Wildlife Access & Environment

You and the environment

As sports, Canoeing and kayaking are widely regarded to have a benign environmental impact. It is however important for all paddlers to be aware of their responsibilities in helping ensure the environment is protected and enhanced for all.

British Canoeing would like to see the outdoors open to all sustainable recreational pursuits & to all responsible recreational users. This will enable the public to enjoy the health and well-being benefits of recreation in, on or beside water.

You can see their campaign Clear Access Clear Waters here.
You can see the update on where we are one year into the campaign here
You can find the new Clear Access Clear Waters web page and access the petition here

Environmental help and advice

We’re here to raise awareness of the importance of our native species and their habitats in our water environment. We are also actively involved in efforts to improve water quality in our waters, benefiting the natural ecosystem and paddlers alike. Here is guidance on how you can get involved in environmental projects, as well as information on some of the common environmental issues affecting paddlers.

The following documents deal with aspects of Canoeing & the Environment

You, your Canoe and the Environment
You, your Canoe and the Marine Environment
Wildlife watching in the Walney Channel Cumbria Wildlife trust advise that canoeists/kayakers can come ashore for a rest at the groyne at South East Point, so long as they remain close to the water’s edge and avoid any flocks of resting birds. To protect the dunes and nesting birds in this area you cannot access the hide from this landing point. Further north past the boundary wall of the reserve you can come ashore where ever you like. In addition they have recently (winter 2018) had very high levels of disturbance to the seals over the past few months – with about half as many resting on the beach as at this time last year, presumably scared away despite our efforts!

Vertical Divider

National Trust Beach Cleans

St Bees 30 January 10h30 - 12h00
26 March 14h00 - 15h30
28 May 10h30 - 12h00
30 July 14h00 - 15h30
24 September 10h30 - 12h00
26 November 10h30 - 12h00

Whitehaven Beach
27 February 10h00 - 11h30
30 April   10h30 - 12h00
25 June   10h30 - 12h00
27 August   14h00 - 15h30
29 October   14h00 - 15h30
17 December   10h30 - 12h00

Beach Cleans - Cumbria Wild Life Trust

Do you hate seeing plastic and other waste along our beaches? Volunteers are determined to tackle the waste that washes up on our coast line. Why not join them this autumn? They are organising beach cleans along the northern coasts on the following dates:

Blue Dial Beach Thursday 30 January 2020 10.00 - 12.00 Blue Dial Farm, Near Allonby, Cumbria, CA15 6PB
South Walney Nature Reserve Saturday 15 February 2020 10.30 - 12.30 South Walney, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, LA14 3YQ

For further information, including meeting places for these efforts, visit http://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on

Solway Coast Beach Cleans - Fix the Firth Contact: John Gorrill

Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Path up-date

Latest for paddlers: Bridge repair
Strengthening work is ongoing on Rawsome’s Bridge. There is currently plant machinery and concrete structures in the river approximately 1km downstream of Threlkeld Bridge, River Greta. The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of October. High water levels have made work to stabilise Rawsome’s Bridge difficult, but concrete rings for the temporary supports have been constructed and a temporary weir has been installed to deflect flows from the work area. Work to rebuild and strengthen existing abutments to support the new bridge at Brundholme Bottoms is also underway. In river work to replace the bridges over the Greta is also planned for 2020.
You can find all the latest information here or by clicking on the map.