Canoe & Kayak UK
Encyclopedia
Canoe & Kayak UK is the best-selling British
canoeing magazine, published worldwide, covering British watersports. It covers all branches of canoeing and kayaking, but is primarily concerned with Sea, Surf and Whitewater paddling. The magazine team can be seen at many canoeing and outdoor sports event throughout the UK, such as the Kendal Mountain Festival
, Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show and the National Student Rodeo
.
In addition to the articles in the magazine the Canoe & Kayak website features a section of free articles posted monthly. These articles range from reviews of the latest gear to general how-to articles on getting started.
channel featuring watersports related video articles and tutorials, in addition to user submitted videos hosted
on the magazine website.
They also have a Faceboook page, where regular updates are posted of upcoming articles from the magazine.
locations and events. The site also hosts blogs from staff and official contributors to the magazine.
lead editor.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
canoeing magazine, published worldwide, covering British watersports. It covers all branches of canoeing and kayaking, but is primarily concerned with Sea, Surf and Whitewater paddling. The magazine team can be seen at many canoeing and outdoor sports event throughout the UK, such as the Kendal Mountain Festival
Kendal Mountain Festival
The Kendal Mountain Festival is an annual festival held in the town of Kendal, England, in the third week of November "to celebrate mountain culture in film, lectures, art and literature"...
, Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show and the National Student Rodeo
National Student Rodeo
National Student Rodeo is a freestyle kayaking event in the UK hosted by . The is now the biggest freestyle kayaking competition in the world, with 670 entrants and over 1000 party goers from 36 universities in 2008...
.
History
Canoe & Kayak UK has been published monthly in the UK since March 4th 2001 by Warners Group Publications, under their Warners Midlands Plc subsidiary , as part of their outdoor and sporting stable, which includes other magazines such as Boat Fishing Monthly, Climber and Camping Magazine.Regular features
The magazine has a number of features which appear every month in the magazine.- The Floater - A comment article from an anonymous contributor known only as "The Floater", much like The StigThe StigThe Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy...
of the paddling world. His column is invariably comedic and his subjects of discourse range from swans to the Olympics. - Horizon Lines – The news section, mainly covering paddling news within Britain or of British boaters. Also included within these pages are:
- RAC News – There is a column from Tamsin Phipps detailing the latest news about the Rivers Access CampaignRivers Access CampaignThe Rivers Access Campaign is being undertaken by the British Canoe Union to open up the inland water-ways in England and Wales on behalf of members of the public. Under current UK law, public access to rivers is restricted, and only 2% of all rivers in England and Wales have public access rights...
or related to water access issues and government proceedings related to the issue. - Technobabble – A column with excerpts from the forum or website. These may often be photos which have been posted by users on the website, or a question which someone has asked on the forum.
- EDCASE – A page written by Ed Smith, a leading whitewater and freestyle kayaker. His column is often autobiographical and mainly concerned with the whitewater and freestyle scene within the UK.
- Most Wanted – A multi page section with details of newly released kit, and clothing. There is generally a short opinion statement from the magazine testers but the equipment featured has not been tested robustly by the testing team.
- The Toolbox – A regular feature written by Ross Montandon, the assistant editor of the magazine. It provides tips on successful and best practice coaching of canoeing and kayaking.
- PyB – A section written each month by one of the top coaches at Plas y BreninPlas y BreninPlas y Brenin, is currently the The National Mountain Centre for Wales . The Centre is situated in Dyffryn Mymbyr, the Mymbyr Valley, in Snowdonia and is less than a quarter of a mile south-west of the centre of Capel Curig on the A4086 road....
, the welsh national outdoor centre. The article may be anything from rescue technique to a guide on what kit to take on a multi-day trip or expedition. - River Jabber – One of the longest running features, in this section a prominent canoeist is interviewed on the subject of their favourite river or place to paddle. The questions follow the same pattern each month, asking the best and worst experiences the paddler has had on the river.
- CKUK Women - Written by Emily Wall, this is a special section dedicated to women and their involvement in the sport. It may be of a philosophical nature, or may feature women who have been very successful canoeists.
- Club Scene - Each month members of the team travel to a Canoe Club in the UK, and attend one of their meetings.
- Competition – Each month there is a competition for a piece of kit, often a kayak or newly released piece of clothing. The competitions are free to enter online or can be entered by post.
- Gear Test - Each month the team test a number of pieces of canoeing gear. The use a large team of staff, so that they can give real opinions on how well the kit works for people of varying sizes and with different amounts of experience.
- Nosebag - This section outlines a recipe which has been designed for cooking with minimal equipment, ideal for multi day trips.
In addition to the articles in the magazine the Canoe & Kayak website features a section of free articles posted monthly. These articles range from reviews of the latest gear to general how-to articles on getting started.
Local coverage
The magazine attends local canoeing events across the country, for example during September 2009, staff visited the Wychavon Kayak and Canoe Club for a pool session.Social networks
The magazine has its own YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel featuring watersports related video articles and tutorials, in addition to user submitted videos hosted
on the magazine website.
They also have a Faceboook page, where regular updates are posted of upcoming articles from the magazine.
Blog
The magazine website hosts a blog section that invites readers to contribute feedback on the magazine and their own articles on canoeing and kayakinglocations and events. The site also hosts blogs from staff and official contributors to the magazine.
Forum
The magazine also has an internet forum in which the editor and writers regularly interact with the readership. Certain questions are posed on a monthly basis with select answers from forum members appearing in the magazine. Forum users can also request articles to be featured by thelead editor.
Competitions and free gifts
The magazine runs regular competitions in which replying readers have a chance to win free watersport equipment. The magazine also often offers free equipment as a gift to new subscribers.Contributors
- Olly Sanders
- Jim Evans
- Lucinda Manouch
- Chris 'Air' Harvey
- Tom Laws
- Chris Wheeler
- Ed Smith