Canoeing and Bushcraft In Torquay

More about ADULTS Two Night River Dart Canoeing & Bushcraft Expedition

• This trip is the pinnacle of Stag Do adventure!   Head off on a canoe adventure on the tranquil River Dart estuary.   Camp wild on the shores with your mates.   Learn some basic bushcraft skills.  Paddle to a nearby riverside pub.   Adapt as you go, in true expedition style, according to the tides, the conditions on the day, and the needs of your group.

  Load up your canoe at Stoke Gabriel (or other nearby location depending on your timings and the tide).    Paddle to your campsite, build your own shelter to sleep under and a fire to cook on.   We can then plan our time together according to the tide, weather and what you want to do.

  A paddle to the excellent Ferry Boat Inn for pizza and a pint is very often on the itinerary.   As are various activities back at camp, such as basic  bushcraft & survival skills, games, cooking up a hearty feast over the fire, and wild swimming.  Additional activities can be arranged, eg. archery, fishing, paddleboards, wild game (eg rabbit, fish or venison butchery), along with more advanced bushcraft & survival skills, depending on availability and budget.

  Stay up into the night chatting round the fire and wake with the dawn to the birdsong and a beautiful view.  Our crew will take good care of you in the morning as they cook you up a hearty breakfast over the fire before we break camp and paddle home.

  Giant Canoes You'll be paddling in giant canoes that take 6-12 adults in each, with room for your gear.   Great fun, safe and stable, our canoes are ideal for parties and stag groups; you will be able to stay together and travel further and faster than in conventional canoes. 

  Wild Camp The camp site is wild and remote, nestled on the banks of this beautiful section of river, surrounded by woodland and fields, only accessible by boat, foot....or tractor for the locals! 

  What do we do at camp? When you hit the camp site, it's all hands to the pump to get your digs set up. Everyone works together in what is a real team affair.  Learn important firel-lighting techniques so that you can get the camp fire going. Put up your shelters in the woods and start prepping the evening meal over the open fire. This is a superb opportunity for your group / team to bond together, great for stag/hen dos or corporate style events in particular, but equally appealing to groups of family and friends.

  What activities are included in the price? Your giant canoe, skipper/guide and campsite for the weekend.  Your Skipper/guide will explain options if you want to spend more time at your camp or on the water, eg paddle to a pub.   The standard camp elements include bushcraft and survival techniques focussed on fire, food, shelter, water & hygiene  - the core elements of survival.

  Our guides come from a range of backgrounds working in adventure and living in the wild, each with their own skills and experiences that they will share and adapt to the interests of your group.   Additional activities such as the following maybe available on request and at extra cost, depending on availabiliy. If you have any specific interests or requirements please let us know at your earliest opportunity.

  • Archery
  • Fishing
  • Advanced bushcraft & survival skills
  • Wild game (eg rabbit, fish or venison butchery)
  • Paddleboards and small paddlecraft activities, eg traditional canoes

  Where do you sleep? You will be wild camping; sleeping under the stars.  You’ll learn expedition-techniques to stay warm and dry. You'll string a ‘basha’ from the trees to protect you from the weather and will be provided with a hammock that you will string up jungle-style, or a military bivvy bag to sleep on the ground, depending on the terrain you land on.  You can bring your own small tent if you really want, but please note the need to travel light and minimise baggage in the canoe. In either case bring a roll mat, sleeping bag and a pillow case.

  What do we eat? Come having had a good breakfast and bring some supplies for snacks to keep you going in the morning.   We will provide a light lunch on the first day and there is the option to paddle to the pub for a bigger feed.   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.  Or we maybe able to supply game, depending what is available and if you're group are up for some bushcraft butchery!  (Please ask if you want this)  

  Bring whatever refreshments you need for round the fire; we'll provide some empty cool boxes. 

  Breakfast time, you'll be well looked after as your staff cook up over the fire, with a good supply of coffee, bread/toast, fresh fruit, eggs and bacon, allowing you to come round in your own way. 

  Trip Itinerary Example
  

  • We normally start and end at the Maltsters Arms, Tuckenhay, or at the Quay in Stoke Gabriel, 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.  
  • At camp, we'll cook up together round the fire as it goes dark around us. Maybe time for an evening paddle or swim, on the water under the moonlight. 
  • Stay up chatting round the fire with your mates.   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.  Refuel with a good campfire breakfast. 
  • Pack up camp and we'll paddle back to where we started for around 1000-1100.
  • For 48 hour / 2 night trips it allows for greater depth of learning and experience around the core areas of shelter, fire, and food. The guides who deliver the trips are very well trained and experienced in bushcraft, and their opinion is that a second night out is so valuable in further developing your new skills. There’s also more time to explore different parts of the river, and different pubs!

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  Parking is available and costs around £3-£5 per car for 24 hours. You need to bring cash to pay the parking attendant.

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  The River Shack is available to grab a bite to eat of refreshments.

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  IMPORTANT instructions for your trip

  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:

  • 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.  Also money for parking.
  • 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 miliary '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 rucksack 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. 

  Other key requirements

  1. DO NOT consume any alcohol or drugs prior to the start of your trip. Similar rules apply when you are Canoeing to that of drink or drug driving. You will be unable to take part in the trip if your guide(s) suspect that you under the influence.
     
  2. Let us know if you have any medical conditions or recent injuries which could affect your participation.
  3. Please advise us of any dietary requirements, allergies or any other important personal information.