Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kayaking
The southwest's sheltered estuaries and rugged coasts make paddling tempting, as do reg-
ular sightings of seals, dolphins and basking sharks. At many popular beaches you can
hire out sit-on-top kayaks; prices start at around £15 per hour (per day from £40).
If you prefer closed-cockpit boats, the British Canoe Union details approved schools.
There are training centres in Falmouth, St Mawes, Plymouth, Exeter, Okehampton and
Bude. You can also head out on a Canadian canoe on the Fal River.
For longer-distance paddling, Sea Kayak and SUP (
Click here
)
in Salcombe runs a two-
day beginners course for £180. Falmouth-based
Sea Kayaking Cornwall
(
www.seakayakingcornwall.com
)
stages one-day introductory sessions (£95) and two-to-five day
expeditions (from £234). North Devon-based
Sea Kayaking South West
( 01271-813271;
www.seakayakingsouthwest.co.uk
)
does a two-day beginners course for £160 and also organises
mini-expeditions (per three days from £250).
Sailing
The southwest's past is inextricably bound up with sail-power: Iron Age tin traders; 17th-
century fishermen working the Newfoundland cod banks; an expansionist Royal Navy;
fast clippers racing to the Azores to trade in fresh fruit; and fleets of boats fishing closer to
home.
Learning to Sail
Many are in the region's traditional maritime centres, including Falmouth, Mylor, St
Mawes, Fowey, Rock and the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall; and Salcombe, Dartmouth, Tor-
quay and Plymouth in Devon.
Half-day sessions in smaller craft (eg a topper) cost about £40. A weekend, live-aboard
course for a RYA qualification costs from around £200 per person.
Diving
The number of wrecks off the southwest coast makes sailors nervous. But couple them
with reefs and crystal-clear waters and you have a great area to dive. Wrasse, conger eels
and dogfish float past face masks in a watery world that drifts from shallow reefs to deep-
er waters.
