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Take a gentle paddle along the calm waters of the Gannel Estuary while enjoying a scenic picnic in a peaceful spot. This relaxed experience combines learning the basics of stand-up paddleboarding with time to explore, play games, and savour locally sourced Cornish pasties. Ideal for families, groups, and friends, it’s a leisurely way to connect with nature and enjoy Newquay’s hidden waterways.
The experience starts at the riverbank with a full safety briefing and kit familiarisation. Instructors demonstrate how to launch and land safely, balance on the board, hold the paddle correctly, and perform basic strokes and turns. Participants are encouraged to paddle at their own pace, starting on their knees and progressing to standing only when ready. Warm wetsuits and buoyancy aids are provided to ensure comfort throughout the session.
Once on the water, you’ll follow a guided route through the estuary, gliding past reed-lined banks and observing wildlife such as wading birds, fish, and other local inhabitants. Instructors share stories about the estuary’s history, biodiversity, and heritage, pointing out features like old lime kilns and trading post remnants along Penpol Creek. At the creek, participants can navigate under overhanging trees, try optional games and challenges, or simply pause to enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
The tour then moves to a scenic picnic site, perched on a nearby hill with sweeping views over the estuary. Here, you can enjoy a rest and a traditional Cornish picnic, including pasties and snacks, while taking in the natural beauty of the area. A rope swing adds a touch of playful adventure before you paddle back downstream at a relaxed pace, reflecting on the wildlife, landscapes, and skills experienced during the session.
The Gannel Estuary lies just outside Newquay and provides a calm, sheltered waterway perfect for beginners and families. Its tidal nature creates sandbanks and mudflats at low tide and smooth flowing water at high tide, making it ideal for a leisurely paddle. The estuary is surrounded by rolling hills, reed beds, and woodland, providing rich habitats for a variety of wildlife and a sense of tranquillity away from the town.
Penpol Creek, a hidden spot along the estuary, offers quiet lagoons and tree-lined waterways that enrich the tour with natural features and historical interest. With birdlife, local fauna, and remnants of old trading posts, this area adds variety and context to the paddleboarding experience, giving participants a chance to see a side of Newquay that many visitors miss.
No prior paddleboarding experience is necessary. Instructors provide guidance and support throughout, ensuring participants feel confident and safe at all times.
All equipment, including SUP boards, paddles, wetsuits, and buoyancy aids, is provided. Participants should bring swimwear, a towel, and clothing suitable for paddling.
The centre specialises in providing accessible and enjoyable water-based experiences, combining expert instruction with relaxed, family-friendly sessions. Small group sizes ensure everyone receives individual attention and support, making learning easy and enjoyable.
Facilities include heated changing rooms, secure storage, and outdoor showers to make your visit comfortable from start to finish. The team prioritises safety and planning, offering alternative routes and back-up options in the event of poor weather. With extensive knowledge of local wildlife, history, and ecology, instructors add educational value to every tour, creating a rich, memorable experience for all participants.
Stand up Paddleboarding or ‘SUP’ for short is one of the fastest growing waters sports in the world. Using a very large, stable board (similar to a surfboard) and a single-blade paddle you can navigate your way along coastlines, rivers and lakes.
Rain is no problem for a water-based activity! In fact, there’s no better way to make the most of a damp day than to get wet anyway! You will get changed into your wetsuit in our warm, dry changing rooms, then when you have your wetsuit on the rain isn’t an issue.
No need to worry, it’s all part of the learning process and can actually be quite fun! You can climb back onto your board relatively easily, but if you struggle your instructor will be there to help out.
Everybody is different and the conditions on the day can greatly affect how quickly you will learn the basics. In calm conditions, most adults will learn to effectively knee paddle in the first 10 minutes and be stand-up paddling within half an hour.
You need to bring a towel and swimwear. Footwear will also be required so bring either a pair of trainers that you don’t mind getting wet or wetsuit boots. If not you can hire from us for £5.
Yes. We require that anybody taking part in any of our water sports, including SUP, is able to swim 50 metres.
Sessions last for approximately 2 hours from when you have got all your kit on. You can expect to be with us for around 2 and half hours overall.
We will explore one of two routes. ‘The Gazzle’ is our ocean-based route along Newquay’s famous Towan Head. We will launch from either Towan beach or the old Lifeboat slipway depending on tide and surf conditions. Our river-based route is on the beautiful Gannel estuary, only a 5-minute drive from the centre.
We regularly see the local seals up close; we have also seen dolphins in Newquay bay, as well as Sunfish and Lion’s mane jellyfish. Basking sharks have also been seen on rare occasions (don’t worry, they are completely harmless and have no teeth). There is also an impressive array of birdlife, especially on our Gannel estuary route.
We primarily use inflatable boards, however we do have some hard boards for more experienced paddlers to use.
Providing you meet the minimum requirement of 50 metres swimming capability and you have no current health issues or injuries preventing you from taking part in physical activity you can come. Don’t worry, it’s not a race and your instructor will make sure the group moves at the pace of the slowest paddler and will assist weak paddlers when needed.
All of our SUP Instructors are qualified British Canoeing Paddlesport leaders. They are also Beach and Surf Safety Lifeguards. They have years of personal experience in the water, and attend regular site-specific staff training. We also work in closely with the RNLI to ensure your safety in and out of the water.
We both loved it , the instructor was a gentleman . Clear , concise instructions and very helpful . Can’t remember his name sorry , very tall with long hair
It was brilliant- wish it could've been longer (a half day, for example, to explore further afield). Harrison was our guide, and he set the perfect amount of challenge to relaxation. Very knowledgeable about the area, pirate/tea caves and local animal life. We were also asked in advance if we…
Jamie was a good instructor but a bit disappointed with the time snorkeling and not seeing anything. The sighting of the seals and info about the coast was great
Had a fantastic time, the instructors were great and would definitley do again in the future.
Everyone was so friendly. My crew leader Alex was really supportive and encouraging as I am not an avid swimmer and so easing my way into kayaking and coasteering was a breeze. The team back at their headquarters were amazing ... keeping my baggage safe as I toured and even…
Staff are very helpful! My boyfriend, dad and uncle really enjoyed this. They saw a playful seal ❤️ would recommend!
We had a really good time with Heath today. He showed us all the safety information and kept checking we were all okay. Instead of just staying out snorkelling he showed us some caves and told us about the history and cool knowledge about the caves and rocks. Had a…
We had an amazing time with heath. He was so lovely and gave us a bit of history as we went along. Very caring and made sure we had a fab time
Uitgevoerd door Newquay Activity Centre, een partner van adventuro.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
Vanaf £80
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
Vanaf £70
