Winter 2020

What’s SUP? Stand up paddleboarding has seen an upsurge in interest this year. SARAH BOSLEY took the plunge and joined a Newbury group to find out what it’s all about LEISURE TIME

Paddleboarding provides a gentle workout and a different view from the water

T here’s something calming and invigorating about standing on a paddleboard in the middle of the canal. It’s cold, so I most definitely do not want to fall in, but that adds to the excitement and I feel a connection, through the board beneath me, to the water and to the nature I can see all around me. Our cheeks are rosy from the cold and it feels great. Paddleboarding has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, with lockdown only fuelling this, as you can’t get much more socially distanced than on your own inflatable board in the middle of a canal, river, lake or even the sea. According to the British Stand Up Paddleboarding Association (BSUPA), 2020 has been the summer of SUP. They run a network of around 75 schools nationwide, which have already noticed up to a 100 per cent increase in activity. Head coach, Andy Gratwick, said that through BSUPA’s network, a usual year would see around 30,000 ready-to-ride lessons. This year that is expected to be closer to 50,000, with double that number enjoying an experience or rental. I’ve paddleboarded before, but I’ve never found one as close to home as I have now. So I’m very excited to be heading out down the Kennet and Avon Canal with Lara

Johnston, founder of Newbury-based Wild Paddle. Lara has been teaching watersports for several years, including in Greece, Egypt and a stint in the USA, which is where her passion for SUP first blossomed. Wild Paddle launched earlier this year. A BSUPA-accredited instructor she is now sharing her love for the sport with people like me. And she’s doing a fabulous job, because we’ve only just set off when I start trying to work out how I can fit this em O&A WINTER 2020 powering experience into my life every week! SUP dates back to the 1950s, when surfing instructors in Hawaii stood on their boards to teach. It is now the world’s fastest growing watersport and I can see why. Wild Paddle will take you out on organised two-hour tours, providing all the equipment and knowledge you will need for an adventure on the water. The Wild Paddle instructors are fully-qualified, fully-insured, first aid trained and have a commercial waterways license, so you do not need to worry about anything other than having fun – and trying not to fall in. But I’m pleased to say – although it didn’t happen when I went out with Lara – when you do fall in, it’s not all that bad. “The British canal and river network has so many

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O&A WINTER 2020