WWKC boasts a very active adventure kayaking scene. Currently, the club runs two club trips a month, which are open to all club members. On wetter days, the preference for trips is to head for Wicklow. When we are not so blessed with water levels, the Boyne, Liffey and Inny always offer a good second choice with lots of play spots to keep everyone happy.
Club Trips
The club trips are led by qualified instructors and experienced paddlers. For our new members who may have just completed a beginners course, they are a great way to pursue the sport, safe in the knowledge that advice and rescues will be there if required.
Beginners are encouraged to get out on as many trips as possible as they are the best way to get experience in river running, improve skills and techniques and of course get to meet other club members.
Club trips details are posted on the Club Trips Forum, usually on the Wednesday before the trip. Gear (boats, paddles, buoyancy aids and helmets) provided by the club for beginners are limited to the first 12 beginners who sign up to the post and fill up fast, so keep an eye on the Forum to get your name down.
If you have your own boat then if there are enough senior paddlers going, you will usually get onto the trip. You still need to sign up to the trip post though.
Some of the trips that the club often run would be to:
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- The Avonmore from Rathdrum to the Meetings (Wicklow)
- The Annamoe from Annamoe Bridge to Bookeys Bridge (Wicklow)
- The Boyne from Stackallen to Slane
- The Inny at Ballymahon
- The Liffey from Leixlip to WWKC
- The Liffey from Lucan to WWKC.
- The Liffey from Leixlip or Lucan finishing at Wrens Nest or Straw Hall.
- The Liffey from Wrens to WWKC
- Static Sessions at Sluice.
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You can find out more details of all the rivers on www.irishwhitewater.com
Club Trip Schedule
On the day of a club trip, the group meets up at the clubhouse in the morning. Plenty of banter at this stage, especially if it’s the morning after the night before.
The club gear is distributed as required (we supply boats, paddles, helmets, spraydecks and buoyancy aids to beginners). Then the cars are loaded up and we head for the river.
Getting changed, doing the shuttle, warming up, paddling, getting changed again, going for food, a drink… all form part of the day on the river.
Bank Holiday Club Trips
On bank holiday weekends, the club organises trips away to places like Donegal, Sligo, Kerry, Achill so we get to run rivers all over the country. When water levels are too low to run rivers we go surfing. We generally stay in self-catering accommodation and cooking for the hungry masses after a days paddling is one of the many skills to be learned on these weekends! Thankfully we are an equal opportunities organisation so the guys get very good at the washing up!
Club Trips Gear
Make sure to check out the River Trips Gear page for details of what you need to bring on a trip. It is recommended that you get a good roof rack for your car so that all can help out with ferrying the boats. You will also need roof rack straps – you can get good inexpensive straps suitable for securing kayaks in Great Outdoors or i-Canoe. Ratchet straps are not recommended.