All a-board!

Stand-up paddleboarding offers a blissful way to cruise the waterways, as Jonathan Manning discovers on the River Nene

Jonathan (left) gets to grips with paddling on the Nene as instructor Joe looks on

It feels appropriate that the first position on a stand-up paddleboard is kneeling, as if in prayer. Chilly green water laps the edge of the board and I have no desire for a dunking. Even the floating pontoon from which I launch feels alarmingly unstable.

But there’s something irresistibly attractive about stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), or ‘supping’ as enthusiasts call the watersport. While kayakers always seem to be in a hurry, and windsurfers are subject to the vagaries of the breeze, paddleboarders glide serenely by. Whether this is due to the swan principle of appearing to drift calmly along, while frantically paddling underneath, I’m about to discover.

This is a beginner’s course designed to coach the basics of paddleboarding. It ‘dips its toe’ in the water at Sibson Lake, five miles from Ferry Meadows Club Campsite in Peterborough, and around 20 minutes’ drive from Rutland Affiliated Campsite. The lake opens directly onto the River Nene, giving access to about 7½ miles of uninterrupted peaceful paddling.

The session begins at the lake

First, however, I have to negotiate the perils of transitioning from kneeling to standing. The £600 Hatha paddleboard is long (10ft 6in), broad (32in), deep (6in) and stable. It can support a paddler weighing up to 22 stone, but it’s still subject to the laws of physics. Lift one leg and the board will tip towards the other. Over-correct the tilt and wobbles start. Oh, and don’t forget to keep hold of the paddle.

In reality, the fear of falling in far exceeds the actual likelihood of a plunge, and within five minutes I’m upright and paddling around the lake, trying to master the basics of propulsion and turning.

The young instructor, Joe, is relaxed and supportive, guiding me with straightforward advice. Make sure the paddle is straight and the blade completely submerged, and pull in a smooth stroke as close to the board as possible. Paddling in a wider arc turns the board, although it is not particularly agile. The paddling technique for racing would be more engaged and dynamic, but I’m only interested in a gentle cruise.

“And if you need to stop, just reverse the stroke, from back to front,” says Joe. There’s an easier way to stop, but it’s a wet one!

Glide away

Kneeling is a good way to get started

Basics practised, we take to the Nene, where our near-silent approach instantly spooks a heron into flight. The stealthy nature of paddleboarding makes it a wonderful platform for wildlife watching. Mallards and moorhens pass without ruffling a feather, swifts and swallows dash across the river in pursuit of insects, common blue damselflies skate across the water, and a dragonfly that I later identify as a banded demoiselle lands on the tip of my board.

Below the surface, squadrons of finger-sized fish swim in parade-like patterns, turning sharply in union. And below them, bright sunlight penetrates to illuminate an alien waterscape of plant and weed, sepia-coloured from silt as if belonging to a place that time forgot. Being immersed, but not submerged, in this natural beauty is heavenly. And then there’s the fascination involved with being a waterborne nosey parker, admiring the handful of houses whose gardens drop down to the river.

Like riding a bike, balance seems easier when moving than at a standstill, although this may be due to the distraction of everything happening around me. Compared to the low-level views from a kayak, paddleboarding offers a skyscraper perspective. I can watch reed warblers fly into and over rushes, and follow a kestrel as it slowly hunts its way along the bank. From Easter to June a seal made this stretch of river home, sharing the waterscape with kingfishers and otters.

Today’s midsummer conditions are perfect, the countryside so lush and the water so still, that it’s baffling why the river and its towpaths aren’t alive with other craft or walkers. It feels as if we have Eden to ourselves, which is perhaps why Joe decides to spice things up a bit with a couple of drills.

Gaining confidence

The first involves lying prone on the board and using our arms to paddle along, a useful technique if conditions get choppy, the wind picks up, or you find yourself literally up a creek without a paddle. Again, it’s dropping to the board before standing back up again that generates the jitters, although I manage to stay dry.

The second task is trickier, Joe challenging me to walk a yard forward of the midpoint of the board, and then to reverse a yard behind the midpoint, so the nose of the board is out of the water. I walk with a stiff-legged shuffle, planting the tip of the paddle on the board to serve as a totem for balance. My posture and progress are ungainly, but I rise to the challenge without splashing into the river.

About an hour into the session, it’s time to put turning skills to the test as we spin 180° to start the return journey. This time we’re paddling downstream, the leisurely current offering a gentle boost, like a tailwind to a cyclist. I steer clear of a couple of fishermen’s floats, spy a cuckoo flying between willows, and simply go with the flow. It’s all blissfully relaxing.

The more my confidence builds, the more my wetsuit seems like overkill. Joe is wearing a T-shirt and shorts and doesn’t even have a headstrap around his sunglasses, so sure is he of staying dry. I start to think that maybe, just maybe, I’ve finally found an activity at which I’m a natural, only for Joe to burst the bubble. “These are the best conditions we’ve had all year,” he says. “There’s no wind, no ripple, it hasn’t rained for days so the river is slow.”

“Desperate to try it again” – has Jonathan found the perfect activity?

I’ve no doubt everything would be harder in a stiff breeze or on the sea, where every wave would test core muscles and balance. One man has actually circumnavigated mainland Britain on a paddleboard. Today, the effort feels sustained but not exhausting, and the steady rhythm brings its own zen calm.

Back at the start I limbo under a rope that separates the river from lake, scramble off the board and feel like punching the air.

I haven’t spilled into the water once but, more importantly, I’ve tasted an activity that I’m desperate to try again.

Photography by Joe Manning

Information

A 90-minute beginner’s paddleboarding class with Adventure Nene, including equipment hire, costs £30.
Contact: adventurenene.com, 07818 226565
Stay at: Ferry Meadows Club Campsite

Paddle UK

Members of the Club can claim 10% off ‘On the Water’ membership with Paddle UK. This includes a waterways licence covering more than 4,500km or waterways, public liability insurance cover, access to kit discounts and more. For further information see camc.com/paddleuk.

Paddle UK also provides safety information and guidance on its website – look under the ‘Safeguarding and Safety’ tab at paddleuk.org.uk.

Water courses

Three more SUP venues for beginners

Windermere, Cumbria
A one-hour ‘SUP Introduction’ course covering the basics costs £40.
Info: lakes-sup.co.uk, 07766 010048
Stay at: Meathop Fell Club Campsite

Lymington, Hampsire
Master the basics on a 60-minute ‘Discover SUP’ taster with Lymington Sea School (£28).
Info: lymington-sea-school.com, 07827 912094
Stay at: Black Knowl Club Campsite

Horning, Norfolk
A 90-minute ‘Taster Lesson’ covers the basics of safe paddling on the Norfolk Broads (£45).
Info: gopaddle.co.uk, 01603 339105
Stay at: Norfolk Broads Club Campsite