| Do
I have to be fit to undertake the journey ? |
Yes, we expect you to paddle
your own canoe unaided. Our River Guides are there, not
to paddle your own canoes but to give a running commentary
along the river trip.
You will be expected with a partner to portage your own
canoe around weirs etc.
You must be able to get in
and out of a canoe onto a jetty without assistance from
our Guides.
|
| How
long is each journey section ? |
2 day trip:- The length
of the river is split into four sessions,
Saturday :- Sudbury - Bures( lunch)- Wissington
Sunday:- Wissington
- Stratford(lunch) - Cattawade
1 day trip:- On a one day trip this will only be,
Saturday:- Sudbury - Bures(lunch) - Wissington
Each session is approximately
5 miles long and should take around 3 hours.
|
| Will
you provide safety equipment ? |
Yes,
we provide automatic lifejackets. In the event of the jacket
inflating due to misuse you will be expected to pay £10
towards a new gas cartridge. If the lifejacket comes into
contact with water, a gas cartridge will immediately inflate
the jacket.
Children wearing jackets should be made away of this procedure. |
| When
do we leave the boatyard ? |
Our mini-bus will
depart Bures yard at 0830am sharp to arrive at Sudbury Quay
for launching at 9.00pm. We keep to a strict timetable as
we have RSB staff located at locks along the river ready to
operate the winding gear. |
| Where
do we eat ? |
Saturday lunchtime
"The Eight Bells PH" at Bures.
Saturday evening meal "The Eight Bells PH" at Bures.
Sunday morning breakfast provided by RSB staff at the campsite.
Sunday lunchtime, "The Swan PH" at Stratford St
Mary
Liquid refreshments are taken onboard by the Guides at Sudbury
for use along the river, ie water, orange juice etc |
| Children
? |
It`s the parent or guardians
responsibility to look after their children. We do not allow
MP3 players, mobile phones etc on trips. If these fall into
the river we cannot retrieve them for you. In the interests
of safety and the local fishermen, we do wish to have pocket
devices disturbing the tranquillity of the river.
Any medication necessary
should be delivered by the parent or guardian.
|
| Can
I have a trial run ? |
By all means,
ring the office and we can arrange a one hour starter session
alongside the Bures recreation ground (small fee payable)
|
| When
do we arrive back ? |
We cannot be that
specific as some parties tend to slow down and take on board
the marvelous scenery at Dedham and Flatford.
On a two day trip you should arrive at Cattawade between 4.00
- 5.00pm.
After packing away all your belongings and loading up the
canoes, the Mini-bus will transport you back to Bures with
an arrival time of approx 6.30pm. |
| What
happens in case of emergency ? |
We have not had
a single incident in the past four years which has resulted
in calling for external assistance.
However, our River Guides carry a GPS handset and an emergency
mobile phone. The Mini-bus is never to far away if required. |
| I
cannot make the weekends, can I come along midweek |
Yes by all means, speak to
the office. Depending on bookings you may be required to
make up a party to make the trip viable for our volunteers.
We obviously cannot take just two people down the river,
as we would have to rota more volunteers than customers.
As an example, on a 2 day trip we have to employ at least
10 volunteers
to run a trip. Mini-bus driver,
lock-keepers, guides etc.
|
