Run by volunteers, Edge is a canoe & kayak club for everyone to progress their paddling skills.
Situated along the banks of the Thames in West London, Edge is a vibrant and welcoming Canoe/Kayak club - We are dedicated to assisting individuals aged 18 and above who are eager to explore the river and develop their paddling skills.
Through a mixture of regular paddle sessions, accredited British Canoeing courses, and weekend adventures on rivers or seas, Edge is committed to advancing your paddling skills. Regardless of your current proficiency, we'll empower you to pursue your paddling goals, ensuring you feel at ease and self-assured on the water.
We have a complement of experienced coaches and trip leaders, eager to assist newcomers in their journey and further enhance the abilities of seasoned paddlers. Our commitment to inclusivity extends to maintaining a diverse membership, coaching staff, and a wide range of paddling experiences, ensuring that there's a welcoming place for everyone in our club.
Edge Paddling is run by its membership with a Committee elected annually.
The Current Committee is:
Chair & Vice Chair
Alex Whittaker & Heather Thompson
Chairs the committee and ensures smooth sailing in all club operations.
Treasurer
David Clay
Oversees club financials and maximises the bang for each buck.
Membership Secretary
Lana Dorohov
Manages all club memberships and is the friendly face for all new participants.
Coaching Chief
Trevor McMurray
Takes charge of our collection of coaches to make sure we’re always offering the best training around.
Expedition Executive
Jane Davies
Presides over all our club trips and ensures all excursions are run efficiently.
Kit Officer & Whitewater Lead
Tony Nash
Keeps all our kit in tip-top shape and oversees club whitewater activity.
Communications
Danny Sturrock
Handles all things website, media and communications related.
Over summer, we have weekly club paddles on the Thames & regular skill progression sessions
Between April and September we have regular club paddles on the Thames - Weekly on a Wednesday evening and the occasional weekend day. We depart from and return to our base at Kew Bridge, heading either upstream towards Richmond or downstream towards Hammersmith, depending on the tides.
For less experienced paddlers, we offer training sessions on the canal. Heading off from Brentford Lock base, you will paddle alongside an instructor (max ratio 1:6) who can help you improve your paddling proficiency in a calm and safe environment. When you’ve reached a sufficient level, you're then welcome to join us on the Thames.
All of our club night Thames paddles and training sessions are free of charge to members. For newcomers, a small fee applies, but it will be deducted from our membership fees if you decide to join!
We’re a very sociable group, so we often round off our paddles with a few drinks in a local pub!
| Date/Time | Event |
|---|---|
|
07/12/2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm |
Weekly Pool Session
Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre, 658 Chiswick High Rd, Brentford, |
|
09/12/2023 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm |
Edge Christmas Dinner |
|
14/12/2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm |
Weekly Pool Session
Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre, 658 Chiswick High Rd, Brentford, |
|
21/12/2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm |
Weekly Pool Session
Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre, 658 Chiswick High Rd, Brentford, |
|
28/12/2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm |
Weekly Pool Session
Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre, 658 Chiswick High Rd, Brentford, |
Go to the full calendar of events
And over winter we keep on top of our skills with weekly pool sessions.
Between October and March we meet weekly at Brentford Fountain Leisure Center. This calm, safe and - most importantly - warm environment is the ideal place to learn new skills, or practise your existing ones.
Each session will be headed by an instructor who can work with you to develop your skill set, whether that’s how to rescue yourself or others, learning how to roll or just improving your general paddling skills and kayaking abilities!
As the perfect environment for those new to the sport to build up confidence on the water, we welcome all newcomers to join our club members at our pool sessions.
In our usual fashion, we often finish up our sessions with a pint at a nearby pub!
- Free Wednesday evening weekly club paddles on the Thames between April & September.
- Free occasional weekend day trips on the Thames or elsewhere!
- Discounted entry to our weekly pool sessions (£7 member / £12 non-member) to keep on top of your skills over the winter months (October to March).
- Discounted British Canoeing training / assessments including Paddle Explore (previously known as “2 star”) & PSR - Paddle Sport Rescue Training (previously known as FSRT - Foundation Safety & Rescue Training).
- Edge Independent Level paddlers (Paddle Explore & PSR/FSRT certified) can organise "Independent Paddles" (mates peer-paddle) using club equipment (free of charge).
- Priority access to our wide variety of weekend and day trips offered all year round (at least once a month), including touring, whitewater, sea kayaking and more!
- Opportunity to rent club equipment (on a “trust basis”) for your own excursions.
Complete our Membership Application Form.
Any queries, feel free to contact the Membership Secretary: membership@edgepaddling.com
The cost is £130 per annum.
Weekend club trips are a regular feature, all year round!
We aim to offer at least one trip away every month - We have a wide variety of activities and collaborate with external coaches to maximise learning potential.
Over the winter, when the rivers have the most flow, we offer white water trips that are suitable for beginners or more advanced paddlers. Regular hotspots are the loop in Dartmoor or a collection of rivers in South Wales.
In the summer, when the sun is on our side, we offer a variety of sea kayaking and touring trips. Previous trips have included Kayak Surfing in Devon, Sea Kayaking in Dorset and touring the Medway.
We also often offer an ad-hoc mixture of activities as day trips, such as Stand Up Paddle (SUP) boarding on the river Hamble, whitewater practice at the Lee Valley or setting up sails on canoes in Poole harbour!
Most basic equipment needed, such as Kayaks, paddles, Personal Flotation Devices (buoyancy aids) & helmets are provided by the club for our trips, but kit can also be loaned out on a “trust” basis if you feel like planning your own adventure!
Of course! We welcome all newcomers of any ability to the club.
We charge a small fee to cover operational costs for taster sessions, but these costs will be deducted from membership should you wish to join after.
We manage all of our events for people looking to try a session via Meetup, have a look for any upcoming events there or get in touch.
We operate two different methods for event signup, depending on if you are a club member or not.
For newcomers who are just wanting to give it a try, we organise signup for all our events via Meetup.
For club members, we manage everything via our Facebook page:
For our regular club paddles and pool sessions, we post on our facebook page about a week prior. Attendance is managed via comments on that post on a first-come-first-served basis. We will hold a waiting list, so if you can no longer make the event be sure to comment again to let us know ASAP.
For club trips, we create events on facebook that provide all the details of the trip - these are usually posted at least a month in advance, if not before. You can register your interest via the event, but spaces are not held until deposit payment has been received. Usually payment is received by bank transfer, and the bank details can be obtained by messaging the event organiser (usually not the club's bank account as funds are managed by the event organiser).
We offer a wide range of courses to certify your advancement & allow “Independent Paddles”
In addition to the training we offer on our club paddles, pool sessions and trips, we are also committed to making sure that you get qualifications to ratify your paddling progression and allow you to venture into new environments in your canoe or kayak!
Throughout the year we offer a host of british canoeing certified courses which will teach you a range of different skills, improve your on-the-water knowledge and increase your overall kayaking/canoeing confidence.
For beginner paddlers, we offer courses for a “Paddle Explore” award (previously called “2 star”) and Paddle Sport Rescue (PSR) award. These two in combination will provide you with the foundation you need to paddle confidently on the water and rescue yourself or others from the water.
With these qualifications the club will consider you capable enough to join our “Independent Paddles”, which are independently organised local pier paddles that use club equipment, but do not have any coaches or training - Just an opportunity to have some more fun on the water outside our regular club paddles!
We are always looking to expand our range of offerings for courses and often partner with other organisations to also offer ad-hoc training and progression. You’ll also often find us involved with local events, such as the yearly Tidefest, where we offer the opportunity for newcomers to the sport to trial a paddle on the Thames under the careful supervision of one of our qualified coaches.
Where to find us
Kew Bridge Base:
Summer Sessions (between April & September)
Club night - Wednesdays: 6:30 - 9:30pm.
Based just underneath Kew Bridge, we venture out on the Thames from here on a weekly basis.
Unit 5,
Kew Bridge Arches,
Strand on the Green,
Chiswick,
London,
W4 3NG
Brentford Lock Base:
Summer Sessions (between April & September)
Regular training sessions are run here.
Based right beside the canal, this is a calm and safe environment for people to learn to paddle!
Brentford Finger Dock
(behind Holiday Inn),
off Commerce Road,
Brentford,
Middlesex
TW8 8GA
Brentford Fountain Leisure Center
Winter Sessions (between October and March)
Club night - Thursdays: 8 - 9pm
This calm, safe and - most importantly - warm environment is the ideal place to learn new skills, or practise your existing ones over the winter months.
658 Chiswick High Rd,
Brentford,
Middlesex,
TW8 0HJ