White Water Rafting
One of the Meccas of UK whitewater kayaking, the River Dart, runs through our grounds making us the perfect location for the ultimate whitewater experience. Not many people realise that it is possible to do whitewater rafting in Devon or that the county is incredibly popular within the paddlesport community for its steep granite rivers running off Dartmoor with their challenging rapids. Unfortunately due to the archaic access laws in this country the river is only open to kayakers during the fishing closed season from October until the end of March.
The River Dart has several sections of varying difficulty so it is possible for us to run rafting trips for different types of group. Participants need to be competent swimmers with good mobility and a reasonable level of fitness. We meet all rafting groups at Holne Park and equip participants with the necessary safety equipment before heading to the put-in for the section of river that we will be tackling.
If you have your own wetsuit then please bring it along, otherwise wear your bathing costume and a thermal top (Helly Hansen style - NOT cotton) or fleece. Don't forget a pair of old training shoes that can get wet - NOT Crocs or similar slip on shoes.
Depending on the group you will either use a six person raft with a guide seated at the rear or two person inflatable kayaks that are also known as duckies.
The River Dart is a naturally fed river running off the high moor and as such the water level fluctuates enormously depending on how much it has been raining and how wet the moor is. Therefore when booking in advance please be flexible with dates as the suitability of the water level on any given day is out of our hands!
If unsuitable water levels mean that we have to cancel your trip then we will offer you the choice of an alternative activity or a new date.
How it works...
The price for four people is £180 and four eight people is £350 - you have to fill the spaces or still pay the amount for four or eight persons. So, if you want to tackle the white water of the River Dart you should get your family, friends and colleagues signed up!