Not being able to get out on the water at the moment might be tough. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use your time wisely to help you learn, gather skills and knowledge, and keep connected with your paddling buddies. For ideas on what to do if you’re twiddling your thumbs, we’ve come up with a few suggestions. Stay safe, stay home and use this time for planning future adventures or brushing up on skills and knowledge to put into practice later in the year. Here are our top 4 paddling related things to do in lockdown.

Get into some theory

Yawn. Yes we know, the idea of theory practice takes you back to your music exam days, or shivering with fear as you head into the driving exam test room. But theory can be a pretty useful tool in your kit box. Use your new found down time wisely. If you’re looking to start paddling white water soon, read some books or watch some videos about how to read water. Learn about things like eddies, gradings and white water rescue techniques. There’s some great advice in this digital library from Paddle UK to whet the appetite. If you’re looking to get into more touring trips or sea kayaking later this year, read up on weather conditions, wave patterns and boat types. You might not be able to get on the water, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use this time to learn new skills.

Plan your biggest, best adventure to date – with all the trimmings

Plan, plan, plan… and plan some more! Use your spare time from not being on the water, to plan for a paddle trip instead. You might want to undertake a challenge or trail. Or you might fancy planning an adventure from scratch using PaddlePoints. Whatever you choose, plan something positive to look forward to!

Host a paddle related quiz for friends and family

Virtual quizzes have all of a sudden gone viral! Use google hangouts or zoom to set up a quiz with your normal paddling buddies. You could all pick a topic, doesn’t have to all be padding related, and see who will be crowned ‘King or Queen of the Paddle!’

Think about your next steps

Is there something within paddling you’ve always wanted to do? Perhaps you’d been eyeing up a course, or wanted to get more into a certain discipline? Use this time to consider your next steps in Paddlesport. This handy tool from the Paddle UK coaching team might help!

Well what are you waiting for… use your time wisely! Got any more you’d like to see added to the list? Drop us a message on Facebook!