The Canoe Sports Trust works closely with a number of organisations for mutual benefit. All organisations are based locally in Rickmansworth and are associated with water use or enjoyment of the Colne valley. The Canoe Sports Trust is able to make the necessary booking arrangements with these organisations if you wanted to access one of their activities in addition to undertaking a Canoe Sports Trust activity. What each can offer is included below.
Nomad Kayak Club is a member only club where members are able to participate in either recreational activity on the lake and canal and includes trips on other rivers and the sea. Members also participate in Kayak Polo which is a 5 a side game played with a ball and nets suspended at each end of the playing area. The club runs a few courses at weekends and in winter has access to a swimming pool. The canoe Sports Trust shares facilities with Nomad Kayak Club and visitors to the Trust can learn to play kayak polo which is a very addictive game.
Bury Lake Young Mariners is a Sailing Centre that provides sailing opportunities for local youth organisations and Schools, the organisation also hosts an RYA training centre where it runs a variety of dinghy sailing and powerboat courses. The organisation is a charity run by volunteers and hosts Nomad Kayak Club and the Canoe Sports Trust and manages the facilities that we and many other organisations enjoy. Visitors can be introduced to sailing activity and courses via the Trust or follow links to their website to book independently.
SUP Dunc is our Stand Up Paddle Boarding partner organisation that provide us access to a range of paddleboards that we use to deliver our SUP related activity. SUP Dunc is able to offer some activities not available at the Canoe Sports Trust that Include SUP Instructor courses and SUP Yoga. All activities offered by SUP Dunc can be booked via the Canoe Sports Trust.
The Rickmansworth Waterways Trust is a heritage education charity based in Rickmansworth that brings together people who share a love of canals. The Trust runs an educational programme, maintains a historical narrowboat, offers boat trips along the canal from outside its shop and info centre based at Batchworth lock. The Canoe Sports Trust is able to organise educational tours of the lock and canal centre and trips in a narrowboat from Stockers Lock which is a 2 minute walk from our centre on Bury Lake. Should you be interested we can organise you a canal boat trip departing within 100m from our base in the Aquadrome with a 90 minute afternoon or evening trip that can either take you north to Lot Mead in Croxley Green or south to the Coy Carp in Harefield. Each of two narrowboats can accommodate up to 12 passengers.
Our final Affiliation is the Friends of Stockers Lake, Stockers Lake is a large, flooded gravel pit that has been returned to nature that supports a wide variety of wildlife, especially birds. Observation hides give visitors an opportunity to view the birds and other local wildlife. Visitors can be treated to guided nature walks around the reserve, where you will also be able to meet Alfred the Bull who is a resident of the cattle project.
Groups visiting the Canoe sports Trust with junior aged children may wish to participate in water activities for half of the day and during the other half of the day go on guided walk around the Stockers Lake Reserve with a Ranger before embarking on a trip along the canal by narrowboat.
