Kayaking At Rother Valley

Today, we went kayaking at Rother Valley Country Park, which is not far from Rotherham, South Yorkshire. We didn't go alone: our church is organised into communities (ours comprises about 30 people), which, on the fourth Sunday of each month, do church in a different way. We try and vary what we get up to: maybe a walk, a picnic, or a museum visit. There are lots of different reasons why we choose to do this, but one is so that we can simply enjoy being together. It's kind of like a day out with the extended family, and guests are very welcome.

I grew up messing about in boats of various kinds, and when we had children, I really wanted them to enjoy the excitement of being out on the water, too. We have a couple of inflatable kayaks, which we invested in a while ago. One will take three people, and the other seats two.

The pump's included, but you have to supply your own human.

My dad suggested inflatables when we were looking around for family kayaks, and while I was a bit doubtful at first, having only ever used fibreglass or plastic ones, they are excellent. They're easier to store than conventional kayaks, surprisingly durable and considerably cheaper too. Ours are both made by Sevylor, and are available from various stockists including Decathlon (www.decathlon.co.uk). While it's true that there is a bit of outlay involved initially, once you have your essential equipment - boat, paddle, buoyancy aid - you're sorted, and depending on where you go, there are plenty of places to paddle for free. The only other thing it's worth purchasing is a wetsuit, which children do have an annoying tendency to outgrow, but these can, of course, be passed down from older siblings.

It costs £8.50 per day to launch a kayak on the lake at Rother Valley, but it's cheaper if you go after 4pm and the lake is open until 7:30pm in the summer. If you don't have any kayaking experience, it's advisable to get some basic instruction to begin with. There are courses available at Rother Valley. See the website for more details: www.rvcp.co.uk . If you're not in South Yorkshire but you'd like to find out more about kayaking, check out the Canoe England website for information: www.canoe-england.org.uk