Paddle Boarding in London
Charlie becomes a Gutsy Girl
When Charlie lived in Malta, Stand-Up Paddling (SUP) and SUP-Yoga were some of her usual free time activities. You’d expect to do those regularly on an island in the Mediterranean. But would you expect them in London too?
Charlie was surprised when she realized that there was the possibility to do paddle boarding in London too. Via the Facebook group of the London surfers, she became aware of a group called Gutsy Girls that was regularly organising such outdoor activities.
About Gutsy Girls
Gutsy Girls is a group of women that share one common interest above all: outdoor activities. This includes not only Stand-up Paddling but surfing, hiking, climbing, skating and more. Gutsy Girls was founded by Nat in 2017 with the goal to bring like-minded women together. She had realized that it wasn’t easy to meet people that you share a common interest with in a big city like London. Nat started organising one SUP session per month alongside skateboarding lessons. The group gradually grew bigger and bigger so that by now, you can find a few sessions every weekend and additional trips abroad, for example surfing in Portugal, paddle boarding in Croatia or Hiking in Norway. Charlie attended a weekend trip to Cornwall a few months ago and she enjoyed that very much. She’ll hopefully get the chance to join another trip soon.
What Charlie had quickly realized is that the original idea of Gutsy Girls simply works. She has attended countless sessions over the past 1.5 years and has become herself a host for the group. Every single time was very special, and she always met lovely girls. They went for a drink or food after the sessions and had always good conversations. That’s how it feels to meet truly like-minded people. She stayed in touch with some of them and they organise other activities from time to time.
Paddle Boarding in London
The SUP sessions that you can do with Gutsy Girls in London are organised in cooperation with active360. They provide the equipment and have trained coaches to accompany the trips.
The place where most of the sessions run from is at Paddington Basin. It’s the starting point for two different trips: one leading through Little Venice, the other through the Zoo to Camden Lock. Two other locations are at Kew Bridge and Richmond.
If you book with Gutsy Girls, the price for the introductory session is £49 (instead of the usual £59). Returner sessions cost £26 for 2 hours or £28 for 3 hours.
Stand-Up Paddling in Little Venice
This tour starts at Paddington Basin, at Merchant Square. The place is a bit hidden between high buildings but easily accessible from Paddington station or Edgware Road. The square is ideal if you just want to have a coffee or a nice lunch as there are quite a few nice places around and it feels immediately like a day out of London.
The paddling route leads alongside Paddington station on the canals to a water-roundabout. If you go to the left, you come directly through little Venice where you can admire beautiful houseboats of all shapes and sizes. You’ll see people lounging in the sun at the roof of the barge, restaurants by the riverside, quiet green areas and duck families.
When Charlie did that tour for the first time, she was surprised to see such beauty in London. Unfortunately, it is not a secret spot and can get quite busy in the summer months with lots of other boats and barges on the canals
The tour ends where it started, at Paddington Basin. With the other Gutsy Girls, there’s usually a beer or lunch to be had at Kupp – a Swedish restaurant at Merchant Square. (By the way, Kupp is also a good spot for laptop workers).
Stand-Up Paddling through the Zoo to Camden
This tour starts at Paddington Basin as well and takes the same route at first towards little Venice. At the water-roundabout though, it goes to the right this time along the Regent’s canal and through the Maida Hill tunnel. The tunnel is 249 meters long and the whole group is equipped with small torches that get attached to the life vests. Important tip though: take the sunglasses off. One time, Charlie forgot that she was still wearing them, and it was really dark in the tunnel.
After the tunnel comes a quieter part of the route where you can admire even more beautiful houseboats. There is a little hidden bar at the side of the canal which looks very lovely but seems to be open only for private events.
The tour continues through Regents Park and the zoo where you can even see the hyenas from the water. At times though you might feel yourself like a Zoo animal as lots of people walking along the promenade by the canal stare at paddleboarders as if they had never seen anybody on a SUP-board before. They might even take pictures of you. The route is very green and quiet. You almost forget that you’re in the middle of a busy metropolis.
The tour passes by a Chinese restaurant that seems to be floating in the water, alongside some private houses and beautiful gardens and ends at the Camden Lock. The Gutsy Girls usually take a break there. If it’s not too busy you can get off the water and have a drink somewhere, but most of the times, they just stayed and chilled on the water. There’s nothing more relaxing than lying down on a SUP-board and letting yourself float in quiet waters.
The way back is the same route. Can you spot the giant decorative cow in one of the gardens along the way?
Stand-Up Paddling at Kew Bridge
Another SUP-location that Gutsy Girls do tours from is in a completely different part of London at Kew Bridge. Instead of being on the canals, it is on the Thames which means that there is more space, but the water is less quiet with waves, winds and tide. This can sometimes turn a SUP-session into a proper workout.
The tour starts at Kew Bridge which is just a minute walk from the train station, and you can also easily get there by bus.
The first part of the tour leads along some private houses and moored boats until you reach the wider space. It is beautifully green along both sides of the river. You can see people walking along the promenade from a bit further away and you pass by Syon House.
There are other boats as well but there is enough space for everybody on the river. The only thing that is a bit tricky are the waves that some of the bigger boats are causing. That is a moment where you could easily lose your balance and go for a little swim. If you notice it before, you can always go on your knees for more stability.
The tour then leads to a pub directly by the river. The groups gets the boards out of the water and enjoys a cool drink at the one of the picknick-tables at the lawn. You can sit right by the river and watch ducks go from one side to the other.
Upon return to Kew Bridge, the Gutsy Girls usually have a lunch at a lovely pub next to the bridge. Charlie’s Grandpa used to say that a hike is just a longer walk to the pub and it seems that the same holds through for paddle boarding in London.
Stand-Up Paddling in Richmond
This is Charlie’s favourite location and has only been added recently by Active360 and Gutsy Girls. Richmond itself is worth a visit and probably one of the most beautiful parts of London, but it gets even more beautiful from the river. The tour starts at the Boat houses next to Richmond bridge which is a 10-minute walk from Richmond station. There’s a lovely little coffee shop with outside seating right next to it where Charlie usually has a coffee before the tour. You can watch the boats on the river from there.
The tour first goes to the right side so that everybody can familiarise with the feeling of a paddleboard. Once the group reaches the weir, they turn to the other side. There is a little island that they’re now passing by from the opposite side and it almost feels like a small canal. There are beautiful private houses on that side as well.
They pass along the boat houses again and continue going down the river in the other direction. There are houses and a promenade along the river too, but the water is so wide that you don’t even notice. The space also gets shared with other boats of all shapes and sizes, canoes and rowing clubs. It can get quite busy on sunny days as there are lots of boat rentals as well, but there is enough space to not make it feel busy.
When Charlie paddles down there, the scenery sometimes reminds her a bit of the swamps close to New Orleans where she did a boat tour on one of her trips. Of course, there are no alligators in the Thames, but it is lovely and green.
On the way back, you can spot some more beautiful architecture and parks along the river. One of the houses around there always reminds Charlie of pictures she had seen in her English textbooks in school that were talking about boarding schools in the English countryside. Although you’re close enough to the city to reach this place by Underground.
After the tour, the Gutsy Girls usually go to one of the pubs or coffee shops nearby for a drink and lunch, but they decide spontaneously where they go as the area can get quite busy and the question is where they find a table. The favourite place though is the Holly Hock which is a bit hidden behind the trees overlooking a small park and the Thames.
What if I fall in?
Well, if you fall in, you fall in. That’s it. You get back on the board and you keep on paddling. Yes, the waters in London aren’t exactly attractive to go for a swim, but would you really want to miss out on the fun just because you might get wet? During all the sessions Charlie has hosted so far, the girls that fell were always laughing about it at the end of the session. That is the point where Gutsy Girls usually go for food and drinks in a nearby pub.
Let Charlie know if you are joining a session and maybe she’ll be your host that day. If you have already been, why not share some of your pictures on Facebook or Instagram?
