Courses
Please use the filter to find the perfect course for you!
5 Week Course
Looking to get involved in Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding (SUP), Open Water Swimming or Survival skills or learn new skills? Why not join us on one of our 5 week courses, which are run specifically for young people, adults or mixed ages for families.
You will take part in 5x 1.5 hour lessons for 5 consecutive weeks, with courses running during the day, evenings and weekends all year round!
Important info
1 Day Adult Introduction Course
Join us for a day to learn the basic skills of your chosen craft, be that a Paddleboard (SUP), Kayak or Canoe.
We'll go through all of the relevant skills & safety information to give you the knowledge to confidently control your boat/board and help you on your journey to becoming an independent paddler.
Over the course of the day your learn about the key areas of your boat/board as well as safety considerations to think about, and how to move your craft around confidently and effectively.
The aim of these days are to help you achieve your aims, answer any questions you have or just have a great day out on the water learning something new!
Important info
Course Options/Details
1 Day Kids Development Course
Join us for a day to learn the basic skills for Kayaking.
We'll go through all of the relevant skills & safety information to give you the knowledge to confidently control your boat and help you on your journey to becoming an independent paddler.
Over the course of the day your learn about the key areas of your boat as well as safety considerations to think about, and how to move your craft around confidently and effectively.
The aim of these days are to help you achieve your aims, answer any questions you have or just have a great day out on the water learning something new!
If the 1 day course isn't enough, when you complete the course, you can join our Kayak Club!
Important info
Course Options/Details
1 Day Introduction to White Water
Are you looking to move on to some white water?!
Join us for a fun day taking on white water on the local River Tay, where we'll suit the day to your ability and make sure you come out smiling and ready for more!
Over the course of the day we will look at river safety skills, reading the river to support our decision making and looking at those crucial skills that allow us to be successful when paddling in this environment.
This course is aimed at introducing people to white water and/or developing skills for those already paddling in this environment on the odd occasion.
To join this course you should be comfortable and confident paddling your craft in a flat water environment and be able to self rescue. If your not sure if this course is for you then get in touch to have a chat!
Important info
Course Options/Details
Development courses 16+
We'll go through all of the relevant skills & safety information to give you the knowledge to confidently control your craft and help you on your journey to becoming an independent paddler.
You'll learn about the key areas of your boat as well as safety considerations to think about, and how to move your craft around confidently and effectively.
The aim of these courses are to help you achieve your aims, answer any questions you have or just have a great day out on the water learning something new!
Important info
Paddlesports Safety and Rescue Course: British Canoeing
The British Canoeing Awarding Body:
This Course is also a pre-requisite for the Paddlesport Instructor Course.
Throughout the course, candidates will explore simple strategies and safe skills that can provide the tools to solve common paddling issues. The course is suitable for all ages and great for individuals, aspirant Paddlesports instructors and groups wanting to expand their safety practices when on the water. The course content focuses on rescuing from the paddlers specific craft and covers equipment, safety frameworks, as well as a range of rescues including contact and towing rescues, self-rescues and deep-water rescues.
Important info
£85per person
Paddlesport Instructor: British Canoeing
The British Canoeing Paddlesport Instructor Course is aimed at those running taster/starter sessions and short journeys in very sheltered water environments, within the safety management systems of clubs/centres or other organisations.
Important info
£180per person
Stand Up Paddleboard Instructor: British Canoeing
The Stand Up Paddleboard Instructor qualification is designed for instructors running SUP taster/starter sessions within the safety management systems of clubs, centres or other organisations in:
- Very Sheltered Water environments
- Stand Up Paddleboards deemed suitable for a first-time experience
The process of completing the qualification aims to help prepare candidates for their first SUP instructing role; ‘primed and ready’.
Course Length
2 days’ combined training and assessment
eLearning
Optional free BCAB Instructor eLearning will be available
Registration
You will need to register with your Delivery Centre ahead of your course. Registration will be available from December 2022. Visit your Delivery Centre website for further information (links below).
Important info
£180per person
Paddlesport Leader: British Canoeing
The Paddlesport Leader Award is a leadership qualification and is specifically aimed at people leading or looking to lead others in a sheltered water environment, such as canals, ungraded sections of rivers, estuaries, small lakes and lochs. The Paddlesport Leader Award is designed to support leaders to run safe, quality, enjoyable trips based on their group’s needs and aspirations.
Important info
Course Options/Details
SUP Safer: British Canoeing (Paddleboard Safety Course)
The SUP Safer course is designed for anyone new or a relative novice to stand up paddleboarding, wanting to gain knowledge and raise their awareness of their personal safety in a sheltered water environment.
The 4-hour programme is delivered within the sheltered water environment, where you will explore and learn to appreciate the potential hazards you might encounter and be prepared to avoid or deal with them.
The aim of the course is to set you up in a way that allows you to be more independent with more knowledge to make effective decisions and when, where and if to paddle!
Important info
£45per person
Core Coach Training: British Canoeing
The Core Coach Training is open to all paddlers regardless your discipline or previous coaching experience.
During this course, you will explore different approaches to understanding and enabling learning. You will also be supported in evolving your personal coaching development plan to enable you to take your learning into practice after the course.
The training is available as a two day practical course, where we will look at a range of subjects to support our journeys as coaches. The course has a mix of classroom and water based time and you should expect be spend plenty of time on the water putting theory into practice.
For qualified coaches, this can form part of your continuous professional development and has a value of 20 CPD points.
Important info
£180per person
Coastal Navigation & Tidal Planning: British Canoeing
The British Canoeing Awarding Body Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning Training is designed for those paddlers carrying out coastal journeys. This includes islands up to 2 nautical miles offshore in areas of tidal movement up to 2 knots and is a prerequisite for those seeking their British Canoeing Sea Kayak Leader Award or Coastal Stand Up Paddleboard Leader Award.
However, anyone wishing to undertake a paddlesport journey on the sea would find the technical and theoretical aspects not only useful, but essential for safe travel in the marine environment!
Important info
£75per person
Private Coaching
Looking to achieve a specific outcome or further your skills specific to your needs? We offer 1-2-1 or small group private coaching, specific to your needs. This can include paddleboarding (sheltered water, touring, white water & coastal), kayaking (sheltered water, touring, white water or sea) & canoeing (touring or white water)
Sessions can be anything from 1 hour to multiple days to suit your needs.
You can either bring your own equipment or we can supply it as part of the cost of the sessions.
Sessions range from £50 an hour to £200 for a full day with a private coach!
Important info
Course Options/Details
Kayak Roll Clinic - 1 hour
This is perfect for those kayakers who are looking to learn to roll or get rid of some of those pesky bad habits! These sessions are generally based at our larger lagoon near the Willowgate café as this is shallower and allows us to help you more!
Over the winter period we usually offer some pool sessions, so please do get in touch if this also interests you.
Important info
£50per person
Stand-Up Paddleboard Coach Awards: British Canoeing
Do you love being on a board, and want to share your love with others? Why not work towards becoming a SUP coach!
We have a variety of British Canoeing courses available for those wanting to coach paddleboarding. The British Canoeing Awards are designed to ensure that their coaches are as prepared as possible to deliver a high end product ensuring safety, personal performance and paddling technique, alongside all the coaching theory and soft skills needed to be an excellent paddleboard coach.
Regardless of what environment you're interested in coaching in, Willowgate can run the coaching course to suit you. For all British Canoeing stand-up paddleboard courses, participants must attend a two day training course followed by a 1 day assessment. Each course has its own pre-requisites which are listed below each course.
We look forward to helping you on your coaching journey, in our eyes, the more people paddleboarding the better!
Important info
Stand-Up Paddleboard Leadership Awards: British Canoeing
Being a SUP leader allows us to take people places they might not have gone without us!
Introducing people to new environments and instilling a love of paddleboarding is what being a Stand-Up Paddleboard leader is all about. Whether you're looking to take out friends, young people or groups these British Canoeing leadership awards are a great way to ensure you have all the safety experience needed as well as those crucial leadership skills to make sure you're delivering the best experience possible to the people you'd like to lead.
For all British Canoeing leadership awards you can choose to go straight for an assessment if you're experience and confident in leading groups. However, many people choose to partake in a training course first to make sure they have the best toolkit possible to pass the assessment with ease and ensure they become the best SUP leaders possible.
Whether you're looking to lead in coastal environments, on slow moving rivers or in open water, Willowgate can offer all of the British Canoeing SUP leadership awards available. We're committed to ensuring this ever increasing sport is as fun, enjoyable and safe as possible, so in our eyes, the more SUP leaders out there, the better!
Important info
Kayak & Canoe Coach Awards: British Canoeing
Would you like to coach kayaking? Or maybe coach canoeing? Or both? Join a British Canoeing course to become a qualified kayak and canoe coach.
Here at Willowgate we can offer a range of kayak/canoe coaching qualifications; whether you're looking to take people on white water, or in a sheltered environment we can help you along your journey.
The British Canoeing Awards are designed to ensure that their coaches are as prepared as possible to deliver a high end product ensuring safety, personal performance and paddling technique alongside all the coaching theory and soft skills needed to be an excellent paddleboard coach. For all British Canoeing coaching awards participants must attend a two day training course followed by a half day assessment. Each course has it's own pre-requistes which are listed below of each course.
We look forward to helping you on your coaching journey, as lets be honest, the more people out on the water, the better!
Important info
Navigation Training Course
Navigate your way to your next adventure!
Learn to Navigate on tracks using compass, and map. Beginners course suitable for those looking to improve also.
The 1 day course is ideal if you want to explore more of Scotland or anywhere in the world and would like to learn indepth about how to read maps, and compasses.
Start at Willowgate Activity Centre and will be exploring the surrounding areas.
£45pp
This course is limited to 7 people, to secure a place book now.
Important info
£45per person
REC Outdoor First Aid Course: 16 Hour Outdoor
This course is ideal to those who are looking to get their first 1st Aid qualification, or those who need to renew theirs.
It will run at Willowgate Activity Centre each day from 9:00- 18:00.
The course will be tailored to those who work in an outdoor environment, therefore please bring clothing to be outside most of the day.
A two day course (16 hours). The outdoor first aid course is designed to introduce a systematic way of first aid for managing casualties
Important info
£120per person
5 Day Paddlesport Instructor Training -
If you're looking to work towards becoming a Paddlesport Instructor, then this is the course for you!
From rescues, to perfecting skills to long trips and white water fun. This 5 day course will give hone your skills to get you ready for your Paddlesport Instructor course. You'll also gain the following British Canoeing qualifications along the way: Paddle Explore, SUP PPA, Paddlesport Safety & Rescue (PSRC).
Important info
£400per person
Tides & The Tay: Planning & Navigation Course
This 1.5 hour course covers many of the basics you'll need to know for paddling around the River Tay as well as an introduction to tidal knowledge.
Topics covered include...
- Tides & how they work
- What affects us while we paddle
- River Tay characteristics
- Recommended trips in our local area
- What safety equipment to take
- How to plan paddling trips well
- A chance to practice planning a trip
Important info
£25per person
Buy Gift Vouchers
Buy a gift voucher for someone you love, or to celebrate a special occasion
Our Willowgate vouchers can be purchased for any amount starting at £5 and can be used towards any activity with us.
Perfect for birthday and Christmas presents as well as a prize or congratulations gift. They can be personalised with a message and sent to whomever you like.
CONTACT US
