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useful booking Information

Adventure Paddle Co are paddlesport specialists proudly based in Ayrshire, South West Scotland.  As a mobile business, we operate all over Scotland and the UK, delivering our services. 

We are a small family run business who are passionate about providing unique paddling experiences where our mantra is pretty simple. 

” Our purpose is to bring cool, like-minded people together to share memorable experiences on the water.” 

We pride ourselves on our level of client safety whilst in our care and our team of professional guides and coaches are always current with good practice and highly experienced in supporting paddlers in a dynamic environment. 

So don’t worry, you’re in safe hands.  

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booking terms

We aim to ensure making a booking with us is as simple and easy as possible. Booking is two step. Firstly, completing the online booking and payment. Secondly, due to the nature of our activities we require a form to be completed prior to activity which tells us more about your needs, medical status, your equipment hire needs and as a customer, you can at this point waive your right for photography on session and accept our foreseeability of inherent risks.

Whoever contacts us and transacts paying for the activity is termed our ‘lead bookee’ and as such enters into the contract agreement as the lead where terms apply to protect monies and offer a service level agreement as advertised. We always try deliver our terms to satisfy the customer.

Cancellation Policy

As a small business, cancellations have a huge impact on us. We therefore ask you to let us know at the first possible opportunity if you are unable to attend your activity.

Our cancellation policy: 

If you choose to cancel prior to the activity date and time:

  • Cancellation of more than 7 days in advance: we are happy to offer a 100% refund or an option to switch to a future activity. 
  • Cancellation of less than 7 days in advance: we are happy to offer a 50% refund or an option to switch to a future activity.
  • Cancellation within 48 hours of your session: we are unable to offer a refund but will offer option to switch to a future activity. 

As is the nature of paddlesports, we reserve the right to cancel within 48hours of the activity time based on our interpretation of a forecast by the met office and our weather sources on the grounds of both safety and positive experience. Typically, due to high winds in excess of 15mph for courses or directional wind offshore which may curtail our guided tours. 

If we cancel an activity due to AdventurePaddleCo inability to deliver the agreed and booked service, a full refund will be offered and paid within 3 working days electronically to the lead bookee.

If we cancel the activity due to unforseen issues with a venue (pollution, lack of access, water quality etc), an alternative will be offered.

If we cancel an activity due to weather and tides, an alternative date will be offered as best we can between bookee and ourselves.

We require a minimum of 4 clients on each activity to make the activity viable for us to run therefore this is a part of our conditions on a booking by booking basis.

INSURANCE

We recommend you buy your own travel insurance which covers you fully for trip cancellation, personal accident or personal injury cover. AdventurePaddleCo are covered by PLI insurance policy and are also PI policy through National Governing Body memberships and valid licences for staff to operate within their remits.

Travel

Our activities are run in a variety of locations across Scotland. Therefore, participants must use their own transport to travel to the agreed meeting point. 

Payment

All activities and vouchers must be paid for in full online at the time of booking either via our booking engine or via GoCardless for vouchers.

Gift Vouchers

Gift vouchers are valid for 24 months from the date of purchase. 

Your Data and Privacy 

At AdventurePaddleCo we are committed to protecting the privacy and data of our clients. We will only use the information collected about participants in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. We will not contact you in the future unless given consent to do so by the lead bookee on the booking form. We will not transfer personal information to any third party.  All client information held is password and two-step authentication protected. 

Our newsletter complies with GDPR practices whereby users can opt in or out of email communication.

safety

All participants must comply with the safety regulations and instructions of AdventurePaddleCo. Water-based activities carry inherent risks. (hypothermia, drowning, slips trips and falls on wet surfaces etc). Participants, parents or guardians must accept that there are risks from our booking form. To manage these risks, so far as we are able, we employ staff trained within the governing body guidelines (Paddle UK) and teach to our governing body recommendations. Our risk management systems are in place to assess our venues, participants and activities both prior and dynamically at venue.

We reserve the right to modify or cancel an activity if we feel that there are unmanageable risks such as swell, rising river levels due to lag time of rainfall, equipment failure, access issues at venue etc.

What we offer as hire equipment will be checked prior for its condition and suitability.

Participants bringing their own equipment will have its checked by our staff prior.

Please ensure participants check the ‘What to bring’ kit list as this affects safety.

your wellbeing

Please feel free to bring items with you which supports your personal well being whilst participating on our activities such as medication, sanitary kit, suncream, fluids etc. You know what you need to keep you feeling comfortable whilst being active outdoors.  All our tours, sessions and activities are planned and prepared taking into account; the time of year; temperatures; weather forecast; length and duration of activity balanced with resting time. Our staff also build in convenience stops where possible and support with personal hygiene. It’s in our nature to look after people in our care and we would appreciate a conversation leading up to your activity to help us understand and accommodate any special needs you may have, without judgement. 

Declaration of Medical Needs and Fitness
All participants must declare physical ability status prior to activity. Injuries and ailments must be declared. Participants must, at the time of booking, advise of any illness or disability (such as diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, heart condition, recent injuries, hearing impairment, visual impairment etc) that may affect the ability to participate. If at all unsure, participants must check with a doctor before booking and must be able to produce a note from their doctor if required.

Participants must bring any necessary medication with them and ensure that our staff are made aware of what the medication is and how it is to be administered. Be advised that some of our activity locations are remote. AdventurePaddleCo reserves the right to refuse any booking on medical grounds if the medical condition is considered to be detrimental to participant and staff safety. 

recommended kit

We encourage paddlers to purchase their own equipment and learn to paddle using their own equipment. Its works best. We pride ourselves on our kit advice therefore contact us anytime for support making purchases.

On Paddleboarding activities we recommend bringing:

A board suitable for the length and nature of the journey, which has been checked over for leaks and has the necessary functionality such as grab handles, cargo points and non slip deck pad. An I-SUP is ideal for our Terra and Exped tours.

A lightweight adjustable paddle with smaller blade size, especially for women.  Lighter paddles reduce fatigue and aid paddling efficiency.

Carry two types of leash which are set up on a Quick Release System which you have knowledge and practice in deploying a Recoil and Straight leash which are suitable for the environments we paddle. A guide belt also works well for longer paddles.

Carry a personal first aid kit and board repair kit suitable for your board type. Extra fin bolts where necessary and a spare fin.

Rewarm kit. Dry bag with spare fleece, gloves, woolen hat, windproof top.

Phone case and car key case which are immersion proof.

Non slip footwear such as sports trainers, wet-boot shoes or amphib trainers. Paddling barefoot is great but think about carrying boards from car park to launch point and the footwear required for when portaging on land. 

Eye protection sunglasses. 

Food and drink appropriate to the duration of the activity which is high in nutrition and promotes hydration strategies.

We love a fluffy towel robe too!

accessibility

Access statement due Feb 2025. Access-able link

Frequently Asked Questions

In short, no but a degree of water confidence and ability to tread water is desirable for participating in a water sport. We provide a Personal Flotation Device (Pfd) suitable for a  range of client sizes and weights. Unless instructed otherwise, these are mandatory to wear during our activities as its aids a paddler to float minimising the need to swim.

This entirely depends on the activity.

Our maximum participants on any given activity is 8.

Reducing to 6 on Instructor courses and no more than 4 on rivers per leader.

Multi-day/overnight Living Wild trips – max 4

We prefer smaller, more intimate groups as in our experience it builds better connections, its safer for group management and provides more time to enjoy the activity together. 

We are also mindful of our environmental impact by inviting groups of people into coastal and inter-tidal zones, wilderness areas where excessive footprints off paths can damage the soil structures, flora and create more bio cross-contaminations. We try keep this to a minimum. 

Yes. The more information about you and your health requirements the better prepared we are to cater for your needs. All your information is stored confidentially. Our medical and readiness questionnaire is contained on our booking form. Please do feel free to call us beforehand to discuss or speak to your leader prior to the session declaring any injuries or medical fitness.

Unfortunately not. We find dogs can be a distraction during safety briefs and during activity. Not all our clients are comfortable around dogs. We are happy to advice on personal paddling with pets and arrange adog-friendly activity.

We are very much governed by HSE Adventure Activities Licencing Scheme regarding working with Children and Vulnerable adults. All our staff and volunteers are PVG checked to work with Children.

On our family sessions our min age is 8years old where due to AALS licencing adults must be present on-site. The only exception is where we operate within a venue which is less than 50m wide which satisfies AALS regulations. We have equipment which will fit this age group and older.

The min age for attending a British Canoeing SUP Instructor level 1 is 14years.

Our min age for attending our safety courses, coaching sessions and tours is 14years. 

Whats included and what you need to bring are described in each page of the tours or courses and also within the confirmation sent prior. 

We can hire full board packages for the activity.

We will also provide a changing cape and standing mat, group equipment such as survival shelter, first aid kit, rewarming kit, spare paddle, pump.

We provide Pfd free of charge and wetsuit where hired.

We also provide waterproof phone case and cag jackets as wind blockers.

Payment transactions can be arranged in a few ways which are most convenience for you but must be paid in full prior to activity commencing.

Our booking engine will handle online payments where we absorb the merchant fee via GoCardless/Stripe on our product pages.

We can send an addressed invoice for groups and businesses payable via GoCardless secure online payment link.

Cash can be accepted on the day where prior arranged with us and receipt emailed post event.

Apologies, we cannot offer a credit or debit card transaction facility on the day of the activity.  

Absolutely. Although we love to take your picture and offer a complimentary photo service sending your highlights to you post activity, we understand it’s not for everyone.

Simply state NO on your booking form on the relevant section.

Furthermore, we also request your permission to use your images on our media accounts and hold no judgements to those who object. We build your trust in this regard.

This is a common question we are asked. Simply put. Unless its time critical, we take our pace from the slowest member of the group and we are fully inclusive in how we lead, guide and coach. Its not a race and we are on an activity to have fun, connect with others and the place we are in, paddle safely and prevent fatigue. We always discuss group paddling strategy and using systems for paddler support on the water such as pairs, small groups, varying leader position etc etc.