Canoe Wales ( cy, CanĊµ Cymru) is the
national governing body for
paddlesport in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
.
It covers all branches of the sport from recreational
canoeing,
kayaking,
stand up paddleboarding
Standup paddleboarding (SUP) is a water sport born from surfing with modern roots in Hawaii. Stand up paddleboarders stand on boards that are floating on the water, and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. The sport was doc ...
and
rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
to
whitewater racing, slalom racing and wildwater racing;
flatwater sprint racing and marathon racing;
canoe sailing;
canoe polo;
surf kayaking and canoeing; and
extreme racing. The organisation has over 2,700 members including individual paddlers as well as affiliated club members. Full adult members of Canoe Wales are also by default Welsh members of
British Canoeing.
Canoe Wales' vision is to create an "inclusive and active paddling community in Wales" and its mission is "to inspire and support more people across Wales to go paddling".
History
Formerly known as the Welsh Canoeing Association, it was in the past responsible for the formal access agreements on the
Conwy
Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...
,
Glaslyn,
Llwyd,
Ogwr,
Severn
, name_etymology =
, image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG
, image_size = 288
, image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle
, map = RiverSevernMap.jpg
, map_size = 288
, map_c ...
,
Tawe,
Tryweryn
The Tryweryn is a river in the north of Wales which starts at Llyn Tryweryn in the Snowdonia National Park and after joins the river Dee at Bala. One of the main tributaries of the Dee, it was dammed in 1965 to form Llyn Celyn, drowning th ...
,
Twrch,
Usk
Usk ( cy, Brynbuga) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks th ...
and
Wye and informal agreements on rivers and managed stillwaters. However, following conflicts of interest, it has disavowed access agreements and begun to seek a legislative solution to access problems hoping for a parallel to the
Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which establishes statutory public rights of access to land and makes provisions under which bodies representing rural and crofting communities may buy land.
Provisions
T ...
.
[ ] It is also responsible for the rights of navigation agreements on sections of the Lugg, Severn and Wye. Canoe Wales organises competition at national and international level in all the canoeing and kayaking disciplines in Wales: freestyle; slalom; wild water racing; marathon racing; sprint racing; surf kayaking; and canoe polo.
Responsibilities
Canoe Wales manages
Canolfan Tryweryn, the National Whitewater Centre near
Bala, Gwynedd, where the organisation is based. The
Afon Tryweryn is a dam released river, allowing water to flow when other rivers are running dry, providing a year-round white water venue.
Canoe Wales is also a supporter of th
Clear Access Clear Waterscampaign (formerly the
Rivers Access Campaign
The Rivers Access Campaign is an ongoing initiative by the British Canoe Union (BCU) to open up the inland waterways of England and Wales to the public. Under current English and Welsh law, public access to rivers is restricted, and only 2% of a ...
), and has been seeking government approved statutory access to rivers for over 50 years.
References
External links
Canoe Wales websiteBecome a member of Canoe Wales
Canolfan Tryweryn website
{{Canoeing and kayaking
Canoeing in Wales
Sports governing bodies in Wales
Canoe organizations
Canoeing in the United Kingdom