Ahoy there! Take to the high seas with Moo Canoes this spring.
Well, high seas may be a slight exaggeration. But the waters of Regent’s Canal, Limehouse Basin, and Hackney Marshes will do in a pinch, and Moo Canoes will help you navigate them all. Time to commandeer a vessel, declare yourself admiral of the fleet, and chase that horizon!
Your ship of choice is either a kayak or a canoe, but either way, it has a distinctly bovine look. Hence the name Moo Canoes, one suspects. They’ll have you moooving down the river in no time, but please, don’t milk the cow puns for too long. The boats seat two people in a kayak or three in canoes, so you’ve got enough space to bring along a first mate and more. Maybe a deckhand, navigator, or perhaps a cabin boy? The choice is yours, skip.
Moo Canoes offers the choice of individual rentals to strike out alone (very Lewis and Clark of you), or group trips if you’d prefer to move as a flotilla. Happily, there’s no experience needed to pilot these boats, so devoted land-lubbers are just as welcome as veteran seafarers. There’s twelve different routes of varying difficulty, leading everywhere from Angel to Clapton, and home port is either Moo Canoes in the Limehouse Basin, or from The Milk Float in Hackney Wick.
Whilst these leisurely jaunts on the water cost money, there is a way to canoe for free. Moo Canoes run a monthly canal litterpick, whereby volunteers jump in the boats for free, and canoodle along whilst cleaning up rubbish and debris from the river. A great way to keep active whilst helping the environment methinks, and you can find out more here.
For something with a little less stability and a little more intrigue, Moo Canoes also rent paddleboards. Launching from Popular Union, each Sunday brings the opportunity to paddle around the Limehouse Basin whilst standing up. Of course, this ups your chances of taking an inadvertant dip, but what’s life without a little danger, eh?
Location: Main office is at . Nearest station is Limehouse. See it on Google Maps. Alternatively, hire them from The Milk Float, Hackney Wick, E9 5EN. Nearest station is Hackney Wick. See it on Google Maps.
Opening hours: open for hire between 10am and 6pm on weekends, but you can arrange sessions outside of these hours by contacting them directly.
Price: a £60 pass from Fever will send you and up to two friends on a two-hour paddling expedition. Otherwise, kayaks are £26 to rent for an hour, canoes are £36, but this can be split amongst your crew. Each extra hour costs £10, regardless of your ship. Litterpicking voyages are free to attend.
More information: from their website.
Featured image: @dirtywknd
More river-based activities in London:
⚓️ Drop Anchor At London’s Floating Bookshop
? Find Peace In Paddington’s Serene Floating Park
? Bob Along The Canal In A Floating Hot Tub
? Commandeer This Boat For A Waterborne Picnic