina bay, Ben McGrath met Conant by chance as he paddled down the Hudson, headed for Florida. McGrath set out to find the people whose lives, like his own, had been touched by their encounter with the great river wanderer. Along the way he meets eccentrics and ne’er-do-wells drawn straight from the pages of Mark Twain, a vast network of friends and acquaintances who would forever remember this brilliant and charming man even after a single meeting. Riverman is the story of a restless soul who was as troubled as he was charismatic, a contemporary folk hero who slips the moorings of ordinary civilised life to tap into what Thoreau called ‘a yearning toward all wildness.’ It is also a riveting portrait of an America we rarely see: a nation of unconventional characters, small river towns, and long forgotten waterways.

"The north west of Scotland is quite simply the best place to paddle a sea kayak in the world." - Gordon Brown.On the north west coast of Scotland and around Skye there are islands galore, hidden beaches, tide races, great places to enjoy the local seafood and amazing people to meet. All of this set within a fantastic, variable culture of Norse and Gaelic influence that go to make this an area you will return to time and again. Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath, the names of the headlands at either end of the area contained within these pages, even have their own section in the weather forecast.Fifty great voyages are described in a way that is both inspirational and informative. Details of launching and landing sites, tides and potential hazards are provided and the coast is described in exquisite detail. This means that it can also be used as a kayaker's 'pilot' for any journey they might wish to undertake in this area. It follows the successful format of other Pesda Press sea kayaking guides, presenting the information in a user-friendly fashion and making good use of maps and colour photographs.

Written by the American canoe Association and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Introduction to Paddling is an easy-to-understand guide to flatwater and river paddling. Based on an earlier work by the Ohio DNR, Flat-water Paddler, this amply illustrated book tells beginning paddlers everything they need to know, from appropriate clothing to the parts of the boat, from correct strokes to proper safety concerns. Good for instructors and those who like to teach themselves, this book is an important resource for those who like to paddle or want to start.

South-central Wisconsin provides an impressive array of opportunities for all types of paddling, including some of the very best day trips in the entire state and even Upper Midwest. Paddling South Central Wisconsin, by experienced paddler and author Timothy Bauer, guides all types of paddlers, whether veteran or novice, through whitewater adrenaline or flatwater calm routes near Madison, Rockford, Janesville, Waukesha, and Milwaukee. This paddling guide is the perfect companion for those seeking "the rowed less taken." It describes the best times to paddle 60 diverse routes, alerts readers to each paddle's difficulty level and estimated length, and suggests side trips, optional trip extensions, and alternate routes to paddle, depending on weather conditions. Easy-to-follow maps, complete with GPS coordinates and driving directions, add to this book's high value. In addition, the author provides contact information on local paddling clubs, outfitters, and Internet links.

The River Thames is simply a fantastic place to paddle your canoe, kayak or paddleboard, whether touring, training, racing, expeditioning or just 'bimbling'. From its early reaches in the Cotswold Hills, through the Home Counties into London and far out beyond into the estuary, the river's surroundings are remarkably varied and diverse, yet always attractive and engaging. If your mental image of the Thames depicts an urban sewer, be prepared to be amazed; the water is clean, the banks are invariably green and naturalists describe the river's ecosystems as a 'wildlife superhighway'. This natural beauty is equalled by the human story which the Thames narrates; from locks, gardens and parks to mansions, abbeys, castles and palaces, the paddler is continuously immersed in what MP John Burns famously called 'liquid history'. The riverine Arcadia of willow-draped banks, back channels and islands celebrated in Three Men in a Boat and The Wind in the Willows was not a myth, and it still exists.Is a paddler's guidebook to the Thames needed? Britain's best-known river might actually be the least-known by paddlers.The huge paddling population and numerous canoe clubs based along it belie a surprising fact; many of these paddlers aren't sure what is found up- and down-stream from their patch. In a river stretching 347km, this is both understandable and forgivable. However, there are other reasons for the relatively low numbers of paddlers encountered whilst enjoying the Thames. Information about where and how to launch is hard to come by, existing guides and media give the impression that the Thames is the preserve of powerboats and rowers, and finally, the perception often lingers that it isn't actually very attractive or interesting. This book sets out to redress these major omissions and misconceptions, and to reclaim John 'Rob Roy' MacGregor's river for paddlers.Mark Rainsley has spent three decades using paddlesport as a means of avoiding adulthood and responsibility. He is a fanatical paddler who has descended challenging whitewater rivers worldwide, and who is dedicated to exploring every nook and cranny of the UK's coast by sea kayak. He created the UK Rivers and UK Sea Kayak websites and is a prolific contributor to paddlesport magazines and other media.Mark authored other Pesda Press titles.

Following on from his hugely successful book Sea Kayak, Gordon Brown brings his vast experience and unique style to this latest publication Sea Kayak Safety and Rescue. Each chapter begins with a real-life incident which sets the scene and helps to emphasise what follows. The underlying principles are highlighted, practical lessons learnt and the hard skills explored in detail. Numerous colour photos complement and illustrate the text. This book is essential reading for any sea kayaker, and will be enjoyed and valued by both novice and experienced paddlers alike.

There are at least 31,460 freshwater lochs in Scotland, and hundreds of sea lochs. This stunning book showcases more than 50 of the most popular, interesting and beautiful, and is a perfect guide for anyone visiting or exploring Scotland, or wanting to find out about these iconic and breathtaking locations, sometimes sitting by spectacular coast and other times nestled in between towering mountains. Take in the classics such as Loch Ness and Loch Lomond, then meander round Loch Fyne (where red squirrels were first reintroduced to Scotland in 1847), the long Loch Long (20km and the straightest in Scotland), the fjord-like Loch Goil, and Scotland's oldest inhabited castle at Loch Sween. Discover the stunning Loch Awe (with its less attractive legend of the goddess who created it being transformed into an immortal hag), Loch Linnhe (bordered by the stunning railway line used for the filming of Harry Potter's Hogwart's Express) and Loch Nevis (Europe's deepest sea loch). This book is absolutely crammed with intriguing and surprising information. Packed with maps and information on local facilities, this book is the perfect guide for walkers, boaters and anyone wanting to know more about these iconic and breathtaking locations. Each chapter is beautifully illustrated with remarkable colour photography, as well as absorbing text on the landscape, wildlife and history.

This is a thoroughly modern book on the traditional open canoe. It covers all aspects of the open canoe, from design to wilderness travel. What really sets it apart is its focus on canoeing techniques. Ray Goodwin is the UK's best known and (many would go so far as to say) foremost canoe coach. By introducing some of the latest canoeing performance skills, based on what he has discovered through decades of coaching and guiding, he sets out to inspire a new generation of paddlers. Through clear language and the use of photographs acquired over many years of paddling around the world, he shares some real insights of the reality of canoeing; sometimes gritty, but always enthralling. New in the 2nd edition is a section on 'vision pattern', a method for creating a mental map of a rapid. There is an expanded and re-written chapter on canoeing with children. There are more techniques for improvised sailing and more on advanced lining and tracking. It describes new solo rescue techniques and has many new inspirational canoe expedition examples.