Monday morning we loaded up the minibus at London Kayak School in Brentford and headed to North Wales, with our first stop being the River Dee and TNR Outdoors.
A site specifically set up for introducing people to white water, it is the perfect venue for a first day on the river. It was twelve-year-old Malachi’s first time on white water; he ran his very first rapids that day and loved every second of it! Roric and Alex, who have each attended one of LKS’s previous white water trips, quickly got into the groove, with Roric’s goal for the week being to roll in white water. Mission accomplished on day one whilst surfing the bottom wave.
Our residence for the week was Rhos Y Gwalia Outdoors and their beautifully refurbished bungalow. A perfect base for the week, with plenty of space, drying facilities and a short drive to our other white water venue, the Welsh National White Water Centre, Canolfan Tryweryn.
The kids had a great time paddling the Upper Tryweryn. A mix of grades with some challenging sections, Alex and Roric smashed the lines and completed a lap of the course. Malachi was hard at work practising his breakouts and ferry glides, whilst working on reading white water and understanding the decision-making process that goes into deciding whether to run a rapid or not.
It was back to the Dee for a whole lap of the river from Horseshoe Falls. The boys nailed their lines at Serpent’s Tail, tackled Town Falls and spent hours doing the most popular activity…. surfing! First surfs for Malachi and first flat spins for Roric and Alex.

Learning about our rivers and climate
During the week we also paid a visit to the head of Climate Cymru, Sam Ward, also a fellow paddler. Sam was gracious with his time and answered all the group’s questions about climate change, the protection of rivers, rewilding, government policy and legislation.
They learnt about the impact Climate Cymru has on a national level and what they themselves can do to help tackle climate change.

A special day on the Tryweryn
On Friday we had a private rafting session with C1 World Champion Matthew Stephenson! I’m not sure who enjoyed the session more! Charging down the T, surfing, spinning a raft before we headed back to London.
The boys were all so incredibly supportive of each other and really gelled as a group. Always cheering each other on and willing their peers to succeed. Exactly the atmosphere we aim to create: a welcoming, friendly environment that also accelerates learning. The boys really did themselves proud!
Another fabulous week in the books! We’ll be back again! The question is, will you be joining us?!

Next White Water Opportunity
Our next trip is October Half Term: Click Here for all the info and to book!
Keep an eye on our trips page to see our upcoming trips for both young people and adults: Trips Page.
We’ll be leaving LKS Brentford on Friday afternoon for a whole weekend of exciting White water kayaking. You’ll be sure to love it! Don’t just take our word for it, read the reviews of our club members:
“Mike, thanks again for giving the kids such a fantastic trip. Alexander was full of tales last night. You really made the trip very special for them. When I signed him up for the school club without asking to get him off screens I had no idea he would find something he loved so much.”
“Mike, I just wanted to follow up and say that Roric had the best time! He’s learned so much and also achieved so much! He’s beyond happy with the trip to Wales and really loved the rafting too! The only thing he didn’t like was mushrooms apparently 🤣 thank you very very much for arranging and guiding such an amazing trip! It’s honestly life changing for the children with the amount of skills and confidence they learn. Really appreciate you offering this to them!”
