River Wye Canoe Hire Made easy...

Canoeing the River Wye

Kayak or canoe the River Wye with want to canoe? and leave the hustle and bustle behind. Explore beautifully scenic routes while making unforgettable memories.

Perfect for families, friends, or company outings, with pick-up and return from your end destination included, this is River Wye canoeing made easy!

Half-day, full-day and multi-day trips available as well as guided adventures with our British Canoeing-qualified instructors.

Prices start from just £35 per person for a half-day, £45 per person for a full day, with bespoke packages put together for guided paddles.

Select a trip below to view itineraries and pricing, then book securely online when you’re ready.

Any questions? Just get in touch.

Let’s get paddling!

We warmly invite you to hire a canoe and discover the beauty of the River Wye. The Wye is by far one of the most beautiful rivers in the British Isles and one of the few you can navigate by canoe or kayak, without restriction, for well over 100 miles.

want to canoe? canoe hire offer you the chance to embark on a relaxing river adventure from either Hay-on-Wye or Whitney-on-Wye, with an array of different routes to choose from, all with their own unique sights, sounds and smells.

From its source at the Welsh mountains at Plynlimon, the river meanders through miles of picturesque countryside and diverse wildlife, passing the bustling market towns of Hay-on-Wye, Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth; the city of Hereford, and the charming, picture-postcard villages of Glasbury, Symonds Yat and Tintern, before joining the River Severn at Chepstow.

Along your journey, you can expect to see a number of spectacular and fascinating characters in their natural habitats, including kingfishers, herons, cormorants, swans and otters – all from the prime viewpoint of your canoe.

This peaceful and ever-changing setting is the ideal place to wile away a few hours, spend a day or even a week. Furthermore, what better way to get a bit of aerobic and cardiovascular exercise than canoeing the River Wye? Burning calories has never been so relaxing…

Our half-day paddles begin at our base in Hay-on-Wye, where you’ll get kitted out and receive a full safety briefing. This takes around 30 minutes to make sure you’re fully prepared for the journey ahead. Once you’re on the water, keep an eye out for an array of incredible wildlife – from kingfishers and herons to cormorants, swans and even otters – all spotted from the unique vantage point of your canoe. The route covers five miles, starting in Hay and taking around 2 to 3 hours to reach the picturesque Whitney Toll Bridge.

£35.00 per person​.

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Beginning at the historic Grade II listed Whitney Toll Bridge, first constructed in 1776, this route takes you along one of the river’s most peaceful and scenic stretches. Along the way, you’ll pass the dramatic Scar at Brobury and the elegant Georgian estate of Moccas. This part of the river is known for its thriving populations of trout and salmon, with regular sightings of kingfishers, herons, and even otters.

Our full-day trips (lasting around 5 to 6.5 hours) kick off at 10:00am with a full kit-out and safety briefing at our Whitney Bridge base, which takes about half an hour. Once you’re suited up and comfortable with paddling techniques, we’ll get you launched and on your way. The journey spans 12.5 miles and ends at Bycross Campsite, where we’ll meet you, help you out of the water, and drive you back to your vehicle at Whitney.

£45.00 per person​.

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Overnight trips spanning the 100 miles of the navigable River Wye.

Campsite/Accommodation details are available on booking – we will help you plan your trip!

Two or more days – £50.00 per person per day.

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Our popular Go Canoeing Guided Adventure Sessions run on weekends, during school holidays, and at other times by request. Led by our experienced and carefully selected team of British Canoeing instructors, these sessions are designed to be safe, enjoyable, and unforgettable for families, couples, solo paddlers and groups alike — all set against the backdrop of our stunning local river.

We also offer custom experiences for groups, families, corporate teams and more. Whether you’re after a relaxing guided paddle or something more action-packed, we’ll work with you to tailor the perfect package and provide a personalised quote.

In addition, you can join scheduled sessions running regularly throughout the season – especially on weekends and school holidays – by booking a place with one of our qualified guides, either as part of a group or with your own.

Booking essential especially at weekends, during school holidays and on Bank Holidays and in particular if you have children in your group, please contact us

– telephone George Crouch –
Landline: 01497 820604
Email: hire@canoehire.co.uk

*We have a Pay It Forward Scheme running for NHS and Blue Light Workers – they canoe FOR FREE on a selection of our most popular trips – subject to the usual safety T&Cs – more info on our news page or give us a call at the office.

What is the minimum age my child can be?

The youngest member of your crew can be 5 years old.

What are the adult to child ratios needed to paddle ?

This is a great question, and truthfully will depend on quite of variety of factors such as technical advice, legalities, licensing and insurance requirements! Importantly we also take into consideration operational issues such as river levels, weather conditions, age of the children and their capabilities.

When hiring out any watercraft children’s safety is absolutely paramount! We have a duty of care for all our hire customers and we will not put young lives at risk unnecessarily. Paddling on a river is a watersport and it has inherent risks associated with it. So we have set requirements for paddling with anyone under the age of 18.

The general rule of thumb for understanding ratios is measured against the assessment question “would a child be capable of looking after themselves if something was not to go as expected?” Therefore, the water sports industry draws from experiences and their learning outcomes, technical advice from seasoned professionals, and peak paddle sports bodies, we; all private paddlers, hire companies, and delivery partners have a clear set of recommendations and guidelines for paddling with children. So with all this in mind here are some examples and guides to want to canoes? ratios:

• Firstly there must always be an adult in any of our watercraft! We do not permit the hire of watercraft to anyone under the age of 18, they must be accompanied by an adult who can swim at least 25 meters fully clothed.
• We would allow (conditionally) one adult and one child to paddle together in the same watercraft as long as the child is aged 10 years or older, and if the hire is during safe summer river levels and weather conditions.^
• If the child is younger than 10 you will need two adults, there are no exceptions to this. From technical experience and the general industry consensus, children younger than 10 would not be capable if an unexpected situation or problem arises meaning that the child was inadvertently on their own and separated from the lone adult with them.
• A family (two adults and two children). If any of the children are younger than 10, then we would raft two canoes together (see “What is a raft? later on this web page). Rafting ensures that the two canoes have the lowest probability of being capsized. Making for a safer journey for you and your family.
• A family  (1 adult 2 children) we really do appreciate that some single parents or a parent visiting the area alone with their children would love to paddle. We would do our best to try and help you, but there are significant restrictions and limitations on such a hire. It would best for you to make contact with us directly to discuss this. We will ask you some questions relating to your situation to see if we can help, for example the ages of the children, etc.  Please do understand that if you have two young children and just one adult it will not be possible to hire a watercraft from us.

My child has a paddle UK (British Canoeing) membership and qualifications, can they use one of your kayaks?

We greatly appreciate the achievement your under 18 has done attain their qualifications! However, we still are unable to allow a non adults the ability to paddle solo. This is unfortunately relates to licensing and insurances and not the capabilities of your child.

^Notes: Please be aware as we all expect not all children are the same. A risk assessment is made by the want to canoe? team leader responsible for launching all canoeists from a designated site. If the team leader in their assessment does not feel satisfied that a participant child or adult meets our and or the industry safety standards, they will not allow the hire to proceed. Their decision is final and the participant or the whole booking will be fully refunded.

Absolutely! We love our furry friends, and we have two delightful friendly dogs; Bear the black Newshep boy and Chilli the Fox Red Labrador girl. They are always up for a paddle. Although Bear can be rather rambunctious and attempt to tip a canoe! Chilli is the perfect canoe companion, she sits quietly and takes it all in.

When we paddle with our dogs, we ALWAYS

• – take a lead for each of them
• – keep them under control especially around wildlife and farm stock
• – take fresh water and drinking containers
• – a few snacks if they are swimming alot

Bear and Chilli are both great swimmers so we don’t take buoyancy aids for them. We do have some available for our customers, but we suggest you bring your own trusted device that your pet is used to.