Cumbria Canoeists Muck Sea Kayak Experience May 2025

A report compiled by Mike Sunderland
Going back 5yrs, the sea kayak Muck Experience was an innovative “sea kayak immersion course”, that Cumbria Canoeists had never delivered before, proposed by three volunteers, after a personal week’s paddling round the Small Isles, ending in a rest-over on the Isle of Muck.  
The back cloth is unbeatable, a bunk house on a sheltered shore, a west and an east coast accessible on foot, plenty of wildlife to keep us entertained and Island folk keen to support our experience - shell fisherman, cafe, community hall and a lodge to celebrate a birthday.
The dye was set, an experienced and qualified team of coach leaders (3/4) were excited to join the delivery team and the event was launched - the rest is history.
Each year we have developed the training programme to fit the needs of the paddling team who join us - mainly sea kayakers with one or two seasons under their belts and a common theme of “I want to learn and improve my skills and boat handing in the ocean”
So, let’s hear how some of the 10 paddlers managed to develop their sea kayaking experiences on the Cumbria Canoeists’ 2025 Muck Experience by either clicking on the link below to their feedback (which I did not want to truncate). You can also see a video of one of our wildlife encounters here.

First Hand Feedback from the Muck 2025 Participants and Delivery Team
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Thanks all, for your contributions, and such positive feedback from participants, which drives us to continue volunteering to deliver such a great week’s sea kayaking experience to those “keen to learn”.  
You have motivated us to plan another May Muck Experience for 2026 and have already had a number of “expressions of interest”, so contact me if you feel you would enjoy and benefit from  this style sea kayak training.
Mike Sunderland (organiser), Dave Watson, Mac Knowles and John Soady
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All volunteers for Cumbria Canoeists

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