Picture this: 38 teenage kayakers, a week of white water, and a campsite buzzing with energy. That’s the GB Freestyle Kayaking Academy Camp at Holme Pierrepont (HPP). It is become an annual summer event that blends freestyle kayaking, friendship, and pure joy. Now in its third year, the camp continues to grow, and I’ve been lucky to be part of the volunteer team that runs the camp each time. Here’s my behind the scenes look at the 2025 camp.
Tryweryn Festival (T-fest) is one of my favourite annual kayaking events and one I try hard not to miss! A weekend which encompasses fun events, lots of kayaking and plenty of time to catch up with friends. This year saw the festival happen a little earlier at the start of the July. It’s a busy time of year for me hence why this write up is a little later than usual. If you were at T-fest this year, I hope you had as much fun as me. If not – perhaps reading this article will inspire you to get yourself a ticket for next year!
When I would tell people that I had never paddled in the French Alps – they always seem surprised! The area around Briançon in the French Alps are a well known kayaking destination for kayakers of all abilities and yet I have never seemed to have gotten myself there. Finally, after 10 years of kayaking, I can now finally say that I have kayaked in the French Alps! I’ve just had the most lovely first time trip to France with friends. It exceeded all my expectations and I can now see why people make this trip annually! This article is to tell you all about it!
5 years ago I started writing this blog. Like many people in 2020, I suddenly had time to spare. I’d been thinking about starting a blog for a while but lockdown finally gave me the chance to make it happen. This is my 100th article! To celebrate, I wanted to share some reflections about this blog as well as sharing with you some of my favourite articles I’ve written over the years. So grab yourself your favourite snacks, sit back and read on!
Sunshine and smiles seems to be a reoccurring theme at the Plas y Brenin ShePaddles Cymru weekend! This is my fourth year in attendance for this event as a Pyranha Kayaks ambassador and as always, the 2025 event was awesome! I left the weekend feeling sore in my body and happy in my soul. I met lots of wonderful people whilst having a great time out on the water and am so pleased to have been able to join again this year. Do read on if you want to find out more about what we got up to!
‘I can’t do this.’ ‘I’m bad at kayaking.’ ‘I’m never going to learn.’ Sound familiar? If so, this article is for you!
When learning a new skill, progress starts strong, but sooner or later, improvement slows, and frustration sets in. That’s when mindset makes all the difference. Over the years, I’ve become fascinated with how a fear of failure, often linked to a fixed mindset, holds people back in kayaking. In this article, I explore how shifting to a growth mindset can help break these barriers.
Having attended Dee Fest for the first time in 2024, I knew it was an event that I was keen to return to! If you’re not aware, Dee Fest is a white water kayaking festival on the river Dee in North Wales. It is also exactly the kind of event I love! A bit of friendly competition, time on the water with friends and lots of opportunities to have fun. Read on to hear about my account of Dee Fest 2025!
People talk about girlfriends or boyfriends who ‘got away’ and they never truly got over. For me, the kayak equivalent of this is the Pyranha Kayaks Firecracker! I took a Firecracker 232 down the Tryweryn in the early days of it’s release. My thoughts at the time were all pretty positive but I already had both a Z.One and an Ozone so decided I didn’t need another ‘fun boat’.
Fast forward a year, and suddenly, I was surrounded by paddlers grinning ear to ear in their Firecrackers, having the absolute time of their lives. I found myself regularly thinking about that kayak. Last autumn, Pyranha generously lent me a demo to test out, and six months later, I’m hooked. I’ve now ordered my own Firecracker to replace the demo when it’s time to send it back. While I’ve favoured the 232, this review applies to all sizes— so read on!
Imagine being a young kayaker, dreaming of exploring wild rivers and kayaking with your heroes. Now, imagine having a mentor by your side, guiding you through every splash and turn. This is the reality for the participants of the Palm Groms Mentorship Programme.
Following the Park Jam series this year, I couldn’t stop thinking about the incredible impact of the Palm Groms Mentorship Programme. Many of the Groms and their mentors were involved in the Park Jam events. Seeing the positive influence this programme was having on young paddlers inspired me to learn more and share it with the wider paddling community.
In this blog post, I’ll take you through the origins of the Groms programme, share personal stories from the young paddlers involved, and highlight the insights from their dedicated mentors.
Years ago, I signed up for an advanced white water safety course which was run by the legend Chris Eastabrook. During this course, Chris introduced me to something that he called ‘counting lemons’. In a nutshell, there was this idea that often when things go dramatically wrong on the river, there were usually lots of smaller things that had gone wrong in the lead up to that moment. He referred to these smaller things as ‘lemons’ and it has led to a safety measure that is now an integral part of my kayaking called ‘counting lemons’. This idea has genuinely changed how I approach kayaking and my decisions around safety. Keep reading if you want to know how!