Earlier this year ambassador Pam and creative director Elle took a short trip up to the beautiful Warkworth, Northumberland to try out Paddle boarding. "We booked with Northside Surf, a well established surf and paddle board school that offers lessons and experiences along the South Northumberland coast. We booked ahead and were given directions and instructions, advised to bring old trainers and a towel.....and obviously we brought our thermos of coffee!
Upon arrival we were greeted by John and Liam, sized up for our wetsuits and given a short health and safety induction. The whole sport is already set up to be socially distant as standing on a paddle board in the middle of a river requires a degree of space! Everything was obviously outdoor and the boards and paddles were cleaned and sprayed down before use.
Paddle boarding summed up is standing on a giant surf board and using your core, legs and upper body to balance on water.........whilst paddling…….and try not fall in.
Once on the water and sufficiently adapted to the rocking and rolling water, we embarked on a relaxing and fun trip toward the river mouth. Being on the river means you can have a bit of a nosey at all beautiful houses lining the river banks. It was the perfect mix of exercise, fun and relaxation. We managed to bully Liam, our guide, into doing a headstand which was a pretty impressive display of balance and strength!
On the way back, Elle tried to do some 360 spins, a trick involving a little trip to the back of the board and some strong paddling, needless to say she fell in countless times. The water was surprisingly warm and she was back on the board in no time.
We were really impressed with the set up, all of the equipment was top notch and the whole ethos was about fun and safety. Our trip out was alongside a family with children aged around 7 years and they totally loved it. We loved it too and totally recommend it!
