Solihull Canoe Club

Solihull Canoe Club is a welcoming and inclusive community organisation situated on the scenic Grand Union Canal in Catherine-de-Barnes near Solihull. Our charity’s aim is to encourage and facilitate the enjoyment of canoeing and kayaking for all ages and abilities, with a specific focus on marathon and sprint racing. As a Paddle UK (formerly British Canoeing) affiliated club, our team of experienced coaches are all Paddle UK-qualified and trained. Whether you’re looking to compete, improve your skills, or simply have fun on the water, Solihull Canoe Club is the ideal place to do so!

In addition to our regular Saturday morning and afternoon paddling sessions, we organise regular trips on rivers and canals throughout the Midlands, providing members with opportunities to explore beautiful waterways and hone their skills in diverse environments. We work closely with various schools and youth organisations to promote canoeing and encourage participation.

Our club boasts approximately 110 members of all ages, ranging from over seven to over seventies. We have a clubhouse and boatsheds situated next to the canal in Catherine-de-Barnes, with wheelchair-accessible toilets and clubhouse facilities.

We meet almost every Saturday, with racers in the morning and recreational paddlers in the afternoon. If you try one of our taster sessions and enjoy paddling with us, you are welcome to join our club. Membership is £45 for juniors and £60 for adults per year, valid until May 31st, with family membership discounts available. New members joining halfway through the year receive a 50% reduced rate. We consider requests for fee reduction or waiving, as well as payment by instalments, for individuals experiencing financial difficulties. There are no additional attendance fees for when you paddle.

We are a Paddle UK Quality Club – a sign that we have high standards at the club in the areas of governance, safeguarding and equality, diversity & inclusion.

Our club vision is: Empowering everyone to achieve their full potential in the sport of canoeing, both competitively and recreationally.

Our club values are:

Open to all:  We are a diverse and inclusive club – offering equal opportunities for everyone to participate in paddlesports at all levels.

Fun and sociable: We like to have fun and socialise – enjoying time on and off the water, at the club and further afield.

Safe and supportive: We provide a safe and supportive environment – enabling paddlers of all abilities to safely paddle and support each other.

Personal growth: We create opportunities for personal growth – developing proficiency in paddlesports and wider life skills.

Healthy environment: We take care of our members and environment – improving mental and physical well-being, and the natural environment.

Collaborative community: We encourage active involvement in all aspects of club life – ensuring all members can contribute to the success of the club.

Recreational Paddling

Our recreational paddling sessions take place every Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm in the spring and summer months and 1:30 pm when the clocks change in the winter. We offer a variety of kayaks and canoes for you to try out, and you can enjoy a leisurely paddle along the scenic canal. We also provide buoyancy aids and paddles for all our paddlers.

In addition to our regular paddling sessions, we organise trips approximately once a month . We also have seasonal paddles at Halloween and Christmas and participate in other organised paddles, such as Paddle UK’s ‘Paddle to the Heart’ and Leamington Spa Canoe Club’s ‘Doggie Paddle.’

If you have paddled before, you are welcome to join us for a taster session on a Saturday afternoon for a fee of £10, just contact us to arrange a date. If you enjoy your experience, we invite you to become a member of our friendly club.

If you are a beginner, you are welcome to join us in one of our taster sessions which usually take place on the first Saturday of the month during spring and summer. The beginner taster fee is £10 per person.

The taster sessions are usually a group of eight people and the club provides kayaks, paddles and buoyancy aids, which new and prospective members may use. We will provide you with the basic knowledge and skills to enable you to get on the water safely and make your boat move in all directions, with fun and games along the way.

No special clothing is required, sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms worn with a pair of light trainers or plimsolls are adequate. Paddlers should bring a cagoule in case of poor weather, a towel and a complete change of clothing.

To confirm you would like to come and have a go, please contact us to book a slot and receive details. For more information about taster sessions, including precautions and guidelines see our leaflet.

Our racing paddler sessions take place every Saturday morning at 9:30 for experienced racers and 10:30 for beginner and intermediate racers. 

As a canal-based club, marathon racing is our primary competition discipline. Our calendar is based on the 11-race series of British Canoeing Marathon Racing Midlands Region Hasler Trophy events, for which we are geographically well situated. These events have classes for three divisions at entry-level racing over 4 miles with no hazards, three intermediate divisions racing over 8 miles, and three top divisions racing over 12 miles, often including portages around locks or other hazards. This range of classes allows paddlers of all ages to enjoy a very family-oriented sport, with novices to international representative paddlers competing at the same venue.

At the end of the series, which runs from September to August, the top 6 clubs from the 18 in our region are invited to compete in the Hasler Trophy final against the top clubs from other Paddle UK regions, and we are proud to record that we usually qualify.

Paddlers compete in single or double kayaks and canoes, and our club has a comprehensive selection of entry-level craft to facilitate new members trying the discipline. The Marathon Racing Committee also organizes a National Championship with trophies for individual paddlers based on age and gender, and for club teams.

Running alongside the Hasler Trophy events are a series of races for paddlers under the age of 14 competing in junior single kayaks and junior double kayaks, with separate classes according to speed and age groups under 12 or under 14. Points are awarded towards an inter-club trophy dedicated to our founder president Geoff Sanders.

Paddlers from our club also compete in the famous 125-mile Devizes to Westminster race over the Easter period and a variety of other long-distance races, such as the Ross Warland Memorial Canal Challenge in Banbury and the Worcester Ring. For full information, see www.canoeracing.org.uk/marathon.

If you’d like to take part in any racing, please contact us.

Sprint racing is one of the two Olympic disciplines that we offer. The races are held over 500, or 1000 meters, and can be competed in 1, 2, or 4 person kayaks or canoes. Our team consists of former Internationals, top men’s A paddlers, and some very promising young athletes.

Our regattas provide a sociable weekend of exciting racing, and there are plenty of trade stands available for purchasing equipment. These events are held at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham.

There are five national events that require qualifying times, and several local events that do not.