Canoe Journeys- Dalsland Lake District, Sweden Canoe Journeys- Dalsland Lake District, Sweden| Skills Level: This activity is suitable for beginners with no previous canoeing experience. An adventurous outlook, familiarity with camping, and a sense of humour are necessary. We have experience of enabling people with a disability to paddle with us and would be happy to discuss and assess any specific needs prior to booking. | |
Example Itinerary |
Weather conditions may necessitate variation |
Day 1 People fly individually or as a group to Goteborg where they will be met and transfered by road to Dals-Ed two hours to the north. Refreshements will be provided during the transfer. After arrival and check-in at the Hotel Dalsland, your guides Jim and Paul will welcome you over tea/coffee/cakes and answer any questions you have. They will also provide you with waterproof barrels to pack for your use on the lake. Afterwards, you will be able to use the hotel sauna, spa, pool, or solarium, just relax as you wish, or walk into town, to buy beer, wine, etc., for the trip. In the evening, you will have another opportunity over dinner to get to know other people and quiz your guides. |
Explore this canoeist's paradise |
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Day 2 Breakfast in your hotel. At 10 am your guides will meet you. Your barrels will be taken to Canodal - the journey starting point, and your travel cases will be stored for your return. A short walk along a nature trail will give you some background to Ed's history and then at Canodal we will introduce you to our outfitter, equip you with paddles, buoyancy aids and other equipment. You will then have a safety briefing and lunch. Exploring the lakeside Rafting up for a snack After lunch, we will set off and paddle to our first destination a few miles north. There will be a break for tea/coffee/cake on route and you will find this to be a recurring feature of the trip. On arrival at our destination, we will set up camp. While you relax, Jim and Paul will be preparing dinner which is cooked on wood fires. After dinner, the next day's plan is outlined and then people usually socialize around the fire, retiring for a good night's sleep whenever they wish. |
Day 3 onwards 7.30 am Tea/coffee will be delivered to you at your tent, if you wish, and then you can join us for breakfast. The day's plan will be discussed and adjusted to suite wishes and the weather. If we are moving camp, we will be on the water by 10.30 am and will aim to arrive at our next campsite by 4.30 pm. We will have lunch on the way, and probably tea and cake as well!
After setting up our camp, you will be able to relax, enjoy other interest's etc., while Jim and Paul prepare dinner. If you want to help or learn about cooking with wood, you will be most welcome to assist. After dinner, plans are outlined and discussed while people socialize round the fire. There will be an opportunity to have a late paddle and see nocturnal wildlife. |
Menu du Bois: You will be treated to a wide variety of cuisine in the evenings from around the world - chosen from Italian, Chinese, Asian, etc., - starting with a traditional Swedish meal. If you catch any fish, that will make a great meal too. There will be plenty to choose from for breakfast and lunch. You can experiment with making buiscuits/cakes or anything else you want to create on wood fires.
Things to learn about 'Canoeing in Comfort': looking out for each other and other water users, sitting and kneeling, paddle strokes, trimming your boat, rafting up, how to get a canoe to go in a straight line, how to turn, how to go sideways, communicating with your partner, when to stay and when to go, what to do if you fall in, water language, blending in with the environment, making drinks, and more. Options to be enjoyed over the trip: Relax, snooze, read, draw, paint, learn paddling skills, take photos, observe wildlife, explore, swim, experiment with camp craft etc., etc. Prior to the trip, you will have told us about your interests and hobbies and we hope that you will take the time to enjoy them.
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A semi-wilderness area which is home to Ospreys, King's Eagles, Goosanders, Black-throated Divers, Moose, Wild Boar, Beavers, and magical moments. |
Last Canoeing Day Tea/coffee/breakfast as usual, followed by a short journey to our pick up point where we will have lunch. You will be transfered back to the Hotel Dalsland in Dals-Ed where we hope you will take full advantage of the sauna, pool, spa, etc. In the evening, we will have a celebration dinner, and we hope you will have a tale of adventure or something you have made, to share with everyone else about your trip. |
Final Day Breakfast in your hotel. Transfer to Goteborg for flights. Refreshements will be provided during the transfer.
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Unspoilt- for more pictures see http://www.jinaka.co.uk/webpic/swed0805/swaug05p.htm |
Your Guides
Paul and Jim enjoy the pleasures that travelling and playing on water brings. They have
many years of experience of living and working in the countryside and live in the
Yorkshire Dales. They hold coaching qualifications awarded by the British Canoe Union
covering the skills required for journeying on open water in canoes. Individually they
also have other skills in mountaineering, bushcraft, caving, kayaking, and sailing as well
as a good knowledge of plants, birds, fish and rocks. With 2 guides, you have the option
to split a group some days depending on the weather and have more flexibility and variety
in a journey. Your guides will be on hand to coach you in canoeing skills, pass on country
skills and respond to your questions and suggestions, without being intrusive.
Equipment required: (A complete list will be
sent to you when you book.)
Remember it's easy to cool down, much more difficult to keep warm.
| A sense of humour | A spare sense of humour in case the first one gets wet. | Check List |
| Clothing suitable for canoeing | Warm outdoor clothing which dries quickly, if it gets wet. E.g. walking gear is OK. AVOID cotton. | |
| Fleece- warm top and bottoms. | ||
| Sun hat, or warm hat and gloves. | ||
| Over trousers | ||
| Cagoule | ||
| A change of warm clothing | And a reasonably waterproof bag, if you have wet clothes. (We provide waterproof barrels). |
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| Spare clothes | Always play safe and have spare. Don't forget sleeping clothes. |
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| Footwear | Some footwear is essential. Wellies are suitable, trainers/sandals also. | |
| A medical declaration | These are confidential and must be completed at booking. | |
| Food | Included | |
| Personal dietary needs | You must inform Jinaka of these at the time of booking | |
| Treat o'clock | Something edible to share | |
| Personal needs | Sun block, etc. | |
| Personal Medication e.g. inhalers | ||
| Alcoholic or similar refreshements (not provided) | ||
| Equipment | Sleeping mat- essential- NO sleep = a GRUMPY punter | |
| Sleeping bag - essential | ||
| Tents optional- You can bring your own if you wish | ||
| A mug for tea/coffee/juice, etc. | ||
| Please avoid bringing | Valuables, documents or other items liable to damage by water |
Documents/valuables: We do
not think there is any reason for you to bring unnecessary documents or valuables with
you. Please leave anything unnecessary at home.
Health: A confidential
medical questionnaire must be completed, returned and received prior to a booking being
accepted. Insurance is NOT covered in the cost. Whilst there will be a first aid kit on
the trip, we would recommend that you pack any personal medication that you may require.
Safety and Emergency Procedures relevant to
our activities have been identified and are available prior to booking. On a journey, they
will be introduced and/or practised at the relevant times.
Itinerary: Any proposed
itinerary is an outline which will be followed subject to environmental factors, the most
obvious of which is the weather. Your safety is paramount. Within this outline, we can be
flexible and adapt each day's activities according to personal and group decisions. You
will be encouraged to paddle with different partners and in different canoe positions and
you may have the option to split into two groups. Canoeing provides a lovely opportunity
to journey on water, explore the woods and landscape as well as indulge in bird watching,
fishing, geology, botany, sketching/painting, photography, or other country interests
according to people's preferences. Identifying your interests on our journey questionnaire
(provided at booking) will assist us in providing background information.
Skills: Canoeing is an
activity that is suitable for all ages. It provides a mode of transport that is ideal for
observing and enjoying nature. Canoeing uses more coordination than strength so there will
be no need for you to have anything other than a reasonable level of fitness. There are
many skills that will be demonstrated and used throughout an activity/journey, some of
which are canoeing skills while others are related to living with nature. A key objective
for an activity/journey is to see how comfortable we can be and we shall be exploring
skills that contribute to this. It is not necessary for you to have any water skills prior
to an activity/journey. However, it is important that you will be able to be comfortable
sitting in a canoe for from a few minutes up to an hour and a half at a time, as well as
be calm in the event of an involuntary swim. We avoid getting wet as it is unnecessary,
but unplanned swims do happen. If you have any doubts about this, you should
reconsider the appropriateness of canoeing.
To make an enquiry or to book, please send us a message
and we will reply to you.
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