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Active Sports is a provider of recreational adventure at its best, providing activities and adventure in the Air, on the Water, and over Land, to industry, education, and the general public.IntroductionWe pride ourselves in these two disciplines with over 35 years of experience. Based in the Borders, many of the courses we run are well catered for by the local rivers, such as The Tweed, Teviot, Border Esk, Ettrick, Yarrow and many more. Although we have great variety in the Borders, we like to indulge ourselves and run many trips north, adding as many rivers and lochs to our log books as we can. We have courses for every need:
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Cost
per head |
1/2day
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1 day |
1 day |
Individual one-to- one private coaching |
£POA |
£POA |
£POA |
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Private Group of 2 |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
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Private Group of 3 |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
Private Group of 4 |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
Private Group of 5 |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
Private Group of 6 or more |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
£POA per head |
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Two Day Scottish Border Open Canoe Chill-out Experience |
BEGINNERS - This course is for the complete beginner, introducing you to the equipment and the skills required to confidently make progress throughout the next two days. The first day normally see us learning how to paddling as a team of two and making our way down the very scenic Tweed valley. (subject to climatic conditions)
Its a great way to spend a few days with the family and friends paddling down famous Scottish Rivers such as the Tweed and Teviot, spotting wild life such as Heron, Dippers, Goosanders, Tufted Duck, Kingfishers, Woodpeckers, Salmon, Trout, Deer and if you are luck inquisitive Otters!
The nature of the Tweed and Teviot allows us to tailor our trips to your needs, as we are well aware that not all of us want the excitement of white water. When we go canoeing we always take a picnic: crisps, biscuits, sweets, lemonade, a selection of cheese, and of course the wine (low alcohol of course!) It's brill, stopping half way down the river chilling out! Sometimes its such a hard life being an instructor!
The mileage of the second day paddling tends to be a bit longer due to the fact that we do not need to spend as much time with you on how to paddle. Again the trips tailored to your needs. The rivers lend them self very well to photography for those who have an eye of seeing things from a different prospective.
On these trips we like to keep a low profile when paddling so not to disturb the wild life, so all our groups are small normally no more than three boats, including the Instructors, please keep this in mind when considering a booking.
IMPROVERS - This course is a lead on from our beginners course, introducing you to a wider range of equipment and the skills required to confidently progress in your new mode of transport. The first day paddling is on a static site involving moving water skills, like breaking in and out, ferry gliding, support strokes on the move, surfing waves, stopper work and river reading, with a short river trip. The second day paddling is a longer river trip with a stronger focus on how to cope with rapids. demanding much more on your newly developed boating skills, good luck!
Please note the above course can be tailored for solo paddlers
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COURSE |
2 DAY DOUBLE (two in a boat) CANOE ONLY |
2 DAY
SOLO CANOE ONLY |
Beginners |
£POA per head |
£POA |
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Improvers |
£POA per head |
£POA |
Any additional days charged at £100 per day pre head | |
Wild camping is optional at an additional cost of £50 per head per night. |
Tent | |
Ground matt | |
Sleeping bag | |
Cooking equipment |
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COURSE |
2
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2 DAY DOUBLE (two in a boat) CANOE ONLY |
2 DAY
SOLO CANOE ONLY |
Beginners |
£POA |
£POA per head |
£POA |
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Improvers |
£POA |
£POA per head |
£POA |
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Intermediates |
£POA |
£200 per head |
£POA |
Introduction to Advanced |
£POA |
£POA per head |
£POA |
Course Description For Canoeing And Kayaking:
BEGINNERS - This course is for the complete beginner, introducing you to various types of equipment and the skills required to confidently progress in your new sport. The first day paddling is on a flat water section of the "River Tweed" with an introduction to "rapids" during the later part of your day. Capsize drill will be practised at the end of this day if you haven't already done so! The second day paddling is a river trip (river Tweed) with rapids, placing demands on your newly developed boating skills.
IMPROVERS - This course is a lead on from our beginners course, introducing you to a wider range of equipment and the skills required to confidently progress in your new sport. The first day paddling is on a static site involving moving water skills ("River Tweed") like breaking in and out, ferry gliding, support strokes on the move, surfing waves, stopper work and river reading. The second day paddling is a river trip (river Tweed) with a strong focus on rapids, demanding much more on your newly developed boating skills, good luck!
INTERMEDIATES - This course will introduce you to a more intense way of paddling, developing boat positioning, timing, inspection, river reading, protection on rapids and developing existing skills such as breaking in and out, ferry gliding, hinging draws, prying, surfing waves, support strokes on the move, stopper work, rolling, and rescues. During the two days we will try to focus on one particular rapid, but river trips (based in the borders) will be an option on both days depending on river conditions.
INTRODUCTION TO ADVANCED - This course will introduce you to a more serious way of paddling, developing boat positioning, timing, inspection, river reading, protection on rapids and developing existing skills with specific focus on areas of weakness. High staff to student ratios combined with top level coaching will give you maximum opportunity for improvement.
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Open Canoeing Holidays, Courses and Expeditions in Scotland-
Our open canoeing holidays are a superb way to discover and explore the wilderness and beauty of Scotland. Canoes are a great way to travel in the wilderness as they are fairly easy to handle and can carry all of your kit - which is a lot less demanding than carrying it on your back!
'River Tweed Descent' trips involve a rewarding point-to-point journey over four or five days. Our starting points vary depending on river conditions but our normal first day put in point is around the Tweedsmuir area with us finishing at Berwick four or five days latter
The trip is suitable for people with no previous experience of canoeing and makes for a wonderful first canoe expedition. You will need reasonable fitness to cope with canoeing for four or five days in a row, and to be out wild camping with no facilities for three or four consecutive nights.
As you would expect in an adventure holiday, things sometimes don't quite go to plan, and the weather or other factors can partly dictate the final itinerary of a trip. However, our experienced guides and support team will always ensure that you get the most out of your holiday in Scotland.
The expeditions begin with our guide running an introductory session on the basic skills and safety procedures involved in open canoeing. Then we load up the canoes and start our journey from source to mouth,
Cooking on these expeditions is a group activity and everyone is asked to get involved throughout the trip, we practice a ‘leave no trace’ policy, so that we can be sure we are not damaging these beautiful but fragile landscapes. By the end of the expedition, we hope you will leave feeling that you know the area quite intimately and hope you will find yourself wondering which trip to come on next.
EXPEDITION: River Tweed Decent
DURATION: Four to five days (subject to River conditions and group ability)
TIME OF YEAR: May to September (as required)
GRADE OF EXPEDITION DIFFICULTY: Medium
RIVER GRADING: 1-3
WILD CAMPING: Yes
GATHERING POINT: Melrose head office
FAREWELL POINT: Melrose head office or Berwick, depending on individual arrangements.
EQUIPMENT: Canoes, Paddles, Buoyancy aids, Water proof barrels, Transport (for shuttle)
COST:
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Group size |
Cost per head |
| 1 | £POA |
| 2 | £POA |
| 3 | £POA |
| 4-8 | £POA |
Tent | |
Ground matt | |
Sleeping bag | |
Cooking equipment | |
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Food (Please note we do not cater for special diets) |
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUPPLY
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Any Special dietary food | |
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Spare clothing | |
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Sun creams etc. |
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CANOEING FAMILY PACK, RIVER TRIP WITH RAPIDS 2 ADULTS + 1 OR 2 CHILDREN UNDER 11 YEARS, ALL IN ONE CANOE. £POA. | |
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RIVER GUIDE SERVICE: 1/2 DAY'S (3hrs) £POA FULL DAY'S (6hrs) £POA |
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RIVER GUIDE SERVICE WITH OUR EQUIPMENT HIRE £POA PER HEAD, FROM 1-6 HRS PER DAY, £POA CASH DAMAGE DEPOSIT REQUIRED PER KAYAK/CANOE. | |
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TRANSPORT PROVIDED AT £1 PER MILE FROM OUR HEAD OFFICE AT MELROSE |

Adventure on Wheels Ltd working together with Active Sports, are providers of tours and recreation at their best, providing activities with adventure, over Land and Water to industry, education, and the general public.
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