If you want to learn to paddleboard in the Welsh capital, there are not many places better than Radyr weir on the river Taff in North Cardiff.
The first use of a weir at Radyr (from the Welsh ‘Rhaeadr’, meaning waterfall) was by the Normans, as a fish trap. It has since been used to siphon water to feed the Melingriffith canal and is now used to provide hydroelectric power when the river levels are high enough.
The pool created by the weir creates an ideal spot for beginners learning Watersports, including stand up paddle boarding.
Here is the basic structure of the SUP lessons we run at Radyr Weir.
When you arrive, we begin with a little bit of prone paddling, lying on your board and paddling with your hands. Then up onto your knees to learn the basic paddle strokes and, when you’re ready, up to your feet and paddle on!
Once you’ve practiced the basic strokes, we take a slow paddle upstream, using your new skills, all the way under the M4 and the iron footbridge to take in the beautiful view of Castell Coch, standing as proud as a folly can, on the hillside in front of you.
Keep paddling gently as far as the water testing shed (any further and it becomes too shallow/ too fast-flowing), and from here you can hold your position on the river to continue enjoying the view.
Once you’ve had your fill of the glorious vista, turn your board around and float your way back downstream to the pool.
If there’s time (and the inclination) we’ll develop the skills which you already know and hopefully learn some new ones along the way. At the pool, we can practice the all-important self-rescues and maybe peer rescues too.
As we keep trying to reiterate, all the tuition is at your pace. We never make you do anything you don’t want to – if you don’t want to stand up on the board, you don’t have to. This is a relaxed learning environment where you learn at your speed, with gentle encouragement from us.
With all that in mind, it’s time to book your lesson at https://bit.ly/RadyrWeirSUPTuition
And don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter at https://www.outdoorexplore.wales
We hope to see you out on the water soon!