Saturday dawned and after a short briefing in a cafe we headed to the shores of Llyn Tegid. Many open water skills were covered and much fun & learning was had by all, the squally showers were all but forgotten.
It was an excellent gathering with a vast amount of experience and skills being pooled. Before we knew it, the light was fading and we were heading back towards the car park.
Sunday dawned another breezy yet bright day, I took myself off to the town bridge, River Dee, to capture a couple of images in the warm morning light.
It was soon time to meet the rest of the group further up stream. A quick shuttle of cars and we were ready for our day on the river. Having done very little white water I was very much on the edge of my comfort zone for most of the day. Never the less it was an amazing day with much learnt and personal paddle and leadership skills advanced.
It was a real pleasure watching some other members of the group perform. Beth was an extremely capable paddler and very much at home on the river.
Of course none of this would have been possible without Ray Goodwin's commitment in giving us the best experience and the greatest learning opportunities possible - he's quite handy in a boat too..
An excellent two days, we have some amazingly talented and experienced course providers in the UK. For those taking the same pathway I would strongly recommend seeking out and working with several of these instructors. Your own development will be enhanced and skills reinforced.
On a personal level and with some exceptional feedback I have identified some areas which I need to work on to obtain the required standard of a 4* canoe paddler. Leaderships skills transfer very well from a sea environment but I need to spend more time in moving water. With a little commitment and work, this will happen.
Many thanks to both Ray Goodwin and Lizzie Harrington for the excellent images.
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