Options
To start 1000-1200. Back ashore 1000-1100 approx. the following day. Adult £120, Child £75, Minimum charge £740.
Option to make it a shorter adventure: To start 1600-1730 and return 1100 approx. the following day. Adult £85, Child £55 Minimum charge for small groups is £570
Multi-day 'residential' camps and expeditions are also available, as bespoke packages. please call to talk through so we can design the right programme for your group and budget.
Itinerary
Iinerary for the 24 overnight experience will be along the lines of:
We normally start and end at the Maltsters Arms, Tuckenhay, or at the Quay in Stoke Gabrie, between 1000-1200. There we load our canoes and head to our campsite, where make camp and get our bearings.
We then paddle to Dittisham for a pizza and a pint at the Ferry Boat Inn. Or we stay at camp for paddle sport or bushcraft activities, such as archery. (There maybe an additional charge for some activities).
We cook dinner together over the fire. We will provide supplies for a basic veggie cook-up. Bring any extras you want if you fancy a hearty meat-fest and whatever refreshments you need.
There maybe some evening activities such as an evening paddle, swim or fishing. Or use your time to hang out, chat and take refreshments around the camp fire.
You'll sleep under the stars or under a shelter you have built yourselves, using basic expedition equipment and whatever nature has provided.
Wake with the birdsong at daybreak or whenever works for you. You'll be well looked after as your staff cook up your breakfast over the fire, with a good supply of coffee, bread/toast, fresh fruit, eggs and bacon.
We'll paddle back to where we started for around 1000-1100.
Instructions for your crew
We start and finish beside the excellent Maltsters Arms Pub at Tuckenhay (TQ9 7EQ), lying halfway between Totnes and Dartmouth. Sometime we start from Stoke Gabriel, which is on the other side of the estuary, between Totnes and Paignton. Parking is nearby. Times vary daily according to the tide.
Pack light! It all needs to fit in the canoe and you really don't need very much. And don't bring anything too precious. Clothes will get muddy and smokey.
You'll need to bring a sleeping bag, roll mat and pillow case, summer clothes for day time, warm clothes for evening time, waterproofs, money if we go to the pub or get ice creams, or a packed lunch if we don't. Bring a pair of socks and wellies for the evening, and a pair of old trainers or sandals for the day time in summer. You'll want a torch, a small LED head torch is ideal. Swimmers & towel. Toothbrush. Your wits, your humour, and a sense of adventure.
We'll provide expedition style camp gear. You'll either be sleeping in jungle hammocks under individual tarps, or in military 'bivvy bags' all in together on the ground under the stars or under giant 'bashas'. They're all designed to set up and pack down with minimum trace. We'll teach you how.
Lunch: Bring money or a card to get beer and a pizza/burger for lunch at the pub. Bring light lunch supplies or top up with a pasty from the village shop before setting off in Stoke Gabriel. We may well forage from the shore as we go.
Evening meal: We provide ingredients for a good veggie/sausage stew cook-up in the evening. You are welcome to bring your campfire favourites to add to the mix, especially if you want a hearty meat-fest in the evening.
Our crew will take care of you in the morning cooking up a decent breakfast of coffee/tea, oats, milk, bread/toast, butter & jam, fresh fruit, eggs and bacon.
Bring whatever refreshments you want to enjoy around the fire. (Stag parties please note some activities will be restricted once drinking is underway for obvious health and safety reasons. Please see FAQs for alcohol policy).
We can provide an extra cool box, with freezer blocks. Please ask.
Pack all your kit inside plastic bags, inside a tough bag or rucsac that can handle a bit of rough treatment. We provide dry bags for your kit so long as every one hasn't brought too much stuff! Pack light!
Whatever we take out, we bring home again, dead or alive. That especially means our rubbish so please be prepared to take your rubbish home with you afterwards.