Paddleboarding Tour on the River Cleddau

The paddle window is about three hours from the slipway at Llanion to the quay at Cresswell, including a short brief on the bank and time on the water. Most of that window is spent paddling rather than standing around talking on the grass.

Give yourself 15 minutes at Llanion so changing does not eat into the paddle. Morning and afternoon starts are usual, and the time is confirmed the day before around the tide on the river.

Llanion, on the Cleddau estuary above Pembroke Dock. The exact pin lands the day before. Park at the start, not at Cresswell Quay, because a minibus brings the group back once you step off the boards.

The finish is at Cresswell Quay, a quiet inland quay with a pub on the bank. You do not need a second car there. Check your messages the evening before so you drive to the right slip.

Board, paddle, buoyancy aid and wetsuit, fitted at Llanion. We match the board to your size. Children can share a wider board with an adult when that fits better on a first stand.

Leave phones and bags in the car. If someone needs medication on the water, give it to the guide at the start so it can travel in a dry bag.

First-timers are the usual group. You should be happy on the water and able to follow a simple instruction. The guide shows you how to paddle and how to stay with the group before you leave the bank.

If you have paddled before, say so at the brief. The route can take a longer look at the banks and the church at Lawrenny when the group is already steady on their feet.

Eight. Anyone under 18 needs an adult with them on the water. Children should be happy kneeling on a board and getting a bit wet if they come off in the shallows.

Tell us ages so we can put the right boards out. The pace stays with the least confident person, so a mixed family still works, just at a calmer speed on the river.

Ordinary rain does not cancel a river tour. The start time moves when the wind or tide makes this stretch awkward, or if we cannot run a useful paddle from Llanion that day.

Check your messages the evening before if you are travelling a long way, so you have the confirmed start and pin before you leave. The river stays sheltered on a windy day, which is why we still run the three hours from Llanion.

Swimwear, a towel, a warm dry layer, sunscreen and shoes you are happy to get wet. A water bottle helps. Get changed into swimwear before you arrive if you want to skip the queue for the wetsuits.

Flip-flops are fine for the walk from the car, then come off if they will not stay on the board. Leave valuables in the car. Pack a bag for wet swimwear afterwards.

Happy on the water is the bar. The boards are inflatable stand-ups, so you stay on the surface rather than inside a closed cockpit, but you can still fall in and you still need to be comfortable with that.

A buoyancy aid is included and a guide stays with the group. If someone is very nervous, say so in advance so we can keep them closer to the bank at the start.

Wooded banks, cottages at Lawrenny and the medieval church of St Caradog on the rise. On a quiet day you may see herons and other birds along the mud at low water.

The exact line follows wind and tide. The plan is confirmed the day before so you know whether it is a slower estuary paddle or a longer stretch down to the quay.

A minibus meets the group at Cresswell Quay and drives you back to Llanion with the boards. You only need to park once, at the start, and you are not walking the riverbank at the end of the three hours.

Stay with the group at the quay until the lift is ready. Wet kit goes back on the bus with you, then you change at Llanion before you drive home.